Opinion

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Our Editorial Board's fall retrospective

Sanders will fall unless voters take a stand

A common refrain I hear from Hillary Clinton supporters is that even if the country could somehow muster the will to put Bernie Sanders into the Oval Office, nothing would ever get done because Republicans would block Sanders’ ultra-liberal policy proposals at every turn. Admittedly, I understand where these people are coming from. For people who think the government can and should play a more active role in bettering people’s lives by ensuring health care as a right for all citizens, making college universally affordable and reigning in the power of the wealthiest Americans to control the political process, Sanders is exactly the person upon whom we should bestow the presidency. On the other hand, for those in Congress possessing wildly different notions of what government should do on behalf of the people, i.e., Republicans, a Sanders win on 2016’s election night would undoubtedly presage a precipitous drop in legislative productivity.

Letter to the Editor: Wisconsin needs a medical amnesty law

The official motto of the State of Wisconsin is “Forward.” As a word, it suggests an entity with a positive vision for the future. However, it is impossible for Wisconsin to be “Forward” if it persists with excluding forward-looking policy.

America needs to think about its coffee

Letter to the Editor: Climate change resembles a cancer

As an environmental educator, I struggle with explaining the urgency of global climate change. One way of communicating this to students, I have found, is to liken climate change to a cancer. And as the Paris climate meeting approaches we need to address this cancer.

Students need to stop stressing about finals

With Thanksgiving break now over, it is crunch time at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As students, we are bombarded with opinions and ideas of how to best study for finals, write papers and succeed in general. We are told to “Plan ahead!” “Start early!” “Get plenty of sleep!” “Eat healthy!” and “Exercise!” This advice can be very useful, but only the most talented of individuals are capable of consistently doing all of these things. Additionally, even if you precisely follow all of this advice you are still not guaranteed success, and frankly, I am sick of hearing these same things all the time. I think it is quite clear that certain people are more easily stressed out than others, and that at certain times even the calmest of people can be overwhelmed by anxiety. I think of the standard advice as very effective stress prevention, but not efficient stress reduction. At this time of year, I think it is safe to say that most people are feeling at least a small amount of anxiety, and, therefore, the standard advice won’t be of much value.

Stores should follow REI and close their doors on Thanksgiving

Getting the best out of a liberal arts institution

Brandy Melville lacks clothing size diversity

Comfortable. Cozy. Soft. Trendy. Casual. Stylish. Cute. These are all words that my peers replied with when I asked them about the popular female clothing brand, Brandy Melville. This brand has gained an insane amount of popularity in the last year. The products are, in my opinion, just as described—a socially acceptable way to wear pajamas outside.

Letter to the editor: Wisconsin voter ID bars student voting

Cardinal View: Concealed carry in campus buildings puts students safety at risk

Rejecting refugees ignores American values

In light of the terrorist attacks in Paris, conservative America chomped at the bit to try and use the tragedy to rationalize why we shouldn’t invite Syrian refugees into our nation. Without waiting for all of the details of the horrific event to come out (including the fact that the attacks were primarily executed by European nationals), conservatives had already made up their minds that opening our country to refugees is to invite the Islamic State to our doorstep.

The futurist movement is taking over

Campaign debt is skyrocketing

Pedestrians need to learn the rules of the sidewalk, and follow them

Attacks in Paris reignite xenophobia

Paris. That word does not resonate the same way that it did before Nov. 14, 2015. A terrorist attack believed to be orchestrated by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) killed more than 120 people at six different locations outside of the capital by suicide bombs, as well as shootings.

Transgender rights at stake with Wisconsin Assembly Bill 469

The Wisconsin GOP just doesn’t seem to know when they’re fighting a losing battle. With the decision from the Supreme Court this past summer and the backlash following the Religious Freedom Act in Indiana earlier in the year Republicans have been fighting a losing battle when it comes to LGBT rights.  With 59 percent of American citizens supporting same sex marriage, Republicans are showing just how out of touch they are with everyday people.  The Wisconsin Assembly has been the latest target for discriminatory legislation.  Several weeks ago, Rep. Jesse Kremer (R-Kewaskum) introduced Assembly Bill 469, an attempt to restrict transgender use of gendered restrooms in schools.  Regardless of how Rep. Kremer and the other supporters of this legislation may spin it, this bill is an attack against the transgender community and LGBT Wisconsinites as a whole.

Corruption is dominating politics

In our post-Citizens United government, corruption is perfectly legal, and we let politicians get away with it. According to the Sunlight Foundation, from 2007 to 2012, the top 200 most politically active companies in America spent approximately $5.8 billion influencing the legislators who are meant to represent the American public. Those 200 companies received $4.4 trillion in taxpayer support, government benefits and tax breaks for their efforts. While big money special interests laugh all the way to the bank, the American public is left penniless.

Eliminate Social Security

Social Security is close to being an untouchable government program. No politician wants to suggest reforming or eliminating it for fear of irritating the masses of older Americans who want to see the money they paid into the system returned to them. However, Social Security will need to be modified at some point. A system based on younger generations paying for the older generations’ retirements only works when the labor force is large enough to foot the bill of retirees. While that may have been true in the past, it won’t be true forever. Consequently, a change in either benefits or the 12.4 percent effective income tax to support Social Security must occur in order to prevent the program from becoming insolvent.

A new era in Daily Cardinal history

For 123 years, The Daily Cardinal has been at the forefront of student journalism on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. As editor-in-chief, it is my responsibility to put this newspaper in a position to keep it thriving for 123 more.