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(12/06/10 10:50pm)
This will be my final column as an opinion writer for The Eagle. In this space, I’ve argued for drug liberalization, urban renewal projects, and a greater focus on our long-term fiscal health. I discussed the importance of living within one’s means, lamented our dysfunctional political system, and criticized our incoherent foreign policy.
(11/23/10 2:55am)
The majority of the Democrats and Republicans that populate this city’s institutions are career professionals and public servants. For the most part, their expertise has served us well. Yet my worry is that maybe, somewhere, there is another Abraham Lincoln. Someone we would mock, someone who didn’t go to an Ivy League school, someone who made it on his or her own.
(09/21/10 1:52am)
Imagine two mountains straddling a desolate valley far below. The mountaintops are crowded with loud voices only growing louder. The valley’s population is waning, its power neutralized long ago. This vignette is akin to America’s political landscape today. One mountain represents the Left, disappointed in President Barack Obama and confused as to why everything has gone so wrong, so fast. Another peak shelters the splintered, yet resurgent Right, comprised of an odd assembly of small government reformers and Tea Party enthusiasts. Far above the scene, a jubilant media caters to the partisan mess with shouting heads and dubious “no spin zones.”
(06/02/10 1:58am)
Bang! — the shutting screen door was once a familiar sound of America’s summers. Children would venture out from under the watchful eye of their parents and spend the day on the streets, playgrounds and parks that surrounded their homes. There was stickball in the vacant corner lot and hopscotch on the blacktop.
(04/12/10 1:58am)
The lack of access to healthy and affordable food is not a problem unique to Third World countries. Millions of Americans live in impoverished urban communities without the luxury of a supermarket that others may take for granted. These areas, sometimes called “food deserts,” present limited choices in the way of nutritious food options for their residents.
(03/25/10 1:59am)
The scene on Capitol Hill Saturday afternoon was fit for the plot of a surreal and twisted comedy. With most congressional offices open for the weekend in advance of Sunday’s greatly anticipated final vote on health care legislation, staffers hunkered down to answer an endless stream of phone calls from constituents hoping to make their voices heard. Meanwhile, thousands of conservative “Tea Party” activists patrolled the corridors, chanting “kill the bill!” and paying visits to less-than-thrilled member offices that support the Democratic plan. Of course, I couldn’t pass up a chance to witness such theater, so there I was with pen and paper in hand, normally a Tuesday and Friday intern, recording the opinions of John and Jane Doe from Pleasantville, USA.
(02/25/10 2:59am)
The future — that vast expanse of hopes and dreams — was once reserved for restless Americans out to improve their lot. There were going to be bigger houses, faster cars and better paying jobs in a peaceful world. The fall of the Berlin Wall gave rise to the prospect of widespread prosperity well into the 21st century.
(02/11/10 2:17am)
The Democrats officially ceded the seat of their fallen hero — a seat they had held since the late Ted Kennedy’s brother occupied the White House — when Vice President Biden administered the oath of office to Republican Scott Brown last week. Brown’s arrival in Washington sounds the death knell for the dreamlike demands of President Barack Obama’s liberal base. Gone are the days of health care optimism and cap and trade consensus. Silence reigns where there were once cries for a second stimulus and righteous calls for a New York City civilian trial for Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
(01/25/10 2:59am)
“Things will get worse gradually, unless they get worse quickly.”
—Alan J. Auerbach, Professor of Economics, University of California at Berkeley
(12/03/09 2:58am)
On Tuesday afternoon, hours before his televised address at West Point, President Barack Obama wisely acknowledged, “None of this is easy. I mean, we are choosing from a menu of options that are less than ideal.” For such a statement, I applaud the president for his candor and realism. He is right in asserting that Afghanistan can no longer be the forgotten war regulated to the back page of the American mind. Afghanistan is not the “good” war, it is really the great unknown — troubled by a corrupt and feeble central government, a lack of infrastructure, and persistent attacks from Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, Afghanistan has a bleaker future than even Iraq. That would have been difficult to say three years ago.
(11/19/09 2:58am)
Over the last year, my roommate and I have embarked on a crusade to run to the farthest reaches of the metro area. We began with modest adventures of four to five miles. With Forrest Gump-like zeal, we decided to run some more — and more, and more, and more. Last Monday night, we journeyed east through the city and into other parts of Maryland. Our destination was FedEx Field in Landover, nearly 14 miles from campus. Along those many miles, I was reminded of the depth of this city’s poverty and urban decay. While the discouraging sights of that run will remain with me for a long time, there’s hope for a better future.
(11/05/09 2:59am)
Political columnists and pundits tend to overreact to electoral developments and their significance in relation to future contests. I cannot say I am free from such journalistic sin. Yet, in the wake of Tuesday’s off-year elections, I am here to sound a warning before every network and print news outlet engages in the perennial debate over who is up and who is down in the political sphere. I am only afraid I speak too late.
(10/26/09 2:58am)
The possession and transfer of marijuana were deemed illegal in the United States with the passage of the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937. For the “reformers” it was hailed as a great accomplishment. Yet, strikingly similar to the experiences of alcohol prohibition, the demand and use of marijuana did not disappear from legislative action. The 1960s were to the marijuana reform movement as the late 1920s were to prohibition opponents. With resentment and bitterness in the air, a culture of defiance grew from social unrest. Marijuana use rose dramatically during the 1960s while the federal government rushed to respond.
(10/05/09 2:58am)
Pursuing a perfect label for Pakistan’s political environment is an infuriating and futile ordeal. The nation’s political atmosphere is a toxic field of upheaval and uncertainty. These characteristics, taken alone, can be troubling signs for those seeking democracy. The repeated offenses of state emergencies, media censorship and jailing of political opponents run counter to democratic systems. Hope for a complete transition to democratic rule is muddled since there is no clear political force or ideology that could unify the country. Loyalties fall on mainly ethnic and religious lines. Shared social order and national interest become lesser priorities.
(09/21/09 2:59am)
The time is ripe to discuss the 2012 election. While roughly 1,140 days is not looming per se, whispers of potential match-ups will surely dominate Washington in the coming months. Despite the split in the Democratic Party over health care reform and spending priorities, President Barack Obama maintains a favorable standing among the American people and can rely on a vast grassroots network when it comes time to hit the campaign trial. The outlook for the Republicans, it would seem, is much more uncertain. Questions abound for a party diminished from two consecutive electoral routs and devoid of true leadership. One day, it’s former Republican Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin, hoping to stoke fear among conservatives that “death panels” are out to get America’s seniors. The next it’s former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, doing his best to conceal his Clinton-era baggage. Republican Reps. John Boehner, Eric Cantor and Mitch McConnell continue to vie for dominance on Capitol Hill. If cooler heads prevail, however, Republicans will no doubt nominate former Republican Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney for president.
(09/03/09 3:30am)
As summer turns to fall here in our nation's capital, the bloom is off the rose for President Barack Obama. The administration is at the mercy of an unpredictable Congressional majority. Much ink has been spent in recent weeks over Washington's great white elephant, health care reform. President Obama says passing a bill is his top priority. What is often forgotten as a key to Obama's struggles, however, is not as tangible as most political hurdles. The White House cannot control and solve all societal ills through federal action. In essence, from problems such as health care to energy and beyond, Obama must account for the chance that, maybe, just maybe, increased federal power may hinder progress.