Opinion | Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

My musings on the hypocrisy of the history of abolitionism

July 19, 2017

This week, I’d like to talk about a few historical observations I’ve noticed in one of my classes this semester. Usually, I try not to have quasi-pointless and redundant sentences like the one preceding this, but it’s the only way I can think of to introduce such a notorious topic. What I’m going to be talking about will concern slavery in U.S.

OPINION | COLUMNS

America needs limited government involvement

July 17, 2017

Health care and education are two of the most highly debated policy areas today. President Donald Trump has advocated to diminish the level of government involvement in both areas, which are currently at the highest they have ever been in U.S. history. Based on historical trends and empirical and theoretical evidence, increased government involvement in any area where it is not absolutely necessary has served only to decrease the value created by institutions. Arguments that favor greater government control and regulation run counter to objective facts.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Stop complaining and take control of your own future

July 17, 2017

“If it’s meant to be, it will be.” These words are ones I often hear, and while I think they are meant to be comforting, they make me kind of angry.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Appreciate what you have before you lose it

July 12, 2017

I write to you today, dear reader, with a message that is as everlasting as Twinkies and as cliche as a joke about the shelf life of Twinkies. My message to you is to be grateful for what you have. This may all be banal in nature, but the sagacity behind this idea should never be missed.

OPINION | COLUMNS

This is not a distraction. This is about whether or not we still care for the rule of law.

July 12, 2017

Two major issues have been dominating our national politics, health care reform and the Russian investigation. This is, to put it mildly, stupid.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Americans need anger for motivation

July 10, 2017

I write a column every week, and many of these weeks, I have a hard time picking a topic. Sometimes topics just come to me, but often, they don’t. To remedy this, sometimes I search Google for topics. Sometimes I take the advice of a fellow columnist and Google search, “What are Americans angry about today?” I did that this week, and I was greeted by a slew of articles about why Americans are so angry. There was nothing too specific that day, but essentially, a bunch of news outlets wrote pieces about why Americans are so angry about many different things.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Why we need India in order to remain a global superpower

July 10, 2017

A US-India alliance could be key for the US to remain a global superpower

OPINION | COLUMNS

Issues with Russia should matter to ordinary citizens, not just politicians

July 5, 2017

Democrats have been criticized from within their own ranks for focusing on the issue of Russian interference in the 2016 election when an economic message could be more effective against Republicans, who are in the middle of pushing an extremely unpopular health care bill through Congress. In his testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier last month, former FBI Director James Comey insisted that all Americans should be concerned about the prospect of a foreign power influencing the outcome of a Democratic election. He told the committee, “It’s not about Republicans or Democrats. They’re coming after America, which I hope we all love equally. They want to undermine our credibility in the face of the world.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

There’s nothing new under the sun

June 28, 2017

I recall a conversation I had with my dad in which he reflected on his experience in school as a child. He vividly remembers the school administration in the early 1960’s conducting drills in which he and his classmates would practice crouching down under their desks in the event of a nuclear blast.

OPINION | COLUMNS

College is fleeting, enjoy it while you can

June 26, 2017

As I drove back to Gainesville after about two months filled with travel and relaxation, I came to a horrific realization.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Ossoff lost Georgia, and I’m not surprised at all

June 26, 2017

Last Tuesday, Republican Karen Handel defeated Democrat Jon Ossoff in the most expensive congressional race in U.S. history. The special election filled the vacancy left by current Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price in Georgia’s 6th congressional district, located just outside of Atlanta. Newt Gingrich took the 6th district in 1979, and it has been held by Republicans comfortably since. However, since President Donald Trump won the district by a close margin of only two percentage points in 2016, Democrats saw an opportunity to try to flip it.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Servers deserve your tips: Please don’t cheat them

June 14, 2017

Recently, I started working as a server for a new company. I have never worked in the restaurant business before. That is to say, I have no prior experience serving, bussing, cooking or hosting. My only experience in the industry is the many times I’ve been a customer.

OPINION | COLUMNS

'You've Got Time' to watch 'Orange Is the New Black' on Netflix

June 12, 2017

If 2016 was the year of realizing things, then 2017 is the year of trying things.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Comey’s testimony brought about a big win for Republicans

June 12, 2017

Former FBI Director James Comey testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee last Thursday regarding possible obstruction of justice by President Donald Trump in the FBI’s investigation of collusion between his campaign and the Russian government. Trump’s political opponents desperately hoped Comey would show that Trump’s behavior provided grounds for impeachment. While Comey’s words showed he did not trust the president and believed the president wanted to dismiss the investigation of Michael Flynn, a former national security advisor, I believe it yielded nothing incriminating. In fact, I think it did more to clear Trump’s name.

OPINION | COLUMNS

How to tackle the current tactics of change

June 7, 2017

Last week I wrote about my renting experience with Watson Realty Corp. In my column, there were some misrepresented facts: after Sharon Giddens left the company on good terms — for she was not fired, nor did she quit — one of my roommates stayed in contact with another person from Watson Realty. I, however, was left in the dark for the period of three months. This was not Watson Realty’s fault. Though our relationship was not ideal, Watson Realty does not deserve the disservice of falsity. My sincerest apologies.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Cultural representation, Kali Uchis and the unity of ‘dislikable Colombian girls’

June 5, 2017

Sometimes people fail to recognize that when it comes to heritage and being part of a new generation, there is the median of people who represent both and should be given the availability to express and acknowledge it.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The problems with the Paris climate agreement

June 5, 2017

President Donald Trump withdrew from the Paris climate agreement last week in a move that set the U.S. apart from nearly every country in the world. The left responded with its usual rage and hysteria. Fareed Zakaria declared that the withdrawal was “the single most irresponsible act that this president has taken” and that “the United States resigned as the leader of the free world.” Many others echoed his claims. Statements like these mirror the left’s typical hyperbole when any political move doesn’t reflect the liberal agenda, especially on the ever sensitive issue of climate change.

OPINION | COLUMNS

An honest review of my experience with Watson Realty

May 31, 2017

I’d like to preface this by saying that by no means am I attacking Watson Realty Corp. I am merely recalling events and experiences with Watson Realty that my roommates and I had throughout our 15-month contract. I have attempted to avoid as much hyperbole as I can, so the facts in this column may remain facts, regardless of storytelling.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Trump’s foreign policy puts America's interests first, at home and abroad

May 29, 2017

President Donald Trump took his first trip abroad last week and gave his first international speech in front of a coalition of more than 50 Muslim-majority countries in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Many Americans voiced concern about how Trump would be received abroad, especially in the Middle East, because of his notoriously harsh campaign rhetoric. The warm reception for his speech should alleviate those concerns. Overall, the speech sent a clear message to these countries — and the world — that the foreign policy of the U.S. is going to be entirely different than it was under former President Barack Obama.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Don’t oppress those who are different from you

May 29, 2017

History is written into our education, and it cannot be erased — I’m looking at you, “Old Joe” supporters. White privilege is taught, and that’s not just in the U.S. I’m half white — my mother is the last generation in her Portuguese family. But racists, white supremacists or really any other person who doesn’t ask wouldn’t know that. I wear my colors proudly, and I have consequently been taught from birth that this skin color defines me.