In America, it's Always Someone else's Fault
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- Written by Bryan Vinson
While it is easy to sit back and blame rich people, conservative politicians, liberal politicians, moderate politicians, unions, corporations, activists, lobbyists, and George Bush for all of our problems, there is still a missing element that can be blamed but never is. We rarely discuss it. It’s us. We the people. As John Boehner likes to say – “The American people.” I’ve written many opinions myself getting on the case of the Obama administration, or liberal ideals in general. That’s okay. It’s my opinion. Sometimes though I wonder if we’re sometimes like food critics. We don’t do a single thing to help prepare the meal, but we will sit there and rip it to shreds if it doesn’t meet our standards. The truth is that, in America, government can really force you to do very little. They can affect policy that shapes how you might do something. They can make things easier or difficult to accomplish things. But in the end, it’s up to us to make things happen.
The First Day of Class at CMU: What's a Student to Do?
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- Written by Michelle Campbell
This is the third post in a series of entries designed to help guide students at Central Michigan University through the recent contract negotiations between the Central Michigan University Administration and the Faculty Association. I am a student writing for students. The specific purpose of this post is to discuss what students should do in the event of a job action on Monday, the first day of class at Central Michigan University.
Will There Be a Strike on Monday?
While no one but the Faculty Leadership can determine that for sure, this August 20th statement from Laura Frey, the President of the Faculty Association, suggests that times are becoming dire:
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Stay Calm and Carry On: What CMU's Administration Is Not Telling Students
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- Written by Michelle Campbell
If you’re reading this post, you might have some hankerin’ of what is going on around Central Michigan University. Most likely you are a student, parent, or concerned community member who wants to know 1)what’s really going on and 2)what it means to you.
If you are a student, you have been receiving emails from the Central Michigan University administration. If you’re a parent or community member, you’ve read articles quoting members of the administration, and rarely those of the faculty association. I’m here to tell you the truth. At least, the truth from the faculty association side of things–a truth rarely heard, but often very, very different than that portrayed in the media and by administrative communication.
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What Every Central Michigan University Student Needs to Know
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- Written by Michelle Campbell
After a month long hiatus, I return to talk to you about the recent kerfuffle happening at Central Michigan University. For many students, the news is very confusing. The CMU administration has been sending emails to cmich.edu accounts “informing” students on the recent contract negotiations with the Faculty Association. There have also been numerous news articles “informing” the public on the happenings of the negotiations from both the Faculty Association and the Administration.
Read more: What Every Central Michigan University Student Needs to Know
How the Debt Ceiling Almost Gave Us the All Powerful President… Kind Of
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- Written by Bryan Vinson
The debt ceiling debate was a tough segment for American politics. One side tried to use it to force taxes to be raised on the wealthiest two percent of Americans. The other side tries to use it to use it to force deep cuts of spending in Washington DC. In the end, the ceiling was raised, taxes were not, and the deep cuts never materialized. It was a wash. However, the left had a chance to feel around for a possibility that would have been the brightest silver lining in the whole debacle. The power of the President to raise the debt limit on his own without authority from congress. It was tempting enough that an actual former President, Bill Clinton, encouraged President Barack Obama to go ahead and do it and let the courts try to catch up with him. He said that this out loud and in public.
Read more: How the Debt Ceiling Almost Gave Us the All Powerful President… Kind Of
The Debt Ceiling Debacle
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- Written by BryanVinson
At what point are you looking at a leader who simply can’t lead, or a resistant congress not interested in the good of the country in spite of a President trying his hardest?
Looking at the fallout of the debt ceiling debacle, President Obama seems to be mostly winning the spin war, but not by a great margin. Both the President and the Republican House of Representatives took a beating in popularity, but the idea that the Republican’s wouldn’t budge even with a “balanced approach” on the table is the prevailing attitude. President Obama has used what ever momentum can be gained by that perception to launch into his reelection campaign angle that “Congress is Broken.”
Remembrance and Hope in Oslo
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- Written by Treasure Addis-Mills
Today, a mass for grief and hope was held at the Oslo Cathedral in downtown Oslo, near the site of the car bomb that rocked the city and killed 7 people on Friday July 22. It was held for the 7 killed in the bomb and the 85 killed in the shooting on Utoya Island; however, it was not called a memorial, for there are still 4 people unaccounted for from Utoya Island. It lasted for an hour and a half, consisting of many hymns, speeches from the Prime Minister and the King, and lots of tears from the crowd. Citizens who were not able to get a seat inside stood on the streets outside.
The city streets were filled with people coming together to pay tribute to those killed and to see for themselves the destruction caused by the bomb. Small memorials were located all over the city, with many hand-written notes and cards, teddy bears, flowers, and candles.
