Alex Holland - The Daily Cardinal

OPINION

US should send a man to Mars

By Mario Puig and Alex Holland | Dec. 5, 2013

On Monday, China launched a lunar probe that will land on the moon. The nation’s first attempt was welcomed with national excitement and pride. The launch came shortly after the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s death. Over the last several weeks, there has been debate over the effectiveness of President Kennedy’s administration and his external escapades; few have questioned the former president’s ability to inspire the American people 50 years after his death.

OPINION

Immigration reform could decrease the US budget deficit

By Alex Holland | Nov. 19, 2013

Stagnant budget negotiations indicate that no “grand bargain” will be reached to lower the federal deficit. The United States does have a long run budget problem, but that budget problem is not nearly as large as many have made it out to be.

OPINION

Student income-based achievement gap could be bridged with reform

By Alex Holland | Nov. 12, 2013

The U.S. federal government has been governing from crisis to crisis. A symptom of this outside of the large (and ever growing) negative impact on the economy is that Washington has not been able to work toward solving problems that plague this country. At the top of this list is the growing discrepancy in academic achievement between wealthy and poor students. One-point-two mill. children drop out of high school every year or one every 26 seconds. That student who drops out is eight times more likely to go to prison and is not eligible for 90 percent of the new jobs created. More than half of those dropouts come from less than 15 percent of the nation’s schools. A large number of these schools are in urban environments and are made up of largely minority populations. Standardized test score differences between wealthy and poor students rose by 40 percent from 1976 to 2001.

OPINION

US House needs to pass the ENDA

By Alex Holland | Nov. 5, 2013

Monday night, the Senate passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which makes it illegal for an employer to fire or not hire someone due to his or her sexual orientation and/or gender identity. The passage of ENDA marks a significant milestone for the LGBT equality movement. Nevertheless, the Heritage Foundation’s Ryan Anderson and many other conservatives feel differently. Anderson stated ENDA is “bad policy” because “ENDA would create special privileges based on sexual orientation and gender identity.” ENDA ensures that as many as two-thirds of LGBT individuals do not face employment discrimination in their respective workplaces and that the third of men earn less than their similarly qualified heterosexual male counterparts earn the same. Ensuring all people are rewarded for their hard work rather than exogenous factors is by no means a ‘special privilege.’ Anderson complains that ENDA would “impinge Americans’ right to run their businesses the way they choose,” but Anderson forgets that the 14th Amendment guarantees equal protection under the law. Surely, ensuring LGBT folks are treated the same as their heterosexual counterparts supercede the rights of businesses.

OPINION

Now is the time for Congress to ‘reboot’ with compromise

By Justine Colgan and Alex Holland | Oct. 22, 2013

In the middle of a lethargic second term in which President Barack Obama and Congress have passed little meaningful legislation, Washington, D.C. has an opportunity to reboot. The narrow aversion of a federal default on its debt and temporary government shutdown have set up a budget conference, which is long overdue.

OPINION

High school students need action civics

By Will Hoverman and Alex Holland | Oct. 17, 2013

I remember in high school I had a classmate who forgot what Sept. 11 was. In the 2012 election, less than six in ten Americans voted. A third of Americans cannot name all three branches of government and a third cannot even name a single branch of government. There is no doubt not enough Americans participate in the political process or understand how the American government works. A functioning democracy requires a well-educated citizenry. A Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll has shown over the course of 33 years a vast majority of Americans agree American schools must “educate young people for responsible citizenship.” Yet, the National Assessment of Educational Progress found American students receive the worst test scores in civics and history than in any other subject.

OPINION

Tea Party's platform hurts our system

By Alex Holland | Oct. 10, 2013

Over the last several days, opinionated editorial sections across the country have been filled with advocates for compromise and bipartisanship over the mess Washington finds itself in. Major national newspapers have focused on the failures of Congress and the infighting between and within political parties. This lineage of argumentation misses the entire reason we are where we are.

OPINION

Boehner is ineffective

By Alex Holland | Sep. 27, 2013

It is time Speaker John Boehner flex the muscle of his speakership. Speaker Boehner is the kid who keeps getting his lunch money stolen at recess. From the failed farm bill vote to the inability to cajole his caucus to pass a comprehensive budget resolution in conjunction with senate Democrats to Tea Party Republicans bullying him into including a clause to defund Obamacare in the resolution the House passed the other day to stop the government from shutting down, Boehner is running out of money and so is the government.

OPINION

College costs must be taken more seriously in legislature

By Andrew Haffner and Alex Holland | Sep. 18, 2013

Last week, state Senate and Assembly Democrats walked down State Street to hear students’ perspectives on the current student loan crisis. The event featured state Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, as well as state Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, and state Rep. Chris Taylor, D- Madison, among several others.

OPINION

Syrian compliance would be victory

By Alex Holland | Sep. 11, 2013

For the last couple weeks a scene from the West Wing has been etched into my head. The scene is in the first season and comes after the Bartlet administration has been struggling to pass any legislation. After a conversation in the Oval Office, President Bartlet and his chief of staff Leo McGarry decide to “let Bartlet be Bartlet.” Leo goes to his office and tells the high level staff, “We’re gonna put the ball in the air. If we’re gonna walk into walls, I want us running into ’em full speed.” For the last couple weeks, it appears President Barack Obama, with Secretary of State John Kerry on his side, has been running at full speed.