Opinion

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ASM may be too expansive to fully represent student body

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a special place for a million reasons: top notch academics, competitive and exciting athletics, inspiring professors et cetera et cetera. One of the most important, and perhaps the most unrecognized feature that makes UW-Madison so unique is the shared governance relationship between students and administrators. In fact, Wisconsin law dictates that students must be a part of the allocation of their segregated fees. The importance of student representation in important budget and educational decisions on campus cannot be undersold. Unfortunately, the structure of our student government has become bloated and inefficient and is in desperate need of a dramatic overhaul.

Political rhetoric overshadows the issues

Often times the rhetoric surrounding an issue becomes the issue itself. Emotional hang-ups and the ever-present argument of deeming something “unconstitutional” can overwhelm the issue at hand, and that can not only hinder solving that problem, it can also blow the problem out of proportion and then lead an effort to fix things that aren’t broken.

Israel ready for peace, waiting on Hamas

In 1917, when it became clear that Britain was to take temporary control of the land known as Palestine, which had previously been ruled over by the Ottoman Empire, British Foreign Secretary Lord Arthur James Balfour immediately issued a statement in favor of the construction of a Jewish state, which had already been conceived of many decades beforehand.

Modern voters are looking for "more" from elected officials

With John Kerry being confirmed as the new secretary of state, Hillary Clinton is now able to manage her health, as well as possibly, a spot on the 2016 presidential ballot. As the former secretary of state has left her desk in positive standing, she is in the perfect position to go for the presidency. If this is the case, and if she were to win that election, then it will be clear America has entered a new age of politics, where the image of the politician is no longer that of the savior.

Wisconsin's extra $137 million should be invested wisely, not cut

Last week, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau released an estimate of Wisconsin’s budget surplus that exceeded preliminary estimates by $137 million. Gov. Scott Walker’s administration has announced that it plans to use the extra funding in order to give a tax break to Wisconsin families in a terribly unsurprising move. Considering the extreme budget cutting techniques done in the name of state debt, a tax rebate is hardly the innovative way of building tax base that Wisconsin needs.

Higher education neglected at great cost

Last year was a rough year for students at public universities, as state legislatures throughout the country continued to cut funding to their universities.  Nationwide, states underwent one of the largest divestments in higher education in American history, slashing funding by 7.6 percent.  And in 2011, for the second consecutive year, state and local funding to public universities reached a quarter-century low despite the fact that enrollment and the cost of educating students reached near-record highs.

Polling policies need more structure

During the last presidential election, multiple hour-long lines prevented an estimated 200,000 people in Florida from voting. For reference, that’s more than twice President Barack Obama’s margin of victory in the state.

An imaginary conversation with a gun control advocate

“Steven, no one needs an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle in their everyday lives. No one needs a 30 round magazine. That gun was used in the Aurora theater massacre, and Adam Lanza brought that gun to the scene of the crime at Sandy Hook. Hunters and collectors don’t need that kind of firepower. That gun is overkill for self-defense purposes,” my leftist friend said.

Obama's pledge to the past, present and future

President Barack Obama made history last weekend as the first two-term president to be sworn into office a total of four times. His progressive speech called to attention the issues of gay rights, environmental awareness and immigration reform. Throughout his career, Obama has modeled his public persona after critical political personalities of the 1960s. This repetitive illusion creates implications of not only how he is forming his legacy, but the direction in which he wants to drive the country. Obama’s pledge to continue that reform gives us hope that progressive action will be taken once again, and that America will be a leader in social change.

The business of ball: working and sweating for free

College football isn’t just a sport. College football is a business. With Bret Bielema, the former head coach of the Badgers, leaving a $2.7 million salary for a $700,000 raise, we’re reminded of the amount of money that changes hands. Consider that the Big Ten generates hundreds of millions of dollars per year solely from licensing of television rights and you’ll gain insight into just how huge the industry is. The television networks make millions, the advertising agencies make millions, and the coaches make millions. There’s only one group that’s left out: the players.

Criticism of secretary of defense nominee Hagel not justified

If I am having a bad hair day, or I’m really not rockin’ that sweater that I sincerely believe looks awesome on me, I genuinely want my true friends to kindly—or harshly, depending on my intransigence—to explain to me that my appearance is not as positive as I may quixotically hope it to be. Similarly, if the United States is in the wrong in international affairs, I would hope that our friends in the world would give us a compelling, well-thought-out argument for why we should change our current trajectory. Israel is one of our best friends in the whole wide world, and so when it is in the wrong, as it sometimes is, I do not think it is a big deal to kindly and gently tap it on the shoulder and say, “Hey, pal, maybe there is a better route.”

Time for cultural change on gun control

Although our economy is still far from healthy and any real decisions regarding the U.S. fiscal policy have been pushed back a few months by the fiscal cliff deal, the political world has been violently derailed by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The Dec. 14 shooting left 28 dead, including 20 children, and was the deadliest mass shooting in the United States since Seung-Hui Cho terrorized the Virginia Tech campus, killing 32 in 2007.

A just end to annoying stories

Assuming the Mayans are right and the world is ending, The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board is glad we no longer have to worry about these issues because of the whole being dead thing.

Stories that went under the radar

The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board covers a lot of stories in its infinite wisdom. These are the stories that didn’t make the cut, but are still important.

Black stereotypes and racism at the heart of Jordan Davis murder

There is the echo of a snare drum rattling the speakers of someone in America that looks exactly like me. By looking like me, I mean a young Black man. There is a gas station somewhere in America that this someone will visit for fuel. Perhaps this someone has a friend or two with him. Perhaps the snare drum continues to roll as the vehicle is placed into park. Perhaps they all want some sort of snack to whet their appetites. Perhaps, here, the night hides light from us all.

Susan Rice has the right qualifications for secretary of state

Current U.N. Ambassador, and possible secretary of state nominee Susan Rice, has come under fire recently from Senate Republicans who vow to block her nomination if she were to receive Presidents Barack Obama’s nomination as secretary of state. This is largely because of Rice’s role in relaying incorrect information of the Benghazi attacks. But while the Obama administration’s faulty handling of information in the Benghazi attacks does deserve some scrutiny, it is not fair for Republicans to deny Rice’s nomination solely because of this reason. In doing so, Republicans would be denying a qualified and experienced diplomat who is clearly the best candidate for secretary of state.

Saying farewell to farewell articles

I am not a very sensitive person, nor do I ever plan to be. I’m not the kind of person that cries during emotional movies and some may say I have a black hole where my heart should be. I simply respond by quoting the great Ron Swanson, “Crying is only okay in two places: funerals and the Grand Canyon;” both of which I have never experienced.

Don’t abandon Mifflin until considering all the other options

Madison is a town steeped in history. This history is part of the reason I chose to attend school here. My father and his brother, my uncle, both attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison for at least a semester, as well as a few of my cousins and friends.

Diversity is more than just skin deep

With the Supreme Court to rule on affirmative action this session—Fisher v. University of Texas—and our university to design a new Diversity Plan—our previous plan expired in ’08—I thought it appropriate to take a look at the idea of diversity as tied to ethnicity and address its misguided and racist nature. It’s a touchy subject and I really hope that I can have an open conversation with individuals about the topic. Feel free to comment on the article online or send me an email at snemcek@wisc.edu.

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