Opinions

Debate on guns needed; more laws a possibility

By James Tatum · Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013

People say you shouldn’t politicize tragedies. But you should. Every mass shooting, like the recent Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., is an opportunity to have a conversation about our gun culture. For it is the rare occasion, despite the frequency of these horrors, that you have the public’s attention.

Apocalyptic predictions fail us once again

By Rose Carver · Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013

It might have felt like the end of the world could have happened on the night of Dec. 21, but it didn’t.

Echoer

By Sammy DeMarco and Jodi F. Bullock · Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012

*Good riddance, Julea Ward By Jodi F. Bullock* Four years after it began, eastern michigan university has settled a lawsuit brought by former student Julea Ward for $75,000. Ward was kicked out of the graduate counseling program after she referred a gay client to another counselor because as an evangelical Christian she believes that homosexuality is immoral.

Business tax incentives ineffective

By James Tatum · Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012

The New York Times reported Dec. 3 that U.S. auto manufacturers posted sales had risen 15 percent in November. This year there has been plenty of positive news to report on the American auto industry. In January, it was reported that General Motors, which is headquartered in Detroit, repositioned itself as the top auto manufacturer in the world.

Hey NASA, what about Venus?

By Jennifer Kirby · Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012

In 2020, NASA is expecting to release a new rover to explore the planet Mars. This will be the fourth rover they have sent. Instead of exploring places we have already been, NASA should push the limits and branch out among the stars by sending high-tech rovers to other planets, like Venus.

Gaza Strip compromise unlikely

By Robert Uldricks · Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012

In November, the Israelis and the Palestinians had a little kerfuffle over rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. The group Hamas, a militant organization that won power in 2007 through democratic elections, is fond of firing rockets at Israeli settlements.

Education plan worthy

By David Konarske · Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012

In a Nov. 18 article, the Detroit Free Press announced that Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is proposing a massive overhaul of the state’s education system, called the Michigan Public Education Finance Act. Opposition has come from many directions, including public school officials and the American Federation of Teachers.

Greetings during holidays in need of common ground

By Patrick Seick · Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012

It’s that time of year again: Christmas time! Er, Kwanzaa time! No, Hanukkah time! No, no, all of those are offensive. So, Happy Holidays!

Concept by Jodi F. Bullock and artwork by David Woodward.

Author’s ‘War on Men’ is nonexistent

By Jodi F. Bullock · Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012

In two recent columns on FoxNews.com, author Suzanne Venker sought to warn the public about a brutal war being fought right here in our own country: the war on men.

Response to 'Letter to the editor': Team success should determine funds

By Sammy DeMarco · Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012

In my Dec. 6 column, “Athletic funds could be used for academics,” I incorrectly used “Athletic Department” and “football program” interchangeably, as Eastern Michigan University athlete Katherine Anderson’s letter stated.

Letter to the editor

By Katherine Anderson · Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012

I am a student-athlete at Eastern Michigan University and in response to the Dec. 6 article “Athletic funds could be used for academics” in The Eastern Echo, more specifically the statement that “it’s time the board takes a timeout from the unfettered, lavish spending on the Athletic Department.”

Women have every right to serve on the frontline

By Chris Hoitash · Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012

Women in the military: I see nothing wrong with this. If only everyone shared such a naively open-minded view of the world.

Right to Work will weaken union power

By James Tatum · Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012

Was it the political miscalculation made by Michigan’s labor movement to forward an amendment to the state’s Constitution that ultimately failed?

Death of Hostess treats, Twinkie sad day for America

By Jennifer Kirby · Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012

American Culture has been devastated. As of now, the ever-popular Hostess Twinkie is on its deathbed. A generation of Americans will grow up without having so much as a bite of a Twinkie. The Hostess business is closing, and taking an iconic piece of American culture with it.

Conservative lobbyist shares idiocy like plague

By Patrick Seick · Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012

Who is John Galt? The opening line of the Grand Old Party’s quasi-manifesto from Ayn Rand can be bastardized to apply to modern politics. Who is Grover Norquist? The answer is needed now more than ever as his agenda directly conflicts with what the American public has openly voiced.

Tax breaks for fetuses GOP anti-choice scheme

By Jodi F. Bullock · Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012

While it may sound like something ripped straight from The Onion, Michigan Republican lawmakers really have proposed an amendment to the state tax code that would allow pregnant women to claim a fetus over 12 weeks old as a dependent and receive an estimated $160 tax break.

Athletic funds could be used for academics

By Sammy DeMarco · Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012

It’s time we re-examine Eastern Michigan University’s football program. Again. In a Dec. 3 front-page column, The Eastern Echo sports editor called for the firing of head coach Ron English. With an overall record of 10-38, I agree. However, I suggest the Board of Regents refrain from its usual knee-jerk reaction of addressing the football program’s failure by tossing more dollars at it.