Opinion

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Clean energy should receive public funding to continue benefitting society

A new report from the Brookings Institute shows public funding for clean energy has—and will continue to—plummet from a high point in 2009. Clean energy has made strides in the past few years by adding jobs in a recession and making clean technology more efficient and affordable. But a national emphasis on budget austerity will contribute to a falling rate of subsidies for clean-energy companies. The federal government needs to learn from Solyndra’s bankruptcy, which left the government on the hook for $535 million, instead of walking away from clean energy as a whole.

UW needs to pay commencement speakers

Government must prioritize education

Education is a hot topic this year, and for good reason. With new legislation and budget cuts, Wisconsin’s public schools are seeing a slew of teacher layoffs, and public colleges are facing big changes regarding loans and debt. All this legislation is making me question what priorities the state and nation hold.

‘Cinco de Mifflin’ criticism does not address real racism in America

Having read the recent letter sent by Badgers Against Racism to The Daily Cardinal, I feel it is necessary to stand against unfounded and inappropriate accusations of racism. Furthermore, by calling the term “Cinco de Mifflin” racist, Badgers Against Racism is implying the students who thought of the phrase are racists themselves. To me, this is extremely inappropriate and unfair.

Letter: Cinco de Mifflin is offensive to racial minorities

Student input important for budget debate

Last week, UW Transportation Services announced a 10 percent cut in transportation services on the UW campus due to a budget deficit.

SB 1070 tarnishes American ideals

Arizona's SB 1070, being pushed by the state's Republican governor Jan Brewer, has been challenged by the Federal government, and is now being debated in the United States Supreme Court. The anti-immigration bill essentially allows state law enforcement to assume the role of federal immigration officials, and detain people whom they merely suspect of being present in the country illegally. Racial profiling of population based on the color of their skin is yet another power granted to the state's police, all in order to make life in Arizona unbearable for people of various ethnic groups as a way to deter illegal immigration. Even before one raises the argument of unconstitutional powers assumed by the state by taking on a role reserved to federal officials, one must consider the vile nature of the bill and the vicious hatred it spews against immigrants. Passage of this bill is bound to usher in an Orwellian atmosphere in Arizona for immigrants and their descendents who were born of a different skin color. Every aspect of their public life will be subject to constant harassment by the state law enforcement, essentially robbing them of a sense of security and of belonging.

Let the free market drive green energy

Letter: Falk is the progressive voice Democrats need to beat Scott Walker

Letter: Keep collective bargaining at UW

Make Gender and Women's Studies courses a requirement

Over the course of the past several weeks this campus has been witness to many events and media pieces addressing the topic of sexual assault. The conversation about this pervasive problem has been constructive and enlightening, and it would be a shame to see this open kind of discussion go away once the issue is out of the limelight. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, but dedicating one month to sexual assault is not enough to mitigate the problem, and this campus needs to find a way to keep the conversation going year round.

Refocus on Wisconsin Idea to boost UW image within state

Katherine Walsh is an associate professor of political science at UW-Madison. Since 2007 she has gathered information about how the state perceives the university. Walsh’s research, published in her paper “The Distance from Public Institutions of Higher Education,” has exposed a rift between Wisconsinites and the university and the university’s failure to live up to the high expectations of the Wisconsin idea. By taking an innovative approach to the problems Walsh has highlighted, Wisconsin could join the forefront of the national conversation on how to restructure higher education.

Poorly marked crosswalks endanger students

The lack of signs at the bottom of Bascom Hill has been nagging me for a little while now. Once I read about the Tuesday hit-and-run at the crosswalk at the foot of the hill, I felt compelled to talk about it. Living around that area, I often use that crosswalk and have noticed that some drivers are either oblivious or ill-intentioned to pedestrians. But this was not so much of an issue not too long ago.

Lowering the drinking age reduces the allure of alcohol

Strange, dangerous and even horrifying trends are nothing new to alcohol-crazed teens. The latest—using hand sanitizer to create a substitute for hard liquor—isn’t even surprising. After six teens from San Fernando Valley, Calif. were hospitalized in the past few weeks, doctors and authorities across the U.S. have taken it upon themselves to warn parents of the dangers of keeping hand sanitizer in their houses.

Sex and the single student: Do men and women play by the same rules?

With Santorum out, candidacy can return to presidential race

As the Republican primaries slowly reveal Mitt Romney as the obvious contender for the United States presidency, focus on the economy is off the backburner and has found itself being touted again as a serious national issue. Social conservatism glib talk has hopefully made its exodus with the likes of Rick Santorum. Social issues have distracted discussion of issues such as jobs and the economy, issues more pressing and of far more importance than almost anything else being spouted about during the height of the debates.

Berquam’s Mifflin video misses the point

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: That video was bad.

Anti-Islamic mentality misinformed

Letter: Achievement gap leaves some minorities behind

MCSC diminishes it’s efforts to create a diverse campus

The Multicultural Student Coalition's budget appeal was given new life by Interim Chancellor David Ward last week. MCSC's actions and Ward's decision damage campus in two different ways: Ward has unfairly stuck his thumb in the pie of segregated fees, and MCSC continues to hurt this campus' overall conversation on diversity through its general ineptitude.