United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) is on strike for the first time since 1989 over demands for increased pay and the hiring of additional teachers; their wide-ranging demands include a 6.5% pay increase for teachers retroactive to July 2016, the hiring of more teachers and service staff, and greater regulation of charter schools in Los Angeles.
Nationalist, though often abused by those who usurp its rightful name for the sake of bigotry, ought not to be a slur but a badge of honor for those who choose to value national identity over division and selfish vendetta.
If Democrats are to emerge victoirous in 2020, they need a candidate who is not created by or defined by opposition to President Trump but holds nuanced, left of center populist positions is clearly the most likely to take the White House.
Today we see it fit to discharge our elders into what we call “retirement homes,” little more than waiting rooms for Death’s final embrace, abandoning those who brought us into existence and built the nation and society we so are so blessed to behold. By throwing away our duty to the past, throwing away the experiences of lifetimes, we leave ourselves stranded, with no land in sight, sailing to a desperate future with no grounding in the American spirit and in the practices and values that have brought America from a speck on the Atlantic coast to the world’s sole superpower. Whatever happened to the notion of caring for one’s own instead of giving up and allowing some distant entity to take society’s place? Whatever happened to pride in our shared national heritage? It’s time for us to get back in touch with our roots and bring our elderly home.
Americans are overly bullish in that the general successes of the recent and ongoing economic recovery from the 2008 financial crisis will continue uninterrupted into the future, thereby disregarding risk and making ill-advised decisions. This illusion is called short-termism, and is also known as the hot hand fallacy—In basketball, it is the idea that after a player has made many consecutive free-throws the next one is almost a guarantee. This misconception has infiltrated American financial and government systems and has caused many to believe during long runs of economic growth that there is only one way to go: up.
On September 7, the citizens of Basra, Iraq, poured into the streets chanting “Iran, out!” while targeting the Iranian consulate with several rockets. These protests have, in fact, been stirring for several months, with this most recent eruption of violence in Basra serving as a microcosm of the issues Iraq, if not the rest of the Middle East, faces as the result of Iranian militarism.
On August 28, California governor Jerry Brown, signed SB-10 , a law that made California the first state in the U.S. to put an end to the cash bail system. The law, which goes into effect in October 2019, was sponsored by Senator Robert Hertzberg (D-CA) of California’s 18th Senate District, and aims to put an end to cash bail, which many on the left believe is highly discriminatory against those who are lower income and/or members of ethnic minorities. However, some believe that the new law has the potential to spawn a bail system that is more biased than ever before.
I have the utmost respect for Dr. Ford for having the courage to come forward to share her story with a sense toward civic duty. The Senate should have all possible information before them when making this lifelong appointment decision. However, I also hold the highest regard for Judge Kavanaugh who has dedicated much of his life to public service and for his family who support him unyieldingly throughout this arduous process. I maintain my presumption of innocence for Judge Kavanaugh while still acknowledging, listening to, and calling for further investigation into the claims of Dr. Ford.
The Securities and Exchange Committee (SEC) has raised the idea of removing Tesla Inc. CEO, Elon Musk, from his current position following his August 7th tweet misleading investors into thinking he had funding to take the company private.
After Nike Inc. announced on September 3rd that Colin Kaepernick is the face of the “Just Do It” 30th anniversary marketing campaign, many customers set their sneakers aflame in protest of the company’s decision and proudly posted videos of the destruction on social media with “#boycottnike.” Many question Nike’s decision to partner with a controversial activist in Kaepernick, but frankly, this business decision is exactly what Nike needs.
