Opinion

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Editorial Cartoon: February 22, 2010

Yes, Google, we'd like fast Internet

For those of you who know me, the fact that I'm writing about anything having to do with technology is quite a jaw-dropper. According to my ""tech-savvy"" friends and acquaintances, I am quite ""tech-crappy."" When my printer doesn't work, my attempts to fix it include name-calling, kicking and the silent treatment. It is currently resenting me for this abuse and refusing to print off my term papers. My relationship with my computer, on the other hand, is significantly more mature, and Google could significantly improve it with its new ultrahigh-speed Internet program.

Modern sense of entitlement detrimental to society, governmental policy

There are many issues facing our country today. They range from terrorism, to our economy, to our national debt. Yet there is one issue that doesn't grab headlines on MSNBC, CNN or Fox. In fact, it often fails to enter the political discussion in this country at all.

Don't look a gift train in the mouth

Apparently not everybody is fond of high-speed rail in Wisconsin. Milwaukee County Executive and Republican candidate for governor Scott Walker said this week that the costs of maintaining the rail line could be passed down to taxpayers. Both he and his rival, former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann, advocate not accepting the federal money. Republicans in the state Assembly said the costs of operating the line could be $7.5 annually and not covered by federal funds. Not only is this thinking short-sighted, it goes against the thinking of past Republican governors.

Make your meals meatless

It's disconcerting to read studies about the negative effects of red meat and belching cows ruining the atmosphere, to be sure. Still, surprisingly little of it actually translates to a change when we're standing in the lunch line. The answer to why most of us don't oblige and cut down? Simple: Meat tastes good.

Abortion debate requires everybody's participation

Abortion protesters descending upon Library Mall. Tim Tebow tackling his skeletal mother during the Super Bowl. Whether you're comfortable with it or not, the abortion issue is not going away. Never mind how many straddle the confused, moderate middle, the two opposing beliefs are too polarized to give up the fight.

Editorial Cartoon: Feb. 18, 2010

Student success depends on campus climate

When coming to UW-Madison, freshmen and transfer students look for new freedoms, new friends, networking and new opportunities. Unfortunately, many students are not prepared for the huge climate adjustment. And the reality hits much harder than the brutal Wisconsin winters. Minority students, including but not limited to people of color and international students, walk into a sea of white in more ways than one. Even majority students who come from very diverse cities are unprepared for Madison's campus climate. ""Campus climate"" carries various connotations on the UW-Madison campus, because the atmosphere is perceived differently between majority and minority groups.

Brothers Bar correct, within limits

We here at The Daily Cardinal are not big fans of eminent domain. On a case by case basis, some exceptions may seem reasonable for the public good. But the idea of the government seizing private property against citizens' will is quite frightening, particularly if the private citizens feel taken advantage of.

Claims against Shorewood Hills unfounded

[In response to Kathy Dittrich's Feb. 15 article ""Hypocrisy shines in Shorewood Hills]

Rediscovering community

When I first moved to Madison four years ago, all the upperclassmen I knew would consistently tell me that State Street just wasn't what it used to be when they were freshmen. The UW alums I've met all say the same thing. State Street just isn't the same.

Editorial Board Dissent: Help exists now

There are admittedly many problems facing student tenants in Madison, ranging from dirty apartments with barely functioning refrigerators, to poor responses to maintenance calls, to the ubiquitous wrongful withholding of deposits for unsubstantiated reasons.

Tea Party in the USA

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.

Students need rental help

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.

Conservative ideas amount to nothing

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

Every which way but Wyndham

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.

Hypocrisy shines in Shorewood Hills

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.

Metro Transit should prioritize riders over increasingly wealthy drivers

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.

Getting practical with science education

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.

Get the initiative out in the open

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.