Opinion

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Cain’s ideas from business world impractical, narrow

Oh, how messy  the Republican presidential race has been lately.

ASM: Internal training, funding needed

For the past six months, the Associated Students of Madison’s 18th session has received a constant barrage of criticism from all sides pertaining to the organization’s general internal ineffectiveness. Any member of ASM knows and understands that the concerns for the organization put out by the media and general campus avenues are valid, at least to some extent. General student body members who are versed in the history of ASM also know that these concerns are not unique to this session.

Letter: Proposed XL oil pipeline funds better spent on clean energy

A couple of months ago, if you had asked my what the Keystone XL Pipeline is, I couldn’t have told you. And why should I? America’s dependence on oil makes oil pipelines and oil imports a normal part of American conversation. Although we might not question a new pipeline that travels across a large portion of the United States, we should rethink our feelings on pipelines in the US.

Wisconsin recalls waste time, money

This week the effort to recall Gov. Scott Walker finally began. For months, anti-Walker Wisconsinites have been heartily preparing to kick their least favorite governor out of office. Now that the time has finally come, Wisconsin will be subjected to more annoying political ads, more out-of-state presence and more political divisiveness. To put it bluntly, I am not a fan of recalls.

New Wisconsin sex education law bad for students

In a relatively quiet vote last week, the Republican-controlled state Senate passed a bill that would require reforms to sexual education in Wisconsin. If the bill passes, it will recommend teachers  teach abstinence as the only certain way to avoid pregnancy. The bill would also require teacher to endorse the values of marriage and parental responsibility. This program, currently used in 26 states, does not require that educators inform students on the health benefits and correct usage of contraceptives. When asked to explain the reasoning for the bill, state Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin, said, “This is small government at its best. This is about local control.”

U.S. should help address Mexican drug wars

  The United States has long had an interest in nation-building.  Aside from our military involvement in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, we’re also firing drones into Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. Thanks to Wikileaks, we now know that the CIA is in the process of establishing secret drone bases in places like Djibouti, Ethiopia and the Seychelles Islands.  In addition to close alliances with Israel and Turkey, the United States has formed a sphere of influence around Iran and guaranteed that it has an impact on the development and repercussions of the Arab Spring—for better or worse.

Letter: Recently fired ASM council members should not be rehired

The recent decision of the Student Council to reappoint Mr. Magallon and Ms. Haung to their former seats was a disturbing but unsurprising revelation. It is blatantly obvious that a cabal within Student Council has an agenda to undermine the legitimacy of the Judiciary as a co-equal branch of branch of ASM and exaggerate an already large accountability gap. Of course Council’s actions are technically legal (no matter how stupid) but are nevertheless devious.  The near unanimity confirming Beth and Niko suggests ethical considerations run secondary to what has accurately been described as cronyism.  Whereas the Court acted in the student interest, Council’s decision is an affront to that prerogative. Those seeking elected office no doubt seek to enact positive change at this university and assume an enormous responsibility given the level of autonomy afforded ASM. However, there is a widely held perception by students that ASM is irrelevant; this action only lends additional credence to that notion, and undermines the efforts of students actually committed to serving their peers.

Cuts to UW system demand attention

To say the University of Wisconsin System has reached its peak in the budget crisis is to repeat a recycled and ubiquitous headline currently echoing throughout the state. While the impressive elongation of Wisconsin’s funding drought has started to drown out the severity of any new budget cuts, this editorial board recognizes that the funding storm currently hovering over the UW System—and the causalities sure to result from it—deserve immediate attention.

Safety still an issue for concealed carry

The time is finally upon us. The long-awaited concealed carry law is finally in effect and the response is overwhelming.

For some, college not best option

I know talking about schools bores most people in Wisconsin, but something interesting has been overlooked for the past few weeks. State Rep. Mark Radcliffe, D-River Falls, has introduced a bill in the Wisconsin state Legislature giving high school students the option of skipping traditional academic classes in favor of vocational ones.

MPM policies abuse renter rights

In a town filled with first-time renters and an uncountable number and variety of landlords, we as students have come to expect a few things. Namely, we’ve grown to accept that those big companies—Madison Property Management, in particular— will look to exploit at every turn the naivete and ignorance of their tenants.

Oversight key to venture capital plans

Versions of bills focusing on increasing venture capital investment in Wisconsin are circulating in the state Legislature. Lawmakers are rationalizing support for versions of the bill by saying it will help create jobs in the state, especially those in high-tech industries. Investing in these firms is risky, mainly because they are in their nature risky investors. If the legislators want to proceed with a bill they must do so with caution.

Letter: Students must lead recall efforts

It started with students.  

Electoral College changes bad for Wisconsin

I really tried not to like Rep. Dan LeMahieu's plan to allocate Wisconsin's Electoral College votes by congressional district, following a scheme known as the Congressional District Method.

ASM still too focused on itself

ASM has done it again. No, it hasn't made great strides in its mission of ""maintaining and improving the quality of education and student life on campus,"" rather it has extrapolated yet another trivial drama to yet another branch of student government. And this time the Student Services Finance Committee is in the hot seat.

Letter: ID law hinders student vote

Letter: ID law hinders student vote

Take it easy on the drinking, Madison

GOP should take fresh look at enviornmental policy

There is something curious about the current field of Republican presidential candidates. They're all about the same. Sure, there is a woman, an African-American and a couple of Mormons. But in general, they all favor lower taxes, fewer regulations, and repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Unfortunately, another commonality among the candidates is opposition to legislation for protecting the environment. Republicans do not need to become raging environmentalists to help our nation or our planet. Going to either extreme of environmentalism — ignoring the environment or focusing solely on the environment — has its disadvantages. Focusing solely on the environment by passing more and more regulations stifles economic growth, something that would be devastating to our country at the moment. Furthermore, many businesses can easily avoid regulations by leaving the country. However, ignoring the environment runs the risk of ruining our drinking water and clean air.

New housing law hurts students