Opinions - The Eastern Echo

Concept by Sammy DeMarco and John Fike and drawn by David Woodward (The Eastern Echo/2012).

Keep market values out of nonprofit sector

By John G. Fike · Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012

Caution: We’re being invaded by aliens from inner space. Yes, it’s something we’re doing to ourselves. But don’t panic; let me explain.

Why do young people care about social media, but not the news?

By Jennifer Kirby · Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012

There are many horrific events going on in the world right now. Israel and Hamas were recently firing at each other, an earthquake tore apart Guatemala and citizens in 23 European countries went on strike over a financial crisis; all important events that many people have not heard about. College students should be more mindful of the world around them.

Affirmative Action serves as a step backwards for equality

By David Konarske · Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012

The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit struck down Michigan’s ban on Affirmative Action Nov. 15. The ban, known as the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, was added to our State Constitution in 2006 after being approved by 58 percent of the electorate.

Politics needs more women

By Patrick Seick · Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012

Now that the presidential election has finally ended, we can begin our next conversation: the 2016 presidential election. Our creativity of topics aside, the search for presidential candidates has already begun. Most interesting to me is the reemergence of an old name: Hillary Clinton.

Churches should be held accountable

By Jodi F. Bullock · Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012

A University of Tampa sociology professor recently published a report in which he estimated that the United States is losing $71 billion per year because of its automatic tax exemptions for religious institutions.

Herds of people give up family time to shop

By Sammy DeMarco · Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012

I have a confession to make. I experience a moment of schadenfreud reading about people getting trampled and violent frenzies that break out.

Good employee resigns for wrong reasons

By Robert Uldricks · Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012

On Nov. 9, BBC reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had made the absolutely shocking discovery that then-Director of the Central Intelligence Agency David Petraeus did in fact possess a penis.

Black Friday is not a good day to die

By Chris Hoitash · Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012

Death is inevitable. This knowledge wears greatly on the souls of man. Though our death is inevitable, how we die is not. There are those among us who dream of a glorious death, a death where they fight the last stand against the alien horde to ensure humanity’s dominance of the galaxy.

Black Americans and politics

By James Tatum · Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012

Representative Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., resigned from Congress Wednesday. His letter of resignation to Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, cited his poor health and treatment for bipolar disorder at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

The battle for the 51st state: Let Puerto Ricans Decide on Statehood

By Robert Uldricks · Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2012

During the last election, Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States you may have heard of, voted to become a state.

Republicans try to expand voter base post-election

By Chris Hoitash · Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012

America: The land of opportunity. That’s the theory, at least. The 2012 presidential election showed quite clearly that minority voters tend to vote Democratic — for some reason I’m sure no one could possibly answer.

The battle for the 51st state: Against Puerto Rican Statehood

By David Konarske · Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012

This election year saw lots of partisan bickering, lots of yard signs and lots of stump speeches. For the most part, it wasn’t much different from past elections. However, there was a unique development that seems to have gone unnoticed by many Americans: The people of Puerto Rico have voted that they want to add their star to the U.S. flag and become the nation’s 51st state.

Corrections

Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012

In the Nov. 11 Eastern Echo article “Get money out of politics: Cost to elect president was around $6 billion,” the figure spent in opposition to Hoekstra was incorrectly stated as about $1.4 million and should have read about $1,455.

Windows 8: A step forward

By David Konarske · Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012

Microsoft’s new Windows 8 operating system has been out for almost three weeks and it is a good next step in the evolution of the OS. I downloaded my upgrade the day after it came out and only paid $15 for it since I bought my laptop in June.

Syrian president must be held accountable

By Robert Uldricks · Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012

Now that the election is over, something should be done about the very sticky situation in Syria. It would be in the best interests of America if we helped Syrians fire their leader.

Elections indicate progress

By Patrick Seick · Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012

With the closing of election season, we can revel in two immediately obvious conclusions: First, the incessant, oft uninformed political chatter on social media will end and second, the re-election of President Barack Obama wasn’t the only thing social liberals had to cheer about.

Focus on achievement gap hurts students

By Jodi F. Bullock · Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012

According to AnnArbor.com, over the past six years Ann Arbor Public Schools paid a firm $441,000 of taxpayer money to consult with the district on addressing the achievement gap. Yet for all the money spent, 27 of 33 Ann Arbor schools were recently cited for failing to meet the state of Michigan’s standards.

Get money out of politics: Cost to elect president was around $6 billion

By James Tatum · Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012

The election season is over and by estimates from the Center for Responsive Politics, it cost $6 billion to elect our president. Records from the International Monetary Fund show that is more than the gross domestic product of several small nations like Grenada, Malawi and Belize.

Federal government needs to let states decide on drugs

By Chris Hoitash · Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012

So, who wants some legal weed and a political science debate? The November elections are over, but the aftershocks shall permeate the political sphere for some time. A new dilemma has formed from the elections, and the answer isn’t as clear to the powers that be as it needs to be.

Be humane when you have choices to eat meat

By Jumanah Saadeh · Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012

There is so much to say on the topic of eating meat: The treatment of animals at the slaughterhouses, how the meat is processed, the health considerations in eating meat, accessibility of quality meat, mass consumption and so on.