Opinion | Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Planning for retirement should start now

By Travis Hornsby | Nov. 13, 2011

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.

OPINION | COLUMNS

People should combat public displays of affection

By C.R. Skambis | Nov. 13, 2011

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.

OPINION | COLUMNS

People don't take sexual harassment seriously

By Alex Guilmartin | Nov. 9, 2011

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.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Everyone needs a strong support system

By Nicholas Butler | Nov. 8, 2011

Sometimes, life can suck.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Greeting cards part of American culture

By Sami Main | Nov. 7, 2011

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.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Don't lose sight of yourself as you transition to adulthood

By Sara Solano | Nov. 6, 2011

The sirens blared, the horns honked and the whistles ... whistled.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Arab women's rights movement needs support

By Akansha Mishra | Nov. 3, 2011

A longing for political liberty has fueled many of the recent uprisings in Arab and North African countries. First the efforts of protesters in Tunisia to oust President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali caused a massive chain reaction. Neighboring countries gazed at the willful power of their peers across the border and quickly developed their own anti-government demonstrations. Not long after, government opposition from other countries, including non-Arab countries, began to show their faces through similar protests. In particular, a resonating voice screamed across the world: If Tunisia can do it, so can we. Social media echoed this spirit via audio and video clips and live on our computers, televisions and cellphones.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Focus should be on culture of education

By Alex Guilmartin | Nov. 2, 2011

There's been a lot of talk about education lately, both in the Alligator and on campus.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Should the 1 percent control more than 40 percent of the wealth?

By Sami Main | Nov. 2, 2011

The wealthy abuse their power

OPINION | COLUMNS

Obama is no better than Che Guevara

By Dave Schneider | Nov. 1, 2011

In yesterday's paper, the Alligator re-published a column by Dartmouth College student Alesy Iturrey condemning Ernesto "Che" Guevara and the widespread use of his image.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Everyday life should contain politeness

By Sami Main | Oct. 31, 2011

This column is going to be about tact and politeness, so stop reading now if those two things don't appeal to you.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Foreign students can benefit work force

By Akansha Mishra | Oct. 27, 2011

Now more than ever, Americans have been questioning the importation of foreign labor. With the illegal immigration issue heating up, conversations of ethics, morals and rationale have mixed together to form a complex debate.

OPINION | COLUMNS

'180' film likens abortion to Holocaust

By Rosemary Daniels | Oct. 27, 2011

On Tuesday, an anti-choice group came to campus. Members were offering DVDs with a cryptic "180" logo on their cases, the contents of which were not in any way mysterious or new. The film presented itself as a documentary, interviewing people on the street about their views on abortion.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Cain's candidacy not worth supporting

By Alex Guilmartin | Oct. 26, 2011

"We've run a campaign like nobody's ever seen. But then, America's never seen a candidate like Herman Cain."

OPINION | COLUMNS

Welfare system detracts from liberty

By Nicholas Butler | Oct. 25, 2011

Charity is great.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Bank's crooked system designed to ‘steal' money from customers

By Max Scholder | Oct. 25, 2011

You always hear about big business screwing the little guy. You hear about corporations preying on the poor and uninformed. The majority of us agree that this happens and are seldom shocked to see it come up again and again in the news.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Occupy protesters teach a lesson in values

By Sami Main | Oct. 24, 2011

These days, being a journalist can be hard.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Education needs comprehensive overhaul

By Travis Hornsby | Oct. 23, 2011

While discussing affirmative action in class recently, a fellow student said the reason we need policies that give minorities preference in admissions to the best institutions of higher learning is because of educational inequality in primary and secondary schools.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Access to genome will advance medicine

By Akansha Mishra | Oct. 20, 2011

The Human Genome Project is a mind-blowing development that has engaged scientists for the past 20 years. It can identify thousands of genes in human DNA and determine the sequences of 3 billion chemical base pairs.

OPINION | COLUMNS

US policy has only worsened poverty

By J.D. Knee | Oct. 20, 2011

Even though poverty has always existed, the seeds of the current division between the haves and the have-nots began about 60 years ago. Ever since the government's original attempt to solve the problem of poverty with programs, court decisions and amendments, the fixes only made things worse.