Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Assassination is no joke

July 26, 2017

Recently, a few notable actors and comedians have brought it upon themselves to joke about assassinating President Donald Trump. Generally, these jokes are condemned across the spectrum as, even though politics may be a bit more volatile than it should be, most believe no one should die. Notable people who have recently committed themselves to these jokes are Johnny Depp, with his John Wilkes Booth allusion, and Kathy Griffin, with the picture of her holding up a fake severed head of Trump.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Trump’s proposed ban is unconstitutional

July 26, 2017

The one good thing we have to say about a Trump presidency is that it keeps Americans on their toes. We’ve learned to be ready for anything, and at this point, there isn’t much left that can surprise us. However, just because we are used to the constant bewilderment we’ve been facing, it doesn’t mean we are OK with it.

OPINION | COLUMNS

We need to appreciate artists before their death (a tribute to Chester Bennington)

July 24, 2017

This week was a sad one for angsty millennials everywhere. (Well, honestly most weeks are sad for angsty millennials these days, but I digress.) This week, Chester Bennington killed himself. With the death of this musician, most famous for being the lead vocalist of Linkin Park and also being a member of Dead by Sunrise and Stone Temple Pilots, the toll of musicians gone before their time rises. Bennington joins the ranks of Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Chris Cornell and more. Not all of these musicians chose to end their lives, but some did. Arguably, many musicians gone before their time were more appreciated, admired and loved after they died than they ever were before. Their popularity, their fan base and their influence grew.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Fall is coming. Revive the freshman in you.

July 24, 2017

This week, we thought it would be nice to take a quick breather from the usual political commentary the editorial section is home to. Instead, with Fall semester just around the corner, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on how lucky we all are to be a part of The Gator Nation and to appreciate how great it is to be a Florida Gator.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Do progressives really want a President Pence?

July 24, 2017

Do progressives really want a President Pence? Their immediate answer may be: “yes, impeach President Donald Trump no matter what,” but if progressives considered what was best for their agenda, they would recognize how relatively great the Trump presidency has been thus far.

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 | EDITORIALS

America needs to get rid of closed primaries

July 19, 2017

As we’re sure you are aware, Florida is a closed primary state. This means that in order to vote in a primary election, Florida residents must be registered with a political party. It also means in the primaries, they are only be able to vote for candidates running for a position within their registered party. In general elections, however, they are able to vote for any candidate in any party.

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 | EDITORIALS

Charlie Gard deserves to end his life out of the public eye

July 17, 2017

In recent weeks, controversy has swirled around an 11-month-old baby boy from the U.K.

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 | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

‘The Ultimate Towing scam’

July 17, 2017

Readers beware: I feel the need to report something that happened to my family, which supposedly happens quite often at UF. It has to do with parking your car in the areas of tow-away zones, which includes most places on and surrounding UF’s campus.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Updates from your Student Body president

July 17, 2017

Hello Gators!

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 | EDITORIALS

Liberals aren’t whiners, they are warriors

July 12, 2017

Liberals too often have been dubbed whiners, complainers and malcontents. This is something that has become especially frequent after the last presidential election.

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

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 | EDITORIALS

What you’re really saying when you proudly wear the Confederate flag

July 10, 2017

Last weekend, in Charlottesville, Virginia, members and supporters of the Ku Klux Klan protested the Charlottesville City Council’s decision to remove a statue honoring Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The rally was met with even more protesters denouncing the antiquated beliefs of the KKK.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

MCDA needs to listen to the concerns of black and Latinx students regarding renovations to La Casita and the Institute of Black Culture

July 10, 2017

I was an ambassador with Multicultural and Diversity Affairs for four semesters, where I worked exclusively at the Institute of Black Culture for three of those semesters. I chose to stop working for MCDA once it became apparent that many of the department’s actions didn’t align with the values that they promote. What is happening now with the renovation of the institutes is a prime example of how MCDA actively acts against the best interests of the students they claim to advocate for. Combining the IBC and the Institute of Hispanic-Latino Cultures, or La Casita, is not only working to erase the histories of the black and Latinx communities at UF, but also to further disregard the needs and concerns of students of color within a predominantly white institution.

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

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.”