Opinion - The Daily Cardinal

OPINION

Tea Party in the USA

By Ben Turpin | Feb. 16, 2010

Due to the protests, the growing number of people involved, and the controversial convention last week, the so-called Tea Party movement is getting more and more difficult to ignore. But who are these people and what do they really stand for? In a late January survey, 40 percent of respondents said that they either had not heard of the movement or did not know enough about it to form an opinion. Granted, this poll was conducted before the recent National Tea Party Convention, but that event did not really provide any more definitive information about this group than was already available.

OPINION

Students need rental help

By The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board and Joe Patton | Feb. 16, 2010

Now that this year's rental rush is, for the most part, over, it's important to begin reflecting on your current living situation. Things probably aren't as rosy as you thought they would be when you decided to sign the lease on your apartment or house.

OPINION

Conservative ideas amount to nothing

By Steven Wishau - The Daily Cardinal and Jeremy Beloungy | Feb. 14, 2010

After reading Mr. Payne's editorial, I couldn't help but laugh, in disgust.

OPINION

Every which way but Wyndham

By The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board | Feb. 14, 2010

Last week the Dane County Board of Supervisors took up its old habit of sticking its nose where it doesn't belong. When voting to endorse the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in 2007, the Dane County Board showed they couldn't care less about wasting time on issues in which they have absolutely no role. Now they have decided to pry into UW-Madison primate research. Twenty supervisors, including the board's District 5 student representative Wyndham Manning, are questioning the ability of the university's All Campus Animal Care and Use Committee to objectively supervise the university's research efforts.

OPINION

Hypocrisy shines in Shorewood Hills

By Kathy Dittrich | Feb. 14, 2010

For a couple of months controversy has been stirring over a proposed housing development just west of campus in the Village of Shorewood Hills. Shorewood Hills is a community of approximately 630 mostly single-family homes that border the west shore of Lake Mendota. It's no secret in Madison that Shorewood Hills is full of wealthy liberals, whose homes lie on perfectly manicured lawns along streets named after Ivy League institutions.

OPINION

Metro Transit should prioritize riders over increasingly wealthy drivers

By Molly Reppen and Qi Gu | Feb. 14, 2010

Last week, Metro bus driver John Nelson became a household name in Madison for his 2009 paycheck of $159,258. It's twice the median income of a Madison household plus a nice used car. While arguments over whether Nelson deserves all this are pointless, the number does dig up some deep issues in the Metro Transit System.

OPINION

Getting practical with science education

By Todd Stevens | Feb. 12, 2010

As we wrap up our week of op-eds dedicated to science education in America, it feels like we should have some grandiose assessment to make about the state of science. Some sort of condemnation or proclamation should be issued, something that tells us exactly where we are and where we should go in the future.

OPINION

Get the initiative out in the open

By The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board | Feb. 12, 2010

The Madison Initiative for Undergraduates' Oversight Committee held its final meeting last week, deliberating which 114 proposals to suggest Chancellor Biddy Martin fund. On its face, the meeting's intelligent discussion and probing analyses would have satisfied the standards expected of a group proposing to spend $6.2 million in our tuition. Unfortunately, it happened to be preceded by at least four other closed-door sessions that have shrouded the entire process in secrecy and suspicion. UW officials eventually announced they were opening the Committee's final meeting after intense pressures, but instead of admitting wrongdoing, they agreed to open the meetings ""in the spirit of transparency and openness."" How thoughtful.

OPINION

Focus on energy education

By Danny Sptizberg and Stephen Collins | Feb. 12, 2010

Earlier this week, fellow Daily Cardinal opinion writer Anthony Cefali posed a question: ""How do we inspire our science program to shoot for the moon, or at least our own modern equivalent?"" Well, we think we have an answer.

OPINION

Race to the Top sends students to the bottom

By Jamie Stark | Feb. 11, 2010

President Barack Obama has plenty of controversial work before him. He is attempting to finish two expensive wars, pass health insurance reform and end ""don't ask, don't tell."" In a country with a devastatingly powerful moderate majority, Obama must pick and choose his political battles, pushing for some liberal issues and coasting through with other moderate proposals.

OPINION

What education needs is more Bill Nye

By Mark Bennett | Feb. 11, 2010

As we take a week to reflect on science education in America, I'd like to take a look back at my fondest memories of my personal science education.

OPINION

Darwin's legacy independent of beliefs

By David Baum | Feb. 9, 2010

With all the discussion of Charles Darwin's bicentennial over the last year, we kept hearing about the conflict between evolution and religion. It sometimes seems that the entire question of whether religion is reasonable turns on whether evolution happened, and the entire question of whether to accept that evolution happened depends on whether one wants to reject the existence of God. In these polarized discussions, it is worth asking why, if he believed evolution happened, wasn't Darwin an atheist?

OPINION

World needs inspiration and imagination for innovation

By Anthony Cefali | Feb. 9, 2010

Late last week, scientists at CERN announced they would be turning the Large Hadron Collider back on. The world's largest physics experiment broke down shortly after its first test runs in 2008 and has only been tested once since then. Unfortunately, the LHC will operate at half power for the next two years before being turned off yet again for another year's worth of repairs.

OPINION

Government and society can't ignore homelessness

By Melissa Grau | Feb. 9, 2010

The Bohemian life, la vie Boheme, of ""Rent's"" star-studded cast illuminated the stage for four days at Madison's Overture Center two weeks ago, and I was among the lucky ones to be touched by not only the amazing musical talents of the performers, but by the enduring message. ""Rent"" was created to mirror humanity in its purest form, depicting extreme poverty, disease and heartache. It was a successful Broadway tour because it touches people emotionally, connecting people in ""an isolating age."" Walking back down State Street after the show in the frigid winter air, cold despite my warm clothes, my attention was drawn to the homeless not on stage, but on the street. They did not belt out the chords of ""Life Support,"" but their plight struck me in a way it had not before. I did not see these people as annoying panhandlers or creepy old men. Like the song ""La Vie Boheme,"" I saw these people as ""an us, instead of a them.""

OPINION

New framework needed for a more productive evolution, creation debate

By Ben Turpin | Feb. 9, 2010

The evolution-versus-creation-in-school debate has been raging for years. Some say religion should not be taught in schools. Some say students should not be exposed to material that conflicts with the religious beliefs their parents are attempting to instill in them. Still others say that both should be taught so that students are exposed to both sides of the argument and can make a decision for themselves. The debate could be boiled down to creation and the Big Bang Theory, since evolution only addresses what has happened after the appearance of life on earth. But the real debate should be more general: religion versus science.

OPINION

Letter to the Editor: Super Bowl ad reveals pro-life bias and contempt for public from CBS

By Madison Students for Choice | Feb. 9, 2010

Many believe that in a country with free speech, CBS should be allowed to air whatever advocacy message they so choose. Others believe that the Super Bowl is about football and it is in poor taste to televise controversial messages during that time.

OPINION

Education worth more than grades

By The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board | Feb. 7, 2010

With programs like ""No Child Left Behind"" beginning almost a decade ago and Race to the Top being included in the Recovery Act last year, the emphasis for national education reform has been on a teacher's ability to reach each and every student successfully. However, as of late, the focus shifted to the students. Specifically, universities have been questioned in their ability to properly highlight academic accomplishments of deserving students.

OPINION

Environmental future depends on education

By Kathy Dittrich and Bill Anderson | Feb. 7, 2010

The beginning of my environmental education as an elementary schooler started with Reduce and ended with Recycle. Back in the day environmental education consisted of little more than teaching kids about the three Rs. If global warming existed in the early and mid-90s, I never heard about it. I remember learning about the rainforest, but never about deforestation. I do think I was introduced to the ozone layer, but only because it had a hole in it.

OPINION

Democratic failures have given rise to conservative ideas and solutions

By Matt Payne | Feb. 7, 2010

In a press conference last Monday President Barack Obama announced the national deficit would be increased to a record 1.6 trillion dollars in 2010 up from the 2009 deficit of 1.4 trillion. In the press conference Obama stated he was going to be fiscally responsible and that ""It's time to hold Washington to the same standards families and businesses hold themselves."" Conservatives like me wholeheartedly agree. We need to live within our means and work together to solve our country's problems.

OPINION

Take fiscal responsibility now for Nat update

By By Todd Stevens | Feb. 5, 2010

You may not be able to tell from my relatively scrawny physique, but I spend quite a bit of time at the SERF. And I keep coming back despite seeing little in the way of results. School is stressful. So is working 30 hours a week at a newspaper for no pay. Doing some cardio and weight training at UW's recreational facilities helps ease a bit of that stress. And while my physical gains are minimal, it does a lot to keep me sane.