Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Reusing items a good alternative to recycling

By Ashley Pennington | Feb. 16, 2011

Laura Ellermeyer’s editorial in Tuesday’s paper highlights an important topic: the cost of waste. Perhaps a more appropriate title and discussion could have been “Reduce and Reuse First; Recycling Still Uses Resources.” It is true there are costs associated with recycling — fiscal and environmental. That is why the best action one can take is trying to consume less. This helps reduce the amount of resources used to mine and create the products in the first place, as well as avoids the added resource use associated with the process of recycling.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Gov. Rick Scott cares only for himself

By Chad Mohammed | Feb. 16, 2011

Last week, Gov. Rick Scott presented his budget for the 2012 fiscal year, proclaiming, “This was the budget you asked for.” The proposed budget is $5 billion leaner than budgets of years past, as Scott promised. However, the governor cut from areas most critical to the state’s well-being.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Falling on Deaf Ears

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Feb. 15, 2011

Comic book villains aren’t the only ones who can be two-faced. Actually, politicians could teach them a thing or two.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Walk of Blame: Amblers don’t mean you any harm

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Feb. 15, 2011

Apparently, people rage while they walk. And we don’t mean in a fun way.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Why does nobody like the word “like”?

By Wesley Campbell | Feb. 15, 2011

There is a word that gets hated on a lot. It’s like, hearing it gets some people upset. They don’t like it, and they don’t like its use.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Fellow motorists deserve drivers’ full attention on the road

By Chris Wood | Feb. 14, 2011

As I rode my motorcycle home from class today, the cars in the lane next to me and I approached a red light.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Pick Our Poison: Federal budget debate involves financial aid

Feb. 14, 2011

As our leaders in Washington know, something’s got to give when it comes to higher education. Both sides of the aisle have marched their preferred program up the steps to the guillotine, and we’re waiting to see which one gets a nice shave.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Recycling proves wasteful in long term

By Laura Ellermeyer | Feb. 14, 2011

As usual, I will play devil’s advocate. This week’s topic: recycling.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Seeking a Spectacle

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Feb. 13, 2011

The game’s over, and our team won.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Penney Pincher: Search engine abuse skews results

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Feb. 13, 2011

Think for a moment about how much trust we put into Internet search engines like Google. They are our springboards to the otherwise nearly impenetrable expanse of information available online.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Boycott hurts conservative movement

By Zack Smith | Feb. 13, 2011

It may be “the economy, stupid,” but this weekend, the first shots were fired in the looming civil war among members of the GOP.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Darts and Laurels

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Feb. 10, 2011

Love is in the air — or is it those droplets of water that can’t decide if they’re rain or fog? Either way, Valentine’s Day is Monday.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Governor trying to streamline, not derail Florida education

By Sam Kowalczyk | Feb. 10, 2011

Morgan Watkins’ subtle and professor Matheny’s not-so-subtle denouncements of Gov. Scott’s proposed cuts to education on the front page of Wednesday’s Alligator are, in a word, wrong.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

On the Table: Budget tests Scott’s bargaining skills

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Feb. 9, 2011

Looks like it’s time for our favorite dead-eyed, Voldemort-impersonating governor to backtrack.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

America faces an education crisis

By Gelin Looi | Feb. 9, 2011

During the 2010 winter break, I went home to my hometown, Johor Bahru, after four years. Johor Bahru is a major city in Malaysia, separated from Singapore by a thin strait. Singapore is also a rich, prosperous, technologically advanced and cosmopolitan first-world island country of no more than five million souls and less than 300 square miles of land. Comparatively, Malaysia, which is blessed with natural resources of tin, copper, rich soil and oil, languished in second place as a second-world country. Singapore also boosts one of the most highly educated populations, with a vibrant research and development sphere and highly regarded universities. My parents are such fervent believers in the power of education that all their children were educated there despite the costs and long transit time. Singapore students routinely take medals in Math and Science Olympiads and ace the British GCE systems. In contrast, Malaysia had been engaging in such a systematic educational regression that the University of Malaya, which once was regarded as the best college in Southeast Asia, is not even ranked in the top 100 today. The National University of Singapore, on the other hand, stands at 31, just four places behind UC Berkeley. My uncle told me that a Singaporean minister, while speaking at a top Malaysian high school, declared that any high-scoring students willing to study at a Singaporean university would be given green cards immediately, with all tuition, room and board paid for along with a monthly stipend. Needless to say, many stepped forward to take the offer.

OPINION | COLUMNS

President walking Egyptian tightrope

By Chad Mohammed | Feb. 9, 2011

What began in Tunisia as a modest protest against the lack of socioeconomic mobility has spread quickly throughout the entire Arab world, from Morocco in the West to Yemen in the East. However, the seeds of dissent flourished most in the 80 million-strong country of Egypt.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Alligator unfairly favors Progess Party

By Aschelle Morgan | Feb. 9, 2011

As an outgoing College of Journalism and Communications student and Unite Party student senator, I am accustomed to the clash of campus politics and the biannual debate over its campus media portrayal. However, the Alligator’s recent lack of journalistic integrity has morphed the publication’s role as an information medium into that of a politically charged message.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

State of Depression

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Feb. 9, 2011

Quantifying misery sounds unscientific at best, but we were still interested to see Forbes rank the 20 most miserable cities in America.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Everyone faces AIDS risk

By Andrew Briefman | Feb. 9, 2011

At least Brett Wagner didn’t use the, “But I have lots of gay friends,” excuse in his attack on the LGBT community in Monday’s paper.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Evolving Opinion: Educators dodge origin of life issue

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Feb. 8, 2011

A recent survey of public high school biology teachers showed they aren’t sticking to the National Research Council’s recommendations on evolution. With 28 percent of the teachers focusing only on evolution and 13 percent advocating creationism within the classroom, we’re left with 60 percent quiet and not wanting to stir up controversy by endorsing one theory over another. Let’s recap: educators are shying away from supporting the principles they’re trying to teach simply because they are dealing with a touchy subject.