opinion - The Independent Florida Alligator

Opinion

Lake Okeechobee restoration efforts shouldn’t be turned over

Mar. 9, 2014

The Florida Legislature is attempting to seize total control of Lake Okeechobee, eliminating the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from the process and giving total water management control to the South Florida Water Management District. This proposal is a bad idea, as it overlooks the history of the management of the lake and related water bodies in regard to the Clean Water Act.

Opinion

Don’t blame the bag — recycle

By Keyna Cory | Mar. 9, 2014

That darn plastic bag!

Opinion

Mayor Braddy out of touch with interns, residents

By Kay Mitchell | Mar. 9, 2014

Mayor Ed Braddy’s recent pledge to “revamp” the City of Gainesville internship program is nothing new. I interned for the City of Gainesville in the summer of 2011 and did much more than “shadow the City Commission,” as Braddy claimed in the Feb. 26 edition of the Alligator.

Opinion

Conservatives fail to accept changing US

Mar. 9, 2014

Conservatives flocked to Washington, D.C., last week for the Conservative Political Action Conference to rally behind conservative leaders and discuss their core ideological beliefs. Sadly, the week produced the same rhetoric spouted by conservatives — most of whom identify as Republicans — that many young Americans and minorities, more often than not, reject.

Opinion

Darts & Laurels 2/28/14

Feb. 27, 2014

For all of you still lingering on campus and not burning rubber on the highway bound for Panama City Beach, here it is: your Spring-Break-forever-y’all edition of

Opinion

If a friend is incoherent, call for help: You won’t get in trouble

Feb. 27, 2014

She was 19, smart, silly and beautiful.

Opinion

Venezuela column wrong

Feb. 27, 2014

Eric Brown’s guest column demonstrated hypocrisy in two ways: Its title and its content emphasized why the viral video explaining today’s situation in Venezuela is one-sided. He then went on to emphasize the few improvements the Venezuelan government has accomplished while completely disregarding the country’s significant increase in murders, scarcity in basic day-to-day needs, tyrant rule over peaceful protests and censorship of the media.

Opinion

Venezuela column doesn’t give whole truth

Feb. 27, 2014

Last Tuesday, a column ran in the Alligator titled “Viral video is one-sided” by UF student Eric Brown, in which he discussed Nicolás Maduro, Hugo Chávez and Venezuela. After reading it, I realized some things he said were partially true and some partially false.

Opinion

‘Religious freedom’ bill ignites controversy

Feb. 27, 2014

The land home to the Grand Canyon brought a slew of controversy this week when reactionary legislators passed a religious freedom bill. The bill is an amendment that rides on the shoulders of an act that began after Native American Church members were fired for using psychedelic cacti more than a decade ago. It enshrines Arizona citizens’ rights to religious freedom by declaring that anything done or not done because of a “sincerely held” religious belief is well and good, so long as it doesn’t conflict with government interests.

Opinion

Age and attitude: What accounts for alcohol abuse?

Feb. 26, 2014

Predictably, as March approaches, news outlets will start releasing “shocking exposés” revealing the “dark side of Spring Break” as if we didn’t know drunken college students fall off balconies in Panama City every year. Trend writers would have you believe all students view Spring Break as a weeklong free-for-all, and while this isn’t necessarily true — we have Habitat for Humanity and other things to do, after all — it’s true that alcohol abuse is a pervasive problem in American university culture.

Opinion

Net neutrality is a thing of the past

Feb. 26, 2014

Think about the nature of the Internet. It’s anything and everything at your fingertips whenever you want it. One day, we will tell our children we lived in a time when information was truly free.

Opinion

Beato’s minimum-wage column

By Jeremiah Tattersall | Feb. 25, 2014

On Feb. 18, Michael Beato wrote a highly erroneous piece about increasing the minimum wage. Today’s minimum wage is far below what it should be historically and continues to lose value every year. If the federal minimum wage had kept up with inflation, it would be about $10.75 an hour instead of $7.25. If the minimum wage had kept up with productivity, it would be $18.75. If it had grown at the same rate as wages for the top 1 percent, it would be more than $28.

Opinion

It’s time to stop pretending what Student Government is and isn’t

Feb. 25, 2014

The words in this column come difficult for me, as I have many friends and colleagues who are currently enjoying a momentous win with the Swamp Party.

Opinion

Get schooled: education system paradox in the US

Feb. 25, 2014

Education has always been a hot-button issue in this country. One side of this polarizing issue demands respect for teachers unions; the other says standardized testing is paramount.

Opinion

Apple security flaw proves companies act in self-interest

Feb. 25, 2014

Yesterday, Apple released OS X 10.9.2, and if you haven’t already — download it ASAP.

Opinion

Republicans to blame for Florida's ‘grim’ outlook

Feb. 25, 2014

A new study released by the Leroy Collins Institute on Florida’s economic and fiscal health paints a bleak picture of the state’s present and future.

Opinion

FCAT merit-based teacher pay: an unfair indicator

Feb. 24, 2014

Luckily, our FCAT days are behind us. After all, the snacks used as bribery tactics and all of the time out of class in the world couldn’t make up for the fact that state standardized testing is a waste of schools’ time and an unfair indicator of teacher and student success.

Opinion

Bearded ladies and double standards

Feb. 24, 2014

Bearded ladies used to be ogled for entertainment as a part of freak shows that were popular from the mid-1800s to mid-1900s, but bearded ladies still exist today.

Opinion

Fresh approach needed to tackle SG corruption

Feb. 24, 2014

Most UF students are by now familiar with the ongoing situation on campus. If you’ve read the disturbing ways the Swamp Party maintains its control over student leadership — as reported widely in the Alligator and the Fine Print — it’s not pleasant.

Opinion

Viral video is one-sided

Feb. 24, 2014

Venezuela is in the international spotlight because of recent violent anti-government protests, which have garnered attention through social media. This past weekend, my news feed was filled with posts sharing a video titled, “What’s going on in Venezuela in a nutshell” and hashtags like #prayforvenezuela. I was immediately reminded of the frenzy involved with KONY 2012 in which people became “experts” on Uganda overnight.