Opinion

---

Logical plan needed to change drinking laws

 I've never actually heard someone say ""thank goodness the drinking age is 21! Remember how bad it was back before in the '60's?"" The idea that the drinking age should be 18 is more or less a given, especially here in Wisconsin. Even though most of us disagree, we continue to ticket our fellow citizens who are old enough to die for their country, vote and live on their own. The reason for the gap between what the public thinks and does and the laws our politicians continue to support is the lack of a safe, cost-effective plan to lower Wisconsin's drinking age.

Student financial aid revision overdue

 On Sept. 17 Congress approved far-reaching legislation that would expand federal aid to college students and end federal subsidies to private lenders. The Students Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, if passed by the Senate and signed by the president, would allocate $87 billion in post-secondary education over ten years. The bill would increase the amount of federal aid available to university students and increase funding to community colleges. Perhaps most importantly, the bill would simplify the spiteful Federal Application for Student Aid, infamously known to students as the FAFSA.

Law school difficult enough without bar

Law school is hell. Ask your average first year what their life is like, and chances are their answer will involve screaming, incoherent frustrated mutterings and a whimper or two. Maybe even a little sobbing. Law students start off with a huge workload that fails to let up until they graduate three years later. And even after that wondrous graduation day, there is still the looming spectacle of the bar exam hanging over them, just waiting to squeeze that last extra teaspoon of life out of those enterprising legal minds.

Struggle for health care defining presidency

 By Maggie Bahrmasel and Evan Giesemann

Mifflin Street not safe from progress

 The invisible force that is progress seems to constantly be wreaking havoc on the city of Madison. Someday, the city skyline will no longer be peppered with cranes and the streets won't be covered with dump trucks, but that day keeps moving farther away. Last week, Madison's Planning Department met to discuss what to do about the historic Mifflin Street area.

Twitter tearing down sensible communication

Common sense best way to prevent flu

Few students on campus desire to contract swine flu - or as the powers-that-be demand we call it, H1N1. But every year, in fall and winter, we have a flu season. Students get sick, get better and the world continues to turn.

Conservation required for world's water

Here in the United States, the average American consumes 80 to 100 gallons of water a day, based on data from the United States Geological Survey. The largest portion of which is used to flush toilets and take showers and baths. But according to thewaterproject.org, more than one in six people in the world do not have access to clean drinking water.

Common sense best way to prevent flu

Few students on campus desire to contract swine flu - or, as the powers-that-be demand we call it, H1N1. But every year, in fall and winter, we have a flu season. Students get sick, get better and the world continues to turn.

Common sense best way to prevent flu

Few students on campus desire to contract swine flu - or as the powers-that-be demand we call it, H1N1. But every year, in fall and winter, we have a flu season. Students get sick, get better, and the world continues to turn.

Nationalism obscures 9/11 rememberance

 As another anniversary of the mass slaughter on September 11, 2001 comes to pass, the shrill cries of nationalism, coupled with the genuine and disingenuous sympathy for the victims, make their way into the national discussion once again, even if the volume is slightly less amplified with each passing year. All of the official quarters pay their respects to the horrific happenings of that day eight years ago —as  they should. Last Friday, the College Republicans and College Democrats held a vigil on Bascom Hill during which they planted American flags and sang the National Anthem. Undoubtedly, these same groups held near identical gatherings on universities throughout the country. This kind of thing is to be expected—it's simply the thing to do.

Textbook swap holds promise

 From August 28-30, the Associated Students of Madison held its fourth book swap, moving $35,000 and 2,700 books, half of which sold.

College Dems need new direction

For the duration of my undergraduate career at UW-Madison, one conspicuous student organization has stood on the sidelines during crucial social justice battles and even occasionally joined the other team in limiting the score of righteous, progressive endeavors. What's worse, this group has concerned itself more with the résumés of its leadership than its espoused agenda. Despite the instinctual sympathy that most students have for its nationally recognized name, its do-nothing approach has precluded the formation of a large active membership; the group invariably withers into conservatism, futility and phoniness as each year progresses.

Letter to the Editor

 I am writing to respond to Andrew Carpenter's article, ""Prevention needed to combat anorexia."" I certainly appreciate Carpenter's concern with the health of his peers and I commend him for criticizing the unattainable beauty standards our society perpetuates. However, I felt that by making reference to the weight room at the SERF and the ""hottest"" women on campus, Carpenter still suggests that our main goal as young adults is to look good. In an article concerning struggles with body image, this notion of what is ""hot"" and what isn't seems misplaced and inappropriate.

Prevention needed to combat anorexia

Human race too attached to terrestrial life, lacks curiosity

Do you realize that we're floating in space? It's something I found myself saying over and over again this summer, while being bombarded with coverage of Apollo 11's 40th anniversary as well as the Parseids meteor shower in July. I also found myself asking, why aren't we out there in space? Why aren't we exploring like we used to? Have we run out of curiosity?

University Alcohol Policy Consistant

War begins Saturday for the University of Wisconsin, albeit a relatively tame war. While the Badgers look to go 1-0 on the football field, the university looks to keep the alcoholic culture associated with football games down to a minimum. In many ways, the war on binge drinking and underage drinking is a futile endeavor, especially when dealing with something as inveterately linked as football and beer. But it is a noble endeavor nonetheless; one that the University has shown it is willing to fight. The concept of ""show and blow"" was introduced last year to keep underage drinking down, and now UW has dropped radio ads during football games associated with alcohol presumably to obscure the connection between football and beer drinking.

Poor alcohol policy hurts local business community

Some time ago, a friend of mine took issue with a comment I made about Madison's sometimes testy relationship with its business community, disputing my claim that the city could be less than friendly towards many of its economic engines from time to time. Recently I found my exhibit A in the trials of the proposed Badger Hall of Fame Grill from Scott Acker, owner of the Quaker Steak and Lube restaurant in Middleton, who had planned to open a restaurant in University Square. But now it is doubtful the restaurant will ever open, due to the intense hassle Acker has had to go through to open its doors.

Obama's birth certificate brings out the worst in politics

Though rumors spread about Obama's citizenship have constantly been shown to be unfounded, the president nonetheless is hurting the country by failing to address them. By ignoring the ""birther"" movement, Obama has increased the national partisan divide, with his supporters mocking and deriding the birth certificate protesters and his opponents increasing their rhetoric to extreme levels.