Opinion

In the recent election, millions of Californians voted not only for Sen. John McCain or Barack Obama, but also for the many state government propositions. At the top of the list was Proposition 1A, an act that would build a gargantuan railway system throughout California. The goal of the super-railway was to provide means for more efficient transportation in the state and to bolster the failing economy by creating new jobs. When the votes were tallied at the end of the day, Proposition 1A passed, ushering in a new era of improved public transportation.

This year, colleges in the United States have been scouting and recruiting prospective students in China and other countries. At math contests and other competitions, high-performing teens have been offered scholarships to prestigious private colleges in the United States. Harvard, one of the schools most prominently recruiting, is hoping to boos¬t its reputation in the math and science departments.

It was the celebratory night of the 1996 re-election of President Clinton when one of his strategists decided enough was enough. Slamming a steak knife into the table, he shouted, “Die, die, die!” as he rattled off the names of former enemies of newly-elected President Clinton. Earlier, he had gleefully mailed a dead fish to an estranged coworker. And as of this January, he will be the chief of staff to the president. Watch out, McCain—Rahmbo may have you next on his hit list.

With the Bush administration coming to a merciful close Jan. 20, one would envision a smooth ride out of the tunnel of decrepit financial policies, steady decline in individual liberties and unnecessary war that has encapsulated the last eight morbid years. But alas, the engine has sputtered one last time as, in one of his final acts as commander-in-chief, Bush has feebly strung together a deal with North Korea that appears shortsighted at best and significantly detrimental to American efforts in that region at worst. Given the President’s track record, the latter seems more likely.

According to CNN, pirates are still real. No, I don’t mean the weak and pathetic Internet pirates. Off the coast of Somalia, pirates have seized a Ukrainian cargo ship. Inside the ship is a treasure of weapons: Soviet-made T-72 tanks, tank artillery shells, grenade launchers and small arms—and they’re demanding a 20 million dollar ransom in return for the crew.

Sarah Palin: an average blue-collar hockey/soccer mom, a PTA president and a parent of five kids. Could she really have been vice president of one of the world’s largest leading powers with her lack of qualifications?

Palin clearly served as an example of the “average Joe” and proved that commonfolk cannot assume the huge responsibility of running the United States. She demonstrated that “Average Joes” possess an enormous lack of political experience and education necessary for the American presidency to make informed decisions for the benefit of the country. The president has no room for mistakes at all—he or she must have the ability to solve international and domestic problems in the quickest and most pragmatic way possible.

In the last weeks of the presidential election, network TV stories on Democratic candidate Barack Obama were 36 percent positive and 29 percent negative; by contrast, coverage of Republican candidate John McCain was a whopping 57 percent negative and 14 percent positive, according to a new study published by the Pew Research Center.

This perceived bias has caused many to question whether the media had an unfair influence in this election. The statistics clearly point in this direction. According to a Harvard University analysis, 72 percent of Americans said that the press is politically biased in favor of liberals.

Close proximity to Russia is not foreign policy experience. Being a self-proclaimed hockey mom in constant touch with Joe Plumber does not make one suitable to assist any presidential candidate in leading the United States of America. And insulting your opponent over and over again doesn’t make you look any better in the eyes of the American public.

Surely Sudan can sleep more soundly at night, since the recent arrest of Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, a most sought after criminal and terrorizer of Sudanese civilians. At least, that’s what the Sudanese government wants the international community to think. They continue to keep him under confinement in Sudan, despite the International Criminal Court’s pleas to hand him over. The gesture is appreciated, but there’s no denying the hollow symbolism.

While roaming the hallways, it’s not unusual to hear juniors complaining about their copious AP classes. “AP US History takes so much time,” they cry, “and teachers just don’t know when to stop piling on the work!”

Careful juniors—don’t go whining to the seniors. True, they’ve finished the rigors of US History and survived the torrent of exams and stress that is rumored to be junior year. But all of that is nothing, nothing compared to first semester senior year.