Opinion

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

American health care compared to the rest of the world

By Kelly Cavaliere | Oct. 3, 2019

In the U.S., health care can be quite expensive. The total amount spent on health care last year was $3.65 trillion. U.S. health care expenditures for 2018 were nearly 17 percent of the gross domestic product. This is almost twice the average cost of other countries’ health care within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Why is health insurance so expensive in our country, and how do our costs compare to health care costs around the world?

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

You should still care about the environment

By Myles Gibbs | Oct. 1, 2019

On Sept. 20, a youth climate strike of unprecedented proportions stood at the forefront of the world stage. Now, two weeks later, that energy has died down to some degree in Gainesville’s corner of the world. This is a shame, because it’s our generation's responsibility to enact the change. The private sector still needs to be held accountable, the government still needs to be pressured and public sentiment still needs to be changed: and here lies the purpose of the Climate Reality Project.

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OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Likes are more important than you think

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Oct. 1, 2019

We all mourned the death of Vine. At its peak, the social network reached 40 million registered users in 2013. When it died in early 2017, the world was in shock. How could such a popular site end so quickly? The answer is actually quite simple and ruins most of the good things in our lives: corporate greed.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

It’s alright to feel lonely on campus

By Matthew Diaz | Sep. 29, 2019

How is it possible to feel alone in a crowd? Among 50,000 other students, I thought I’d arrive on campus and surely find my place shortly thereafter. How could I not with such a massive pool of students and clubs? I had seen cliques form as early as Preview. A few months in, and it still hadn’t happened to me.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

When fashion misses the jump into advocacy

By Lauren Rousseau | Sep. 29, 2019

Now more than ever, fashion brands have been attempting to ride the activism bandwagon. 

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OPINION  |  DARTS LAURELS

Darts and Laurels: Sept. 27

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Sep. 26, 2019

The weather is still unbearable. You feel a gentle breeze here and there, but Mother Nature lied about the fall season — or at least we did something to mess it up. Either way, it’s hot, you’re sweaty and the walk from the Reitz Union to Library West isn’t making things easier. 

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Stress less about your food

By Matthew Diaz | Sep. 26, 2019

As exam season peaks its head around the corner, I think it’s important to talk about ways to maintain a healthy mental state while going through the rigors of midterms and finals. I’m not sure about everyone else, but for me the first thing to go during times of stress is always food. During a packed day, it just feels inconvenient to have to cook or go out. Although, I think anyone can tell this is a bad habit to keep. Food is the fuel your body will use when you study and eventually rock those exams, so it’s important to be mindful of what you use. Here I’ll recommend some foods that have helped me stay sharp during tests.

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OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

The Alligator endorses the party with more transparency

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Sep. 24, 2019

Editor’s Note: The Alligator Editorial Board, which includes the editor-in-chief, managing editors and opinions editor, met with both parties and candidates running in the UF Student Government Fall Senate elections. 

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Journalists are accountable for respecting genders

By Lauren Rousseau | Sep. 22, 2019

In the world of journalism, maintaining respect for sources is of the utmost importance. It is imminent to spell each name correctly. Double-check the dates, the ages and all of the facts. 

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OPINION  |  DARTS LAURELS

Darts and Laurels: Sept. 20

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Sep. 19, 2019

Those all-nighters are really starting to catch up to you. Your caffeine intake maxed out like a credit card on your fifth cup of Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Mental health is physical health

By Matthew Diaz | Sep. 19, 2019

Take a moment and imagine a world where spraining an ankle is a taboo subject. Where someone with a fever is too embarrassed to see a doctor about it. Now, pull back and see that this is the world we live in, not with physical illnesses, but mental ones. 

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

How reading can impact the rest of your life

By Hannah Whitaker | Sep. 17, 2019

Reading is important. This lesson is reiterated from the time we’re toddlers throughout our education. Despite constantly being told that reading is crucial for a successful life, many Americans lack basic reading skills. In 2017, it was reported that 43 percent of American adults read at an eighth-grade level or lower (Zoukis). Reading, however, is not just mere entertainment. Reading can determine one’s future. 

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OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

How victims of sexual assault are let down every step of the way

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Sep. 15, 2019

This week, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was once again accused of sexual assault during his time at Yale University. The accusation comes from Deborah Ramirez, a former classmate of Kavanaugh’s, who claims the current justice exposed himself to her. While it stands as an accusation as of now, we need to take these cases seriously no matter our politics. 

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Older Democrats dominate the party, but don’t underestimate young people

By Jason Zappulla | Sep. 15, 2019

Ten Democratic presidential candidates gathered on Thursday for the party’s third primary debate, and once again Joe Biden was in the news afterwards. In June, a confrontation betweenBiden and Kamala Harris concerning Biden’s previous stance on school integration using buses splashed across headlines. This time, it involves Biden’s response to a question about racial inequality and reparations. Biden’s answer was rambling and confusing, but what struck people the most was when he told parents and caretakers to “make sure you have the record player on at night,” so their kids would hear more words. Needless to say, record players are no longer in common use. Combined with Biden’s outdated references, the 76-year-old former vice president seem out of touch and unfamiliar with the modern world. 

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

College is about employability, not expanding your horizons

By Cameron White | Sep. 15, 2019

I’ve often asked why I’ve had to take so many general education classes earning my bachelor’s degree in computer science, especially those that have been entirely unrelated to my major and have taught skills seldom useful in a professional setting. You know the classes I’m talking about — History of Astronomy, Man’s Food, Age of the Dinosaurs and so on. But whenever I gripe about being forced to take these classes if I want to graduate, people echo some variation of the same response: “College is about expanding your horizons” or “College is about making you more well-rounded.” At this point, I’m sick of hearing it.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

How to combat mental health stigmas

By Matthew Diaz | Sep. 10, 2019

When you picture an asylum, what comes to mind? For many people, it’ll be a prison-like building with white walls and barred windows. Maybe even a “Shutter Island”-esque ocean lockup filled with unknown or unspeakable horrors. I think it’s telling that just googling ‘psychiatric asylum’ brings up images meant to invoke fear: walls with writing scratched into them and patients confined to straitjackets. But is this really the way we should be depicting mental illness, something that 1 in 5 adults will struggle with yearly?

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

When "self-care" culture becomes unhealthy

By Hannah Whitaker | Sep. 10, 2019

Self-care culture. In 2019, you’re bound to see these three words everywhere.

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OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

We are her sons. Is the Queen of Rap actually retiring?

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Sep. 8, 2019

We are trying to take our medication and be OK, but we are now in a world without the Harajuku Barbie herself, Nicki Minaj. The self-proclaimed Female Weezy retired from the music industry Thursday when she tweeted that she wants to focus on raising a family. 

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Taxation is theft: the fundamentals of libertarian political philosophy

By Cameron White | Sep. 8, 2019

The phrase “taxation is theft” can be a meme, or a serious political position, depending on who you ask. While it’s easy to dismiss the idea as the deranged babbling of an adamant free marketeer, I’d like to explain the underlying politics that the phrase rests on and defend the idea that taxation is state-sponsored theft. To reach such a conclusion, there are only two premises you must accept: The Non-Aggression Principle is valid, and all laws are ultimately only enforceable by violence. Let’s examine both assumptions.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Chanel Miller: Know Her Name

By Lauren Rousseau | Sep. 8, 2019

Chanel Miller. If you don’t know that name by now, you should.