Friday, December 20, 2024

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Commentary

COMMENTARY

Not all bills made equal

When Rep. Lisa Brown, D-West Bloomfield, took the Michigan House floor a couple of weeks ago to make a passionate speech debating a contentious abortion bill, her words resonated across the United States, gaining national attention after saying “Mr. Speaker, I’m flattered that you’re all so interested in my vagina, but no means no.”

COMMENTARY

City center II issues far from being done

After 11 years of a proposed construction project being discussed at East Lansing City Council meetings, the City Center II project was effectively killed Tuesday night when the council voted unanimously not to enter into a development agreement with Strathmore Development Co.

COMMENTARY

Finding nationalism in form of chili dog

Saturday, I sat at the counter of Ben’s Chili Bowl in Washington, D.C., and ate an absurdly delicious chili dog and a side of fries. Ben’s is a quintessentially cliché destination on any D.C. tourist’s list of must-sees, and I knew I had to see it at some point while I worked for the summer in our nation’s capital.

COMMENTARY

Abortion bill content deserves more attention

Earlier this month, Rep. Lisa Brown, D-West Bloomfield, was barred from speaking in the Michigan House of Representatives after she used the word “vagina.” At this point, many people are aware of the story, but few have looked deeper into this most recent example of embarrassing, frivolous debate by lawmakers. Because of this “vagina controversy,” attention and rational thinking have been taken away from this debate and have reinterpreted reality.

COMMENTARY

Thoughts from abroad

There are a lot of cemeteries in England. This was one of the first significant observations I made upon my arrival last month. During my seven hours on the train traveling from Cambridge to St Andrews in Scotland, I noticed in addition to the rolling green hills, small towns and villages we passed, there were an incredible number of graveyards, expansive enough to be easily visible from the moving train.

COMMENTARY

Synthetic drug ban necessary for state

Gov. Rick Snyder took the liberty of signing a series of bills into law Tuesday that ban the use, sale or possession of synthetic marijuana substances including K2 and Spice, and other synthetic drugs like bath salts.

COMMENTARY

Recent events call for strong female leaders

This is about women not being subservient to men. I don’t want to generalize and say that all men are domineering “d-bags” and all women are placed in inferior positions, but that’s the way things are looking lately, especially in the Michigan Legislature.

COMMENTARY

Music education must be protected, preserved

A few weeks ago, I visited Rochester High School, or RHS, to visit my high school choir director, Mrs. Plotzke. I originally went to pick up a CD she burned me — a compilation of my choir’s songs we recorded over the course of my four years under her instruction — but what happened instead was a deeply engaging political discussion over the course of two hours.

COMMENTARY

Bill step toward banning abortion

A highly contentious bill that restricts abortion passed in Michigan’s House of Representatives Wednesday. Although allies of the bill said its content helps to keep women safe from being coerced into receiving an abortion and keeps high standards in the operating room, opponents of the bill say it is a step toward banning abortion in Michigan altogether.

COMMENTARY

Crime conviction too soft, lenient

After almost a year since its beginning, the Andrew Thompson case came to a close on Wednesday, leaving many baffled at his sentencing and wondering whether or not the punishment fits the crime.

COMMENTARY

Religion should be kept private

I’ve always found religion … interesting. I had it shoved in my face a bit last semester. First, when I was sent to take pictures of the Wells Hall preacher on a random Monday and spent 20 minutes trying not to listen to him telling anyone who would listen — and of course, everyone who wouldn’t — that we were all going to hell.

COMMENTARY

Alumni should have option to keep emails

An email is a type of communication college graduates utilize to approach possible employers and to remain in contact with college associates. For alumni who still use their MSU accounts, this form of communication could be truncated, leaving many angered and confused about how to handle transferring their information and alerting their associates of this change in contact information.

COMMENTARY

Tuition raises rest on many shoulders

Tuition increases are a hassle both students and administrators detest. But as the MSU Board of Trustees has its upcoming decision on whether or not a tuition increase is necessary — and how much it will increase — the board must take all necessary steps to keep tuition low despite a lack of appropriate state funding, placing less of a financial burden on MSU students.