Two weeks. That’s all that’s left. In two weeks, we’ll know who our next president is — barring any major catastrophes up to and including massive voting irregularity on Election Day. Two weeks, and our long national gorging on political news will come to an end.
We have heard quite a lot about the evil terrorists during the past few years, but we have heard strikingly little about how people become terrorists. It is assumed terrorism is some inscrutable aberration — that terrorists are either evil or insane, and they are driven only by blind, fanatical hatred. But this does not appear to give a full picture. Several attempts have been made to identify the path by which one adopts terrorism, the latest of which is a handy volume by anthropologist Marc Sageman, titled “Leaderless Jihad.”
Mayor Vic Loomis might be correct when he stated that East Lansing enjoys a reputation as an effective city, but this might be a perspective only developers and investment bankers share.
Perhaps the single most important foreign policy issue that the next president needs to address is the ongoing conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
The city of East Lansing is know for its time-tested, effective system of representative democracy, but some residents — bent on circulating petitions that could force a costly special election on the City Center II project — are flirting with the chaotic California-style “government-by-referendum” that has paralyzed that state.
In a perfect world, the headline above this column would be “How I learned to stop worrying and love the economic collapse.” When the world around you is falling apart, what’s the proper response? That’s a question that has been troubling me for a while now. It might be a question that’s troubling you, too.
Chances are you won’t vote. You might have registered and you might have even cheered or protested at the recent rally on campus for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. None of that will matter on Election Day, though, when classes probably will keep you too busy to hit the polls. Or maybe you’ll decide your candidate will win whether or not you mail in that absentee ballot.
Hold on to your morally reprehensible hats. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is spearheading regulations to protect religious rights in the medical field. And the ones left without a defense are the patients.
Although each resident complex on campus offers some vegan options, most dining halls don’t offer a varied and healthy diet, forcing students to put on a coat and boots just to eat a meal.
A special interest group is a political organization set up to influence political decisions in a way that is beneficial to the members of that group. These agendas can be ideological, such as the National Rifle Association, or they can be corporate, set on pushing agendas beneficial to a company. They also can be set up to support issues considered relevant to a specific demographic of the population like the AARP. Basically, if you can think of an issue, it probably has at least one interest group.
I’m voting for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama — in fact I already have, thanks to my absentee ballot. It’s not a shocking revelation. I’ve long considered myself a Democrat and have mostly voted Democratic in my life – although not always.
America is currently at a crucial point in its history, and it is important we have the leadership to guide us through the difficult decisions that need to be made. I find the leadership that America needs in Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
One thing every student at this university can agree on is maneuvering through the streets of campus is a lot less of a hassle now that we don’t have to fear being asked a half-dozen times about whether or not we’re registered to vote.
Thursday night’s vice presidential debate was relatively standard fare, and came surely as a disappointment to those hoping to see Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin melt down. Each candidate clung tightly to his or her respective party lines and delivered talking points fluidly and forcefully.
Georgeville may be the next Hooverville — Georgeville being the modern-day shanty towns named after President George W.
Election Day is near. As East Lansing’s city officials, we have one question for students: How’s your REP? You might think we’re talking about your reputation, but we’re talking about another kind of REP. REP is an acronym that stands for registration, education and participation. If you plan to vote in the Nov. 4 general election, it’s time you take a close look at your REP and make sure you have taken all the appropriate steps to ensure a successful Election Day.
It’s time to pay the piper. Yes, once again we — or at least I — have reached that week in the semester where suddenly every class is a test and assignments are due left and right.
What is a debate supposed to look like, anyway? Dictionaries tell us, by definition, a debate is an argument where different, opposing viewpoints are deliberated, usually in the format of a formal discussion.
What a difference eight years makes. As President Clinton was leaving office in 2001, the federal budget surplus was the largest in U.S. history at $236 billion. A year earlier, Clinton offered a plan to pay off the national debt by 2015.
Bailiff: All rise for the Honorable Jacob Carpenter, chief judge of the Football Supreme Court. (Everyone stands, some bow down)