Opinion

Public schools are here to teach facts, not subjective faith. They’re here to educate the masses, not lead the pliable minds of young children to believe certain unprovable things like religion.

America is a pretty great place to live. We enjoy freedom of speech, press, religion and assembly, and there's no nation with such a diverse melting pot of cultures and ethnicities. What many people don’t know, however, is that America’s children rank at the bottom of the 19 industrialized countries in arithmetic, writing and reading.

Dress codes are insulting to both genders. Girls are burdened to cover themselves up to avoid distracting their classmates, and guys are essentially told they are unable to control themselves.

According to forbes.com, one out of every seven engineers is a woman, and female employment in STEM jobs has not grown since 2000. In 2010, statistics indicated that 17 percent of students in university engineering programs were women.

The issue, however, isn’t so easily solved by a few motivating words or well-meaning programs.

The Rialto School District located in Southern California received intense criticism last December for assigning a Common Core essay assignment titled “Is the Holocaust a Hoax?” to 2,000 eighth graders. The assignment asked students to explain whether they "believe the Holocaust was an actual event in history or merely a political scheme created to influence public emotion and gain."

Reporters argue that the legal drinking age in the United States should be lowered.

Nothing is more disrespectful than impertinent people who are constantly texting on their phones.

It seems that many students don't read for pleasure anymore, and this shouldn't be the case.

This year, TIME Magazine ranked Bakersfield as the most illiterate city in the nation. 

Singer Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” has stirred controversy since the song’s release in March 2013. His upbeat and catchy single quickly topped charts worldwide, was nominated for prestigious awards and lavished fame upon the artist; nevertheless, popularity comes with a price. Critics accused Thicke of promoting rape in both his music video and lyrics.