Fat tax possible pragmatic solution


By
 1 Comment/in , ,
After years of battling with economic decline and rising fuel prices, airlines were recently presented with a tentative solution from an unlikely source. CNN reported that Dr. Bharat P. Bhatta, an associate professor of economics at Sogn og Fjordane University College in Norway, proposed that air ticket costs be calculated according to passenger weight. Media […]

Does the US need to intervene in the Syria conflict?


By
 2 Comments/in , ,
The U.S. has a moral responsibility to aid those suffering in a civil conflict and stop the use of chemical weapons.  According to CNN, last week’s chemical attacks in the Syrian province of Aleppo might have been carried out by the Syrian army, though the army insists that it was the work of rebels. In […]

Public perception does not define Court


By
 in , ,
A survey released Monday revealed a dismally low approval rating for the Supreme Court among the American public. The survey, released by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, came just days before the Supreme Court was set to begin hearing two highly anticipated cases regarding gay marriage. Though some might view […]

Hillary Clinton could aid businesswomen


By
 in ,
A Quinnipiac poll issued last week found that in a potential 2016 presidential matchup former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would crush former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush by 51-40 percent, a particularly shocking finding since Clinton is not currently a candidate for the 2016 election and because Florida is known as a generally conservative state. […]

Do colleges have the right to search faculty emails?


By
 1 Comment/in , ,
Institutions of higher education should be allowed to monitor the potentially illegal activities of its students and staff. In this age of technology, questions of security and privacy are in constant motion. Unfortunately, the Internet is far too vast of a wasteland to truly enforce and guarantee full privacy — and one should not expect […]

Soda ban intrudes on personal freedom


By
 2 Comments/in , ,
Monday afternoon, just hours before New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed ban on large sugary drinks was to take effect, a state judge blocked the measure because of the law’s “arbitrary and capricious” nature.   The court held that the city’s Board of Health encroached on the authority of the City Council in its […]

GMO labeling a smart move for Whole Foods


By
 2 Comments/in ,
In an effort to increase transparency and reinforce its commitment to consumers, high-end grocery store Whole Foods announced Friday that it would be mandating labels for genetically modified organisms, GMOs, in food products by 2018. The decision was seen by some as an effort to reintroduce Whole Foods as one of the quality produce distributors […]

LA County lacks racial integration


By
 1 Comment/in ,
Sometime last week, I was walking across campus and talking with a friend about Los Angeles. The talk was engaging, but at one point he mentioned that he does not believe Los Angeles to be a particularly segregated city. His case is rooted in the fact that the city’s diversity is remarkable in terms of […]

Relaxing of TSA rules make travel less safe


By
 3 Comments/in ,
With the array of metal detectors and lines of uniformed security guards a fixture of today’s travel experiences, there’s no doubt that airport security has been radically transformed by the 9/11 attacks — air travel has not been, nor will it ever be, quite the same again. But rules change as years pass. This week, […]

Are political campaigns attacking religion unfair?


By
 6 Comments/in , ,
The American Atheists’ “Go Godless” billboards are simply smear campaigns with no purpose.  The First Amendment guarantees us the right to express our opinions, however controversial, to the general public: It allows us to protest unjust policies and corrupt practices. But at what point do we draw the line in determining when free speech is […]