Sunday, September 29, 2024

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Editorials

COMMENTARY

Development good for city, more rentals wanted

More East Lansing residents soon could be calling downtown home. On Tuesday, East Lansing City Council members approved plans for new apartments and condominiums to be built on Grand River and Albert avenues. While these condos, and probably the apartments too, aren't cost effective for most students, they could bring more permanent residents into East Lansing. The new building on Grand River Avenue will have nine two-bedroom apartments for rent, and the building on Albert Avenue will have three one-bedroom apartments and 33 two-bedroom apartments, all of which will be inhabited by owner occupants. Plans like this could help to keep MSU graduates in East Lansing after their four years are done.

COMMENTARY

Obama would make great candidate in '08

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama is finally starting to make a move toward running in the upcoming 2008 presidential race — and it's about time. For some time now, Obama has been evasive when asked if he would run in '08, laughing at the question or dodging it altogether.

COMMENTARY

Association should leave peace sign wreath alone

In Pagosa Springs, Colo., last week, a couple was told by their neighborhood homeowners association that they must take down a four-foot wreath shaped like a peace symbol and pay a penalty of $25. The official reason behind the decision?

COMMENTARY

Tasers shouldn't be used excessively

No form of power should be abused, and that goes for Taser guns, too. According to a recent State News article, East Lansing police officers have used Taser guns an average of twice each month this past year.

COMMENTARY

Civil war in Iraq leaves U.S. helpless

In a turn that should surprise no one, violence erupted in Iraq during the weekend. Sunni gunmen killed 21 Shiite men in front of their families, while elsewhere in the war-torn country, car bombs erupted killing 200 and further wounding 250. As the situation in Iraq steadily crumbles, U.S.

COMMENTARY

Anti-war groups don't warrant spying

Be careful what you say or do — the Pentagon just might be watching you, especially if you're a member of an anti-war group. There have been numerous cases of our government unwarrantedly spying on U.S.

COMMENTARY

Draft proposal pointed remark on Iraq

New York Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel proposed a somewhat radical method of ensuring that the United States does not sink itself into a poorly conceived quagmire: He wants to reinstate the draft. The logic behind his suggestion is understandable.

COMMENTARY

Blair right; war in Iraq needs plan

At a conference Sunday, British Prime Minister Tony Blair finally began to talk some sense. After years of being little more than President Bush's cheerleader on the Iraq war, the "war on terror" and all of the fallout associated with both of those failures, Blair has begun to change his tune and announced a wiser and more considerate plan for the Middle East.

COMMENTARY

Marriage for everyone, please

On Tuesday two votes in two different countries made mighty declarations for the gay community. One vote made a positive leap forward, while the other continues to support homophobia and discrimination. The same day the South African Parliament voted overwhelmingly to legalize same-sex marriage, the United States' Roman Catholic bishops passed support for initiatives to teach gay and lesbian Catholics to remain celibate by a vote of 194-37. As the first nation in Africa to remove legal barriers from same-sex marriage, the South African Parliament's decision is courageous and representative of progressive steps every country should be taking.

COMMENTARY

ID requirement to vote only increases barriers

On Monday, the Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments about whether or not voters should be required to show photo ID before casting their ballot. After voting debacles in past elections, it's understandable why voting should be more closely monitored, but requiring voters to show identification is not a valid way to go about making the voting process more fluid. In Michigan, the law does not require voters to show photo IDs at the polls except in some specific circumstances, like voters who register by mail. This law discourages some people from voting rather than encouraging more citizen participation in elections.

COMMENTARY

Dems should try not to split week after win

Not a week after sweeping both the U.S. House and Senate, the Democratic Party starts to crack — and not based on Iraq policy or President Bush's tax cuts, but on the election of the majority leader of the House. This wouldn't be so bad for the Democrats if it were the first time they've splintered, but the party has a history of in-fighting.

COMMENTARY

House wants college more affordable, finally

Student loans are the perpetual thorn in the sides of most college students in the nation. Facing the exponential increase in tuition that most colleges have instituted throughout the years — costs have risen by double digits in the past decade and show no signs of slowing — students have increasingly turned to student loans. However, federal aid for students has not kept up with the ever-climbing tuition rates, causing massive student debt.

COMMENTARY

More info on MCRI's impact required

Students are finally collectively angry enough to band together and fight a worthy cause. The banning of affirmative action — thanks to the passing of Proposal 2, the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, or MCRI — brought more than 125 upset students to Friday's MSU Board of Trustees meeting. Although some students were a bit immature — not waiting for their turn to speak and not allowing trustees the opportunity to give answers to their questions — students' anger and frustration is completely warranted. Students want a response to the passing of the MCRI from the trustees and from MSU President Lou Anna K.

COMMENTARY

Prop. 2's passing hurts MSU's diversity

The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, or MCRI, has nothing to do with civil rights. With a misleading name and a suspected illegal ballot placement, the proposal, which sadly passed in Michigan last week, bans affirmative action in certain cases.

COMMENTARY

Mich.'s Prop. 2 passage puts diversity at risk

Elections are over. Proposal results are in — and the result to at least one Michigan proposal is embarrassing. The most important ballot measure Michiganians voted on this election was, without a doubt, Proposal 2 — the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative.