Monday, April 13, 2026

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Commentary

COMMENTARY

President not giving proper care to health

The president missed a great opportunity Jan. 31 in his State of the Union address. Americans today have great concern over the cost of health care and higher education, but the president failed to outline a strategy for helping those Americans who need help the most. Instead, the president warned us that the government would not have enough money to support programs that help the poor and elderly get health care.

COMMENTARY

Scripted responses don't give all sides

It was interesting to see Kyle Bristow and Katie Wilcox, "Cartoon repulsive, wrong message sent" and "Cartoon makes light of unsafe abortion" (SN 2/1), writing from the same script of half-truths and complete fabrications — a script developed by people who want to assure that women are punished for having sex. Contrary to what Bristow might think, abortions are performed on dogs fairly regularly.

COMMENTARY

Alternative fuels need more funding

This opinion is in regard to President Bush's State of the Union address. I was appalled to hear that in the past four years, the federal government has only funded $10 billion toward researching and creating cheaper, more efficient sources of fuel and energy. That is pocket change. This is especially hard to swallow, after Bush announced that the government has provided $85 billion to aid Louisiana and other areas affected by the recent hurricane.

COMMENTARY

Looking ahead

Members of the Residence Halls Association are taking a proactive step toward making sure the April 2-3 disturbances aren't repeated. Members of RHA were invited to meet with MSU police to answer questions they might have about future disturbances and how to prevent another one — especially in March and April during college basketball finals. Hopefully their discussion will include plans on making sure what happened last year — when many students were teargassed unnecessarily and police used too much force — doesn't happen this year. RHA should definitely pursue this opportunity and ask for student involvement along the way. Some changes in police procedure could come from the East Lansing City Council, which is considering suggestions received from the independent commission which reviewed the events.

COMMENTARY

Illiterate graduates?

There are some things people need to know by the time they graduate college. How to read is one of them. A recent study showed that more than half the graduates from four-year universities couldn't understand what they were reading at a basic level.

COMMENTARY

Letter full of errors; God alone can judge

It is clear from Craig Duckworth's letter, "Following all Bible doctrines impossible" (SN 2/03), that he is unfamiliar with the Bible and the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are instructed by Jesus to love all people, even those who sin.

COMMENTARY

Detroit reputation is bad; dangerous place

I'm writing in response to the editorial "Rags to riches" (SN 2/3). It's incredibly misleading to say that people with a negative opinion of Detroit don't venture downtown or know very little about the city. In fact, the more familiar you are with it, the more negative your opinion tends to be.

COMMENTARY

'Incubator' smart idea

Implementing the Lansing Regional SmartZone is a good opportunity for East Lansing to bring reliable business into the city's rapidly changing downtown environment. The availability for other options is running thin. Hoping to assist small information technology start-ups, entrepreneurs and develop advanced manufacturing techniques, the SmartZone covers a variety of primary objectives.

COMMENTARY

Next on agenda

It's déja vu. The International Atomic Energy Agency, which is part of the United Nations, has voted to report Iran to the Security Council over fears that the country is developing nuclear weapons. In response to the move, Iranian officials announced they were no longer going to cooperate with the agency and were going to push ahead with production of enriched uranium. Although Iran's reaction seems rash, just because they are producing enriched uranium doesn't mean they are guilty of anything.

COMMENTARY

Council needs 'chill pill;' decisions insane

What is happening to my alma mater? More restrictions on partying with the ridiculous extension of ordinances against outdoor drinking games? Incredible. My four years at MSU were filled with great times (the "Magic" years), great partying and a successful education.

COMMENTARY

Rags to riches

Detroit has a bad reputation. There are people who claim it's a dangerous, ugly city — most of whom have never actually been there. Some of them don't live in Michigan, and some are talk show hosts. They won't venture downtown, but they offer plenty of opinion on what's wrong with it. But when people come to Detroit for Super Bowl XL on Sunday, they will get a chance to see Detroit for what it really is and not what stereotypes say it is. When it was first announced in November 2000 that Detroit would host the 2006 Super Bowl, questions and jokes were incessant. Who would want to go to the big game in a crime-infested city like Detroit? But city officials and residents have taken the challenge to show visitors how wrong their misconceptions are by presenting all the city has to offer.

COMMENTARY

Comments about Iran exaggerated

I disagree with many of the assertions made by Ruzbeh Hosseini in his recent opinion column, "International cooperation, attention — not force — needed in Iran" (SN 1/30). One of the few points on which I agree with Hosseini is his assertion that violent intervention in Iran by the international community would be "disastrous." However, his column is full of vague references to the "Iranian people," as if it were a homogeneous entity.

COMMENTARY

Following all Bible doctrines impossible

I was appalled when I read what Steven Szasz wrote in "Column gives bad view of Christians" (SN 1/30). The majority of our country bases its religion on a book that, as Jon Stewart put it, begins with "two nudists taking dietary advice from a talking snake." This is to all of the people out there like Szasz who believe firmly in the Bible. My question, though, is that if you want to quote things out of the Bible, you have to believe everything that the Bible says, don't you?

COMMENTARY

Beautification takes work; women need to be liberated from ritual

My upper lip is burning and tingling while my nose is subjected to harsh bleach fumes. Ladies, you know what I'm talking about. I am sitting here, waiting precisely eight minutes until I can wash my face and reveal lightened baby hairs that could have potentially been a subtle set of whiskers. Clearly, this is not allowed for women. While I personally subject myself to pain and severe tingling sensations, I am reminded of all the little (and big) things that women endure to conform to the stereotype that is our gender role. Makeup.

COMMENTARY

New justice in town

Tuesday's confirmation of Judge Samuel A. Alito as the United State's 110th Supreme Court justice signified a political triumph for the Bush administration.