Years ago I thought I was smart because I could name most of the state capitals, I knew the difference between a peach and a nectarine, and I could discern a Pink Floyd sample from that of Led Zeppelin.
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I hope you all enjoyed the break as much as I did. While we were away, it looks like the horse race for the Republican presidential nomination got even more unusual with the out-of-nowhere surge of Rick Santorum and the evaporation of the previously prominent Newt Gingrich.
Life is in flux.
If you've been following my columns throughout the semester, you probably know how much of a sap I am. I will be the first person to cry at a commercial involving soldiers and/or animals.
I am tired of a lack of personal responsibility in America. It is never my fault. It's always the person standing next to me. There are thousands of people around the world angry at the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans, saying everyone's troubles will be solved if we just tax them more and spread the wealth around. The 99 percent does more to keep itself stuck in that category than the 1 percent ever could. Instead of focusing attention on how much better (you think) our lives would be if only we could hit Billy Donovan and Will Muschamp with 90-percent tax rates, we should focus instead on what we can do with personal finance and consumer decisions that empower us, the 99 percent.
Finland, one of the world's most industrialized countries, has another honor to add to the list: excellent education reform.
While I have tried religion in the past, something has always led me away from faith and toward reason. I found the burden of proof is not on the atheists to prove that God does not exist; it is on the theists to prove the existence of a deity. I just have not been presented with any convincing evidence.
It's the end of an era, folks.
The most dangerous part of the increased cost of attendance at UF is coming from fees that are carelessly foisted on the Student Body and even more carelessly spent on our behalf. There is talk that our fees should go to a renovated and expanded Reitz Union. This talk must end before it begins again.
I spend an awful large amount of time looking at food blogs. Like, a whole lot of time. If you looked at my Google Reader feed, it's pretty much mostly food blogs at this point.
We are often implored to look local after graduation to find employment. Gainesville has an entrepreneurial culture and is trying to become a center for start-ups, especially in the tech industry. Unfortunately, the policies of the local government will be sure to stunt Gainesville's growth for the foreseeable future. Gainesville is obsessed with collecting large tax revenues, regulating everything and taking profits from brick-and-mortar businesses to give to imaginary ones.
CHOICES saved my life.
Why is health care so dang expensive? It concerns me to see that the default solution to any problem is more government regulation. Congress seems to love passing more laws, but it never thinks that maybe its mountains of legislation are the source of the problem.
Don't even talk to me about deadlines. At this point, I'm a deadline professional. Without them, I'd be lost. I've relied on major deadlines for most of my education.
After talking to people in my classes, I find that few know very much about something called a 401(k). How we use it will determine who among us are millionaires at retirement and who will live in poverty. Our grandparents got pensions and worked for the same employer for 30 years. We will be given the option to use one of the most powerful financial tools ever created for retirement, but some will succeed wildly and some will fail miserably. When you go out and get a job after graduation, funding a 401(k) should be near the top of your priority list.
This past Tuesday, I witnessed a couple on a Route 36 bus "first-basing it" while a guy sitting across from them stared intently, jostling his naughty bits.
Two weeks ago, I wrote a column about Herman Cain. My point was simple: Cain is not really a viable contender. We all know it, and humoring another GOP sideshow is just allowing for more eccentric antics that distract from what should be a serious discussion about the person who will likely become the next president of the U.S.
Sometimes, life can suck.
My mom has worked in Hallmark stores for as long as I can remember. By this point, I've learned almost as much about the company as she has.
Solutions by The State News
