Browsing: Points of View

I turn on the news to see what people are saying about Obamacare, and it’s almost always the same thing every time. Old men are arguing, not respectively debating or discussing, over Obamacare on television. Who can really blame them at this point?

It’s a complex issue. There’s no doubt that finding the best way to provide citizens health care is difficult to a find a consensus on. But what I do know as a fact is that President Barack Obama did not fulfill his pledge of, “If you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health care plan. Period.”

In response to David Trower’s Nov. 12 column “Sex offenders need stronger punishments,” I feel disappointed that Trower would write something that relies on thoroughly debunked stereotypes, faulty statistics and emotional appeals, yet fails to even acknowledge or address the root causes of the issue of sexual abuse.

Trower’s viewpoint is typical of those who adhere to the “uncontrollable monster” myth of the American Sex Offender. It is a persistent myth dating back to the late 1800s and the serial killings of Jack the Ripper and HH Holmes. (In fact, sex offenders were referred to as “Rippers” during that era). Today, the “stereotypical sex offender” is still the shady and dirty old man in the wrinkly trench coat, who drives a rusty van and lures children with candy and puppies.

Typically, support for the death penalty comes among Republicans and conservatives, the groups known historically for being “tough on crime.” But a new coalition aims to give a voice to those conservatives who feel otherwise.

A couple months ago, more than 100 people convened in Los Angeles for the Fifth Annual National Reform Sex Offender Laws conference, “Justice for All.” The purpose of the conference is to shed light and try to bring about reform of national and state sex offender laws that they claim deny the civil rights of more than 750,000 sex offenders.

The U.S. also wants veterans to be employed. I moved to Waco from the Washington, D.C., area. I was a little worried about finding a job because D.C. has an abundance of jobs available to veterans and Waco has a much smaller economy than the D.C. area. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to find a job at all.

I need to know how to build a bomb.

This is not, I hasten to add, for my use or, indeed, for the use of any real person. Rather, it is for Clarence and Dwayne, two hapless wannabe terrorists in a novel I’m writing.

In this day and age, it would be impossible to stay connected with your friends, family and the Baylor community without the use of modern technology. We students rely on our smartphones, our friends’ Facebook posts and those “On the Baylor Horizon” emails (well, maybe not those) to keep in touch with student life.

We maintain and cultivate relationships with our peers through these digital mediums on a daily, if not hourly, basis. Checking your email, cell phone and social media platforms regularly is no longer an optional task, but rather a critical one.

Imagine a stranger coming up to you and saying, “I’m not trying to insult you, but you’re ugly.” Wouldn’t you be upset?

The example may sound farfetched, but it’s exactly what two Baylor Lariat columnists have done over the past two weeks.

In her column “Ring-by-spring stereotype goes both ways,” Lariat staff writer Maleesa Johnson implores readers to “please do not read this [article] as me demeaning housewives,” but she then proceeds to do exactly that.

Haunted houses are a legitimate rite of passage for Halloween. You go through them with the expectation to get scared while people in creepy masks chase you and gory props are set up to add to the aura of fear.

However, while everyone can appreciate a good scare now and then, I’ve found out through some unfortunate experiences that going to a haunted house sometimes tends to leave participants a little worse for wear.

I’m not a parent. I don’t claim to know the pressures of being a parent. I was, however, raised by two stunning parents. I was and still am very fortunate to have their guidance in my life.

There’s a problem nowadays with society. I walk down the street and see a screaming child. He or she is upset and wants to go to the toy store now or wants food now. Occasionally, I’ll see the child smack his or her parent when things don’t go the child’s way.

Husband hunters, rings by spring and “M-R-S” degrees are common phrases around the Baylor Bubble. These are not entirely unwarranted. Certain females here, as well as women at other colleges, may indeed be more focused on the pursuit of a husband than the pursuit of academic success.

The conclusion of the shutdown episode has brought a flurry of analysis and harsh criticism of Congress. But there’s something missing in it all. As tempting as it might sound to fire all of our elected leaders, it isn’t just Congress who needs to step up to avoid another government shutdown. It’s our responsibility too.

Last semester, The Lariat published a special issue examining the cost of college. While highly informative, many stories reminded me of the harsh reality that accompanies student loans. This year, the staff and I went in a different direction.

I have been to the Louvre and I have seen the Mona Lisa. I have taken my picture in front of Big Ben, and I have watched the time change on the world’s oldest astronomical clock. I have seen the world outside of Texas.

Most little girls dream of growing up to marry their handsome, Ken doll Prince Charming in a fluffy white ball gown with pink flowers on every open corner as doves ascend into heaven — some garbage like that.
I was not one of those girls.

Ladies, we are being lied to. The media sends us sneaky messages about what being a woman in this day and age entails. If we aren’t careful, we slip into the habit of changing our behavior in order to fit the image of the ideal woman. Let me remind you of a few things the media tells us that we can choose not to believe.

I hate late-night studying. I also hate late-night driving. So naturally, there’s nothing more horrendous than having to drive home from Moody during the wee hours of the morning after a long, brain-frying study session.

The film surprises you with vast silences.

It is an emptiness that at first seems jarring to sensibilities trained to believe every moment must be crammed. By contrast, this movie takes you into moments of pregnant stillness: no movement on the screen, no dialogue, no swelling music to cue your emotions. At one point, the camera takes what feels like a minute to study Solomon Northup’s face as he absorbs the awfulness of his predicament. He does nothing. He simply is.

It’s not official until it’s Facebook official. The way college students and young adults date in the 21st century is completely different than how previous generations approached dating.

It was simpler back when parents were our age and dating in college. A boy saw a girl he liked, talked to her and got her number. Then if he wanted to get to know her more, he would call her, and they went on a date. If the date went well, they would go on another one. If not, they went their separate ways.

Sustainability can be beneficial. But obsession over sustainability can lead to a sacrifice of common sense, blinding one to the possible harmful effects of these policies.

It is for this reason we must refuse to sacrifice our critical thinking when tempted with alluring phrases such as “clean energy” and “sustainable development.” Though both of these policies can have merit, they are not exempt from the rules of economics.

The U.S. national soccer team had the decision resting at its feet on whether or not to guarantee Mexico’s elimination from World Cup qualification.

All it had to do was lose against Panama on Tuesday night. Deep into stoppage time, down 2-1, midfielder Graham Zusi and forward Aron Johannsson scored to give the U.S. a comeback 3-2 win.

It’s tough being the youngest brother. The older brothers receive more attention, are able to do more activities and get to ride in the front seat of the car.

In the world of professional sports, the National Hockey League is the youngest brother. But hockey does not deserve to be condemned to the world of upper-tier cable packaging. A sport that unites power, finesse and excitement should receive similar play to the more popular sports.

The fans cheered. My Facebook wall began to fill with grateful posts. I stared at my TV, stunned at what I was hearing. It didn’t seem to match up with what I was seeing on the screen. Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub gripped his ankle in pain as I felt ashamed to be a Texans fan.

For the first time since the 2010 season, the Houston Texans are coming off their fourth loss in a row. For the third week in a row, Texans fans have amazed me with their lack of class regarding the team they claim to love.

“The lesson of Buffett was: To succeed in a spectacular fashion you had to be spectacularly unusual.” That’s Michael Lewis, well-known financial journalist, in his book, “The Big Short.”

Wall Street has always drawn the bright, ambitious and creative, but the finance industry is now struggling to fight battles on multiple fronts.

It’s hard for some people to imagine that Miley Cyrus is being outdone in the shame game, but with government officials throwing around callous insults instead of good ideas, Cyrus is starting to look like a saint.

As of late, our government has demonstrated some serious deficiency in the education department, and by that I don’t mean the Department of Education.

Another round of political theater is coming, and it will undoubtedly distract from the worrying financial future of our nation. If you thought the government “shutdown” wasn’t enough, just wait until the next round of financial debates. In the next few weeks, the debt limit will be the new catchphrase digested by the media ad nauseam.

The U.S. government has shut down, yet the country largely continues to run as usual. The world didn’t end and the economy did not come to a crashing halt.

Americans need to realize that there is only one party that deserves the lion’s share of the blame for the shutdown: the Democrats.

This shutdown has been years in the making. Until March 23 of this year, the Democrat-controlled Senate failed to even vote on a budget for more than four years, and they have yet to send a budget to the White House as of this writing. That is gross negligence to do the job to which they were elected.

Quite often, I hear girls complain about not having a boyfriend and feeling lonely. Loneliness sucks, I get that. Whenever I feel lonely, I usually find solace in a pint of vegan ice cream, so I completely empathize with the desire for companionship. What I don’t understand is why the void created by loneliness has to be filled by a male presence. I would like to suggest an alternative solution to the problem: get a dog.

Baylor students risk their lives for the sake of higher education. Not every student lives on the edge of danger, but there is a high percentage of students who look death in the eye on a daily basis.

I’m talking about the average student pedestrian on campus. I find it miraculous that the pedestrian mortality rate is as low as it is. Walking from class to class becomes an epic form of the arcade game “Frogger.”

It’s the last thing most Americans care about. But still, a group of the faithful made the trek to St. Louis this weekend for a regional version of the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Compared to the three-day CPAC conference in Washington last March, the St. Louis event was notably more low-key.