Saturday, December 20, 2025

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Commentary

COMMENTARY

Recovery bill has potential, needs job focus

When it comes to the economy, there’s no sense in fooling ourselves anymore: Waiting it out hasn’t worked. While many economical hard times are cyclical, the time has come to take action to fix the nation’s economical crisis. President Barack Obama is pushing to start this process, with a few kinks in the plan that need to be worked out.

COMMENTARY

Punishment for hockey players not steep enough

As an MSU graduate and former State News sports reporter, I was disappointed with Alex DiFilippo’s agreement with Rick Comley’s insubstantial punishment against Andrew Conboy and Corey Tropp in the blog Punishment for Conboy, Tropp befits actions (SN 1/26).

COMMENTARY

Proximal student housing needed

There are signs on Grand River Avenue that direct drivers to parking in downtown East Lansing. Those signs must be misprints. Actually, maybe they’re just in the wrong place.

COMMENTARY

Coach correct in suspending players for season

Todd Bertuzzi. Marty McSorley. Chris Simon. Corey Tropp. Tropp, a sophomore forward on the MSU hockey team, deserves his name on the aforementioned list of illustrious hockey stick-wielders gone haywire for his assault on Michigan defenseman Steve Kampfer in Saturday’s 5-3 loss to U-M at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor.

COMMENTARY

Obama only human, does not have superpowers

Unlike many credulous individuals populating the countryside, I do not partake in the irrational exultation that is “ObamaMania.” Laughably, President Barack Obama’s insipid inaugural words will not be “chiseled in marble” as one CNN cretin prematurely proclaimed.

COMMENTARY

Drinking laws need revision

Almost every obstacle that young people face is diminished by having someone at their side guiding them along the way. From the very first step that a child takes, to when they first get behind the wheel of a car, their parents are with them guiding and coaching them along the way.

COMMENTARY

Don't be afraid to discuss importance of sexual safety

Wednesday’s editorial column E-card insufficient warning to sex partners (SN 1/22) has confirmed an observation I have made regarding how the MSU community deals with the problem of sexually transmitted infections. It seems we have found the solution. Well, at least a temporary one: Just don’t talk about it.

COMMENTARY

Bipartisan leaders essential for Mich.

It seems that every incoming president speaks of “cleaning up Washington,” getting rid of “politics as usual,” and “reaching across the aisle” to move the nation forward. However, these promises tend to be limited to words and speeches, not sustained effort and actions.

COMMENTARY

Student vigiliance crucial for safe campus

It can sometimes be difficult to feel safe on a 5,200-acre campus with 46,045 students. With the potential to be surrounded by a number of strangers at any given point in time, there should always be cause for alertness.

COMMENTARY

Israel must take responsibility

As the final troops withdraw from the meticulously planned campaign that left at least 1300 Palestinians dead and thousands more wounded, both the Palestinian and Israeli governments have the opportunity to finally acknowledge that either they must approach peace with nonviolence, or that they aren’t really interested in peace.

COMMENTARY

Women's basketball needs bigger turnout, support

As a die-hard fan of Spartan women’s basketball, it is embarrassing to go to home games and see the student section, Merchant Maniacs, nearly empty. It compares, sadly, to the student support at other places, particularly Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan.

COMMENTARY

Proper etiquette still essential for students

Calling professors by their first name is uncomfortable for some, but an everyday occurrence for others. The informalities between students and faculty on campus might not last much longer as more professors are sticking to rules of good old-fashioned etiquette, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

COMMENTARY

E-mail system still has many problems, needs improvement

Many of us students have found out over the last week or two that MSU has updated the e-mail service. While the new e-mail system has many more options comparable to the likes of other services available online, it failed to correct the one issue that causes the most frustration amongst student: We are being locked out of our e-mail.

COMMENTARY

Animal rights group uses flawed logic

I saw in the article MSU officials ban circus from Breslin (SN 1/15) how Students Promoting Animal Rights, or SPAR managed to have the circus banned from MSU this year and I decided to do a little research on the beliefs of the group.

COMMENTARY

 Crash distracts from real news

Last week, an airliner departing from New York City struck a flock of geese and was forced to land in the Hudson River. All the passengers survived. Though told adequately in just two sentences, this story became the focal point of international attention for days after it broke.

COMMENTARY

Being vegetarian has many options

It was interesting to read about Abaries Farhad’s adventures with cruelty-free cuisine in your blog I’m a Vegetarian: Days 1 and 2 (SN 1/19), While it is admirable that she is trying something new, it was surprising that there was no mention of the many mock meat dishes that have become standard in a today’s vegetarian diet.