COMMENTARY

MSU alumnus running for city council needs your support

Every time a City Council election rolls around, there is a lot of talk in the pages of The State News about how to make sure students are represented in our city government and every election comes and goes without electing a councilmember with our interests in mind. It is not enough to pick a candidate who cares about student issues. Students need to get behind an electable candidate with credibility.

COMMENTARY

Give new football wristband system a chance

MSU put a new color-coded wristband system in place to help decongest the student section at football games. And people are already complaining about it after one game.

COMMENTARY

Campus community support creates positive city image

In Changing the trend (SN 10/2), the writer references the student exodus to out-of-state jobs. To combat this trend, the city of East Lansing has shown the foresight to actively pursue the redevelopment of many residential and commercial projects. Demographics are changing and to remain a viable city, East Lansing must view itself competitively with cities like Chicago and Seattle – both are urban hot spots attracting young professionals.

COMMENTARY

Employees need protection from a smoky environment

Did you know that bar and restaurant employees are 50 percent more likely than the general population to develop lung cancer, largely because many of them are exposed to secondhand smoke on the job?

COMMENTARY

Jaywalking tickets ridiculous, police have other work to do

I never understood why so many students strongly disliked the East Lansing Police Department until I saw two cops giving out jaywalking tickets at 11:30 a.m. at an intersection of Bogue Street on Wednesday.

COMMENTARY

Legislation to save workers from secondhand smoke

I am a Michigan resident who supports House Bill 4163, a bill that creates statewide smoke-free work environments.

COMMENTARY

Capitalism versus socialism

The recent decade has been an era of almost unrestricted capitalism, with the added bonus of a government sometimes working directly with corporations to cheat citizens. So it is natural to see people disgusted with the current economic situation and gazing at Europe and its attractive government-sponsored programs.

COMMENTARY

In state opportunities available for grads

For many students looking to stay in Michigan after graduation, it won’t be easy — the state is losing jobs and money and companies are fleeing. Michigan needs to retain graduates to inundate the state with young, skilled workers, but if the jobs aren’t available, the possibility of that remains unlikely.

COMMENTARY

Fifteen months is too far away

If you’ve read some of my previous columns in this paper, you may have guessed that I am not the biggest fan of George W. Bush. I could list the reasons for this, but you are likely quite familiar with them, as two-thirds of the country already recognizes that he’s doing an awful job. Of course, the frightening part of that is that somewhere around 30 percent of the country thinks he is doing a good job, but that’s another story.

COMMENTARY

Important to register to vote in E.L. City Council election

There are only days remaining for MSU students to register to vote here in East Lansing for the City Council election on Nov. 6. The deadline to register is Oct. 9. Why should you register to vote in East Lansing? Because the decisions made by the City Council affect MSU students every day. We are part of this community and we need council members who will represent us.

COMMENTARY

E-mailing crime reports heightens awareness

After school officials at Eastern Michigan University allegedly attempted to cover up the on-campus rape and murder of a 22-year-old student, the university has started sending out campus crime reports which details the time, location and type of campus police calls.

COMMENTARY

Unions cannot be only blame for state's problems

I do not believe that eliminating unions will save Michigan. Liz Kersjes argues that the brief UAW strike last week benefited the UAW workers, but “in the end … they severely undercut the company paying them at an eventual disadvantage to themselves.” (Eliminate unions to save Michigan, SN 10/1).

COMMENTARY

Efforts need to be made to strengthen bicycle safety

I applaud the efforts of the East Lansing and MSU communities to make it easier for cyclists to get around. Having more bike paths is a big plus, especially when the sidewalks are jam-packed with students bustling to and from classes.

COMMENTARY

MSU alumni needs support for upcoming City Council election

As part of the city of East Lansing’s centennial celebration, a discussion was held on “The Future of a University Community.” One of the panelists, Lou Glazer, the president of Michigan Future Inc. talked about the pivotal role that preparing, retaining and attaching young talent to a community plays in its success.

COMMENTARY

Eliminating unions will not solve Michigan's problems

The basics behind the union, the organization of workers to fight for better conditions, will always be valid under capitalism. Businesses are driven by profits and they will try everything to maximize them, including, if possible, stepping further on workers.

COMMENTARY

Partial shutdown shows legislative failures

Eight months of legislative arguing, extreme partisanship and refusal to budge finally met its match — although it only lasted four hours, Michigan saw its first government shutdown in the state’s history.

COMMENTARY

Don't put your pets on allMSU

This may come as a shock to most, but owning a pet is a big responsibility. Making the decision to take care of an animal is something that cannot be taken lightly. That animal will depend on its caretaker, you, for food, shelter, affection and exercise — which are the basics of taking care of a living being.

COMMENTARY

Eliminate unions to save Michigan

Last week, more than 70,000 General Motors Corp. employees across the country walked off the job in the first national automotive strike in 37 years. They were protesting the inability of GM to forge a contract agreement with the United Auto Workers union.

COMMENTARY

Know your rights when consuming alcohol

Police officers can no longer force people to submit to Breathalyzer tests without a search warrant. The decision came after a recent district court ruling, making Michigan one of the last states to change its laws regarding Breathalyzer tests.

COMMENTARY

Banning all firearms would be a 'blind, irrational reaction'

Who could imagine the U.S. with a Complete banning of firearms only solution for gun crimes (SN 9/26) as Shiming Zheng describes as the optimum of safety? Conversely, the opinion he responded to advocated concealed carry permits that would “allow for safe environment.” This is a very divisive issue, that often creates two conflicting ideologies, with very little chance of compromise.