Columns

Sometimes, the systems that we love in theory seem objectionable when actually put to the test, and we let them slip and fall by the wayside. All too often, when it comes to criminal justice, we are over-eager to forget about our laws and principles in the name of vengeance. It’s easier to assume guilt [...]

Just when you thought America was done with elections for a while, another race has succeeded in garnering the attention of the national media, spawning a series of attacks and negative ads, and transfixing the attention of political junkies everywhere. What’s unique about the special election to fill the vacant House of Representatives seat in [...]

A new bill is being proposed to congress surrounding the sales taxation of online retail purchases. The Market Fairness Act is a bipartisan bill that would allow state governments to collect taxes from online purchases made by state residents. The act has potential effects on the small businesses, large corporations and consumers. What is interesting [...]

Two weeks ago, the nation was thrown into shock. One of our country’s most dear sporting events was attacked, our friends and family were thrown into danger, and our most historic and beloved city was shut down entirely. Within 24 hours, and even earlier in some cases, many politicians, pundits, and ordinary citizens were using [...]

After the tragic Boston Marathon bombings last week, the Internet was abuzz with tweeters, bloggers, and posters filling cyberspace with information. Like many recent world events, the social media response to the bombings became a part of their story. Links to news articles, charity websites, and up-to-date informational websites spread like wildfire through all sorts [...]

Americans generally accept a role for government in meeting a number of important national needs. Defense, schools, roads, bridges, public health and safety, and courts are all services that we as a society support with tax dollars as components of government policy. Emergency management is another. The immediate response to last week’s Boston Marathon bombing [...]

“What difference does it make why they did it?” Chris Matthews said on his eponymously named MSNBC show Monday night. Matthews was referring, of course, to Boston Marathon bombers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Attempting to avoid injecting religion into the discussion, Matthews showed exactly why the motivation behind the bombings is so important for us [...]

If you are planning to attend PhD programs at a university after you graduate from college, perhaps you should reconsider your decision. As the number of PhD graduates is growing at rate far faster than the growth of professorships, and doctoral studies over-specify private sector qualifications, there seems to be a disbalance between the supply [...]

In light of the results of the recent Greek life referendum, where “No” votes beat “Yes” on every issue except “Do you support admitting students of all genders to sororities and fraternities,” we as a college should seriously reflect on the ridiculous campaigning that led up to the vote. I am strongly of the opinion [...]

Swarthmore’s frequent social justice campaigns — pro-divestment, pro-childcare, anti-fraternity, anti-Zoellick, and so on — make us a hotspot for controversy and, yes, and decidedly leftist socio-political culture. I appreciate that culture. I approach it as someone sympathetic to the cause. Yet I am strangely dissatisfied with the way that Swarthmore’s social justice movements manifest within [...]