April-May, 2005
Conservative Support of States' Rights:
Where Has it Gone?
Matt Losch '05
While the recent congressional debate over the Schiavo case has sparked public discussion of the rights of family members in choosing the fate of their loved ones and has highlighted the maze of legal complications and battles fought all over the country in similar cases, it has also brought to light a significant turnaround in the ideologies embodied by the Democratic and Republican parties.
Conservative politics has traditionally been characterized by a belief in minimal government, while liberals have historically favored greater social spending and expanding the role of government. After all, Democrats created all the New Deal, the Great Society, and many programs central to the so-called “welfare state.” On the other hand, President Bush, like conservative Republicans before him, has successfully campaigned in the last two elections by emphasizing his belief in a limited role of government, with states’ rights privileged over centralized federal power. Complete article...
| A Futile Fight: Rarely do we focus on an on-going war in our own country, the U.S. war on drugs. The term, once the catch phrase of politicians during the so-called crack epidemic of the 1980s, has disappeared from public discourse in recent years. Many words come to mind when one mentions the term “war”: death, violence, injustice, weapons of mass destruction, faulty intelligence, terrorism, enemy, protection of democracy, and fighting the good fight are but a few. Based on the present world situation, the war most likely to enter the forefront of our thoughts is the one in Iraq, perhaps followed by the genocide in Darfur, the extended conflict in the Middle East, and violence in other foreign lands. Complete article... Bush or Chimp? One of the most important modern discoveries is the similarity between George W. Bush and chimpanzees., a groundbreaking piece of research clearly presented on the website www.bushorchimp.com. This brilliant website provides vivid comparisons of President George W. Bush (arguably one of our least presidential presidents of all time) and various chimpanzees (arguably not a very president-like animal). While analyzing this website’s highly scientific evidence of the similarities between Bush and chimps, I began to wonder whether or not the United States would be better off with a chimp as president instead of Bush. Complete article... The Trust Fund Facade After nearly four months of virtually non-stop coverage of the Social Security debate, by now, everyone has an opinion about how the current system could be fixed. Yet, there is about whether reform of the system is immediately necessary. Complete article... The Trust Fund Facade The recent Terri Schiavo case appears to be just another example of the now often-discussed “religion issue” in America. This case is just one more example of the way “life issues” have come to play an important role in mobilizing the Republican Party’s religious base. Complete article...
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At Princeton, Underpriveleged Students Eat Alone Warmer temperatures and blooming flowers mark not only the start of spring, but also the end of the eating club hullabaloo. By now, the loud screams of sign-in club pickups have melted away into silence. Those choosing the pageantry of bicker were long ago informed of the judges’ results with some invariably earning perfect 10s, others nothing, and still others a “date” on the infamous “third floor.” Even that proud and strident group of students choosing to opt out of the whole affair, in favor of joining a co-op or going independent, has already made up their minds. Complete article... A Popular Approach to Fight Drilling in ANWR Even as the Senate took the first steps last month to open the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil exploration, the debate over the fate of the preserve will continue to rage between both parties. Most politicians in favor of drilling in the ANWR view it as a barren, snow-covered wasteland. However, I was lucky enough to visit the North Slope of Alaska this last summer, and regardless of what has been said, it is not a wasteland. Its beauty and the number of caribou that migrate there each year notwithstanding, though, there is an entirely different set of reasons as to why drilling in ANWR should be opposed. Complete article... Learning the Right Lessons: On January 21, I almost became a Republican. The day before, President Bush gave one of the most inspiring speeches in American history. The President declared that the ultimate goal of American foreign policy was “ending tyranny in our world.” Complete article...
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