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For a country built on the principle of freedom, the United States keeps a disproportionately high number of its people behind bars. In fact, despite representing only five percent of the world’s population, the U.S. holds a quarter of the world’s total number of inmates and spends around $80 billion every year on the…
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When General Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown to the Americans in 1783, he marked the end of the Revolutionary War and the beginning of a new age of democracy. With that democracy came the opportunity for people to take part in the government and have their opinion heard. Today, this privilege is being taken for…
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A virus is spreading through our nation, infecting our schools, and killing America’s youth. Its name is gun violence. On Oct. 1, a shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore. left ten dead and nine injured. “Somehow, this has become routine,” President Barack Obama said in a national address later that day. “We’ve…
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Albert Einstein once said that “the strength of the Constitution lies entirely in the determination of each citizen to defend it.” Indeed, in the 239 years since its creation, the highest law of the land has been both more clearly defined and vehemently defended. Everyday, the first amendment protects our right to report, to…
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We all know the stories. A student displays the tell-tale signs of a mental disorder. People around him or her notice, but never take action, and the student never receives help. The story ends with a breakdown, dangerous life choices, and in the worst cases, with the student taking his or her own life.…
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In his 2014 State of the Union Address, President Obama proposed a $10.10 minimum wage – $2.85 higher than the current federal mandate of $7.25 an hour. On the tails of our latest recession, the minimum wage has become a hotly debated issue. The debate hinges on two economic models: one that foresees a…
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In a move that would effectively enforce mandatory vaccinations for all students attending public schools, two California State Senators recently introduced a bill aimed at eliminating the state’s “personal belief exemption” for vaccinations. Currently, California’s personal belief exemption allows parents to cite religious and philosophical beliefs in addition to medical necessity as reasons not…
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“I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.” Eric Garner, a 43-year-old African American, repeated this phrase while NYPD police officer Daniel Pantaleo held him in an illegal chokehold in Staten Island, New York. The conflict, which was caught on camera, arose after Pantaleo confronted Garner in the street for allegedly selling loose…
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When President Barack Obama first announced his plan to federally fund community college, “reducing the price to free” as he said in his last State of the Union address, the idea sounded like a fairytale finally coming true. After taking a step back, it is evident that although this dream will require a large…
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When the United Blood Services came to campus to collect blood, students who identify as homosexual or bisexual were not allowed to donate because of Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) policies that state that no homosexual person can donate blood – policies that are based on an antiquated stigma surrounding gays and HIV/AIDs. These…