Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
The Observer
Thursday, April 2, 2026
Support The Observer
Observer Store Subscribe
The Observer

Opinion

The Observer

My own two hands

By The Observer · Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012

On Saturday I made two full-size, you-can-sit-down-at-them picnic tables. I woke up at 9:30 a.m. and started working on them with two classmates in the West Lake Hall workshop. It's been a long time since I've built something tangible. Most of my college career has been filled with conceptual tasks. I write a lot of papers and, as a design major, I craft a lot of two-dimensional media (posters, books, screens), but it's been a long time since I have actually built something useful. I first learned to use power tools when I was 10 out of necessity. I participated in a program called Destination Imagination (D.I.), which according to their mission statement seeks "to be the global leader in teaching the creative process from imagination to innovation." I remember it more as an excuse to build cool stuff. As a fifth grader, I was part of a five-person team that built a makeshift garbage truck (a highly modified Tycko RC remote control car) that could release cheese (weighted PVC pipe) down the back of the garbage truck, which was effectively a large ramp. A K'nex motor that I had wired to a remote control trigger would release the cheese and it would roll across a game board into a large dumpster we had fashioned from an old refrigerator box. We used a table saw to cut the board for the ramp and an electric drill to make the housing for the K'nex motor. Using those tools was probably the highlight of my fifth grade education. The challenge we completed was called It's Your Move, and we had to create a vehicle that could project objects from certain points on a game board into some sort of receptacle outside the board. We could not touch the vehicle and we had to stand at least eight feet from the edge of the game board. All the while we had to perform a skit relating our actions to some semblance of a narrative. As a group of fifth grade boys, we were naturally the Monkey Men Garbage Company - a rag-tag group comprised of an ex-opera singer, a surfer dude, and a talking rotten banana - who narrated their daily route and spouted facts about trash and recycling along the way. I still take pride in that garbage truck. It currently sits above the rafters in my dad's garage. There is something special about building an object. Words on a page seem fleeting, conversations are rarely recorded, and thoughts are gone in an instant. But a physical object like a table is much more permanent. At the end of the day it is something to be proud of, something I can point to and say, "I made that with my own two hands."  

The Observer

Time not wasted

By The Observer · Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012

I have approximately twenty minutes until I need to leave for my next class, but these twenty minutes are not enough for me to actually get anything productive done.   I can't take a nap because the optimal nap time is around 23 minutes, and that doesn't even include the time it takes to fall asleep. So, by the time I actually fell asleep, those twenty minutes I had would already be over - wasted. I can't start writing a paper because what if I get on a roll, just to be interrupted by my next class? I can't start on another subject like chemistry because by the time I find my notebook and folder and print out whatever I need to print out, it will be time to leave. I can't take a shower because there is no way I would be ready to go to class on time. I can't clean my room because that would take hours. So I'm left doing nothing, nothing at all, except sitting on the computer and wasting time on Facebook or Pinterest. That is what usually happens. But today I will try to be productive. I decided that I should attempt to finish my column in these twenty minutes. I doubt that this will actually work because I now have sixteen minutes left - not nearly enough time for 500 more words, but I can try. If I do finish this column, these twenty minutes were not wasted. Even if I don't finish this column, it's good that I got a head start, so I did use these twenty minutes wisely. But it would irk me if I have to stop right in the middle of my column and come back to it later -  Writing it in one sitting is easier because my voice stays the same throughout. Sometimes I'll start writing a paper for class and get interrupted, and when I come back to it later, I'm in such a different state of mind that the paper no longer flows well. Nonetheless, I've heard that Ernest Hemingway always stopped in the middle of a really good sentence, so that when he started again he would start with those same creative juices flowing. There was never an opportunity for writer's block, because he left himself a perfect place to start every time. He said, "The best way is always to stop [writing] when you are going good and when you know what will happen next ... you will never be stuck." Maybe this works for Hemingway, but it doesn't work for me. If I'm on a roll, I'd rather just finish that paragraph or section or column. I don't want to stop mid-thought. I don't want to have to put my pen down when twenty minutes are over. Since I hate stopping in the middle of something, I know I have to finish this column within the next nine minutes. The extra motivation helps me write this column without distraction - no Facebook or Twitter or Tumblr, no texting or calling. Perhaps having these little pieces of time is a good thing: It gives a concrete deadline. I now have eight minutes of my twenty minutes left, and just over a hundred words to go. This is actually doable. So, these twenty minutes were put to good use, but there are so many other little chunks of time throughout the week that are not. If I added all of them up, I'd probably have at least four extra hours of time. And for college students like myself who never seem to have enough hours in a day, four hours would be splendid. I guess utilizing these bits of time can be achieved through little things - writing a short paper, doing a math problem or reading a chapter of a book. The 20- or 30-minute deadline would be the motivation since it seems that almost everyone works best under pressure. So maybe these awkward extra 20 or 30 minutes here or there are useful after all. Who knew? My column is finished with two minutes to spare. Granted, I'll go back and revise, but that is usually done in two sittings anyway. Now, what to do with these extra two minutes? I wouldn't want to waste them. Maybe I'll just check Facebook. Bridget Galassini is a freshman. She can be reached at bgalassi@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

The Observer

Christmas in October

By The Observer · Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012

Let me preface the following by explaining that I love Christmas. I love the music, lights and time I get to spend with my family.

The Observer

Something better than contraception

By The Observer · Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012

As a female member of the Notre Dame family, I want to first say that I support whatever treatment is chosen for relief from endometriosis. It is a horrible disease that often goes undiagnosed for a long time. I know this from studying endometriosis this summer. I would also like to offer an alternative.  

The Observer

An instagambit

By The Observer · Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012

If your Instagram feed is filled with pictures of your face, you're doing it wrong.

The Observer

What good lies in November?

By The Observer · Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012

Our weaknesses and limitations are generally realities we seek to minimize, if not completely ignore. Perhaps that is what makes November such a spiritually uncomfortable month.

The Observer

Saviors in Ohio

By The Observer · Monday, Nov. 5, 2012

I think everyone has had experiences that seem dire, but can be looked back at in a better light later in hindsight. A recent one for me occurred two Saturdays ago. I woke up at 9:30 a.m. to make the hour-and-a-half-long drive to Bryan, Ohio, just across the border, to renew my license at the BMV before it expired on Nov. 19, my 21st birthday (start thinking of birthday gifts now, please). Everything was going fine. I made it there safely, got my new license and hit the road, ready to head back to Notre Dame to watch the Irish beat the Sooners that night. Of course, nothing ever goes directly according to plan. About a half-mile down the road on my way back, my car slowed to a complete stop. I later found out it was a broken fuel pump that caused the problem, but I couldn't get it fixed at that time because no mechanic was open until Monday. So I was stranded without a car 100 miles east of South Bend and two and a half hours northwest of my home near Columbus with nobody nearby to help. My dad began the drive to pick me up as my car was towed to a local auto shop. I planned to simply wait out the few hours it would take for him to get there by walking to a restaurant in Bryan to grab a meal and watch college football. But in the parking lot of the auto shop, a middle-aged couple, both wearing Notre Dame sweatshirts, was dropping one of its cars off to be repaired. On the spot, they invited me to their home a few miles away to have some food. We had a great conversation about each other's lives, our families, and, of course, Irish football. I then helped them move some furniture items they needed transported to a local storage space, and before I knew it, my dad was in Bryan, ready to bring me back to Notre Dame. On Friday, one of my friends was able to take me back to Bryan so I could pick up my fixed car. It, thankfully, worked well. After all was said and done, I'd wasted about eight total hours of my time - five stuck in Bryan on Saturday and three to drive there and back Friday. It also cost almost $600 to fix my car, which is exciting. But at least I was able to get to know some great people, which is what, in my opinion, life is all about. Thanks a lot, Bob and Sue. And, oh yeah ... Go Irish.  

The Observer

My race and my rhetoric

By The Observer · Monday, Nov. 5, 2012

Few people are aware of the fact that, when Notre Dame's Program of Liberal Studies was founded in 1950, University President Fr. John J. Cavanaugh intended for the program to eventually take over the entire Arts College. As the program's founder, Otto Bird, once put it, "Such an education aims at paideia." This paedeia constitutes a kind of general knowledge "that makes not the scientist or specialist, but the fully human person." Bird identified man in his rational capacity as "a talking, thinking, observing, measuring and worshipping animal. To educate man is to train him in the use of these various faculties so that the faculties can perform their work easily and well. Education in this sense ... is initiation into manhood." This education, however, must have a context. "Man is not only a creature endowed with certain faculties. He is also a creature with a heritage... In other words, man is born into a tradition, in our case the tradition of Western Christendom, and, if he is to become fully himself, he must be initiated into this tradition. It provides the context for the work of his various faculties." The General Program, as it was known at the time of its founding, sought to cultivate Notre Dame men in their rational capacity and to initiate them into their cultural heritage, as both Catholics and as members of Western Civilization. For those of us who value or come from diverse peoples and cultures, such an education may seem jarring at first. When Mortimer Adler, a friend of Professor Bird, was asked why he didn't include any black authors in his list of the Great Books of the Western World, he simply responded, "They didn't write any good books." In the midst of Affirmative Action debates, we are reminded of past injustices to minority groups in America and in Western Civilization. Many consider these injustices and call for restitution. Racial and cultural diversity must be actively promoted, because social structures privilege certain majorities. In an affirmative action culture, minorities will always be at a cultural advantage. I look back on my college application as an excellent example. My father's family is from Guam. That makes me half Chamorro. I wrote my college application essay about that culture, although, admittedly, I was largely out of touch with that part of my racial heritage. I walked about walking along quiet beach of Rititian, pondering Chamorro legends and the feet of my ancestors that walked in that sand generations before me. The taotaomona are the ancient Chamorro spirits that protect the jungles against unwanted visitors. Four years ago I wrote, "It wasn't the power that intrigued me. It was the ancient Chamorros themselves. The sand that I was walking on was the sand that they had once walked on. They once inhabited the caves I had visited." I provided evidence for the accusations made by those against Affirmative Action: I overemphasized my race in order to get an edge in college admissions. But can racial heritage be a credential when applying for college? I firmly reject the notion that racial diversity ought to be increased through a collective societal guilt. This fails to recognize many of the inherent goods that can come from minority cultures: intense family relations and traditions, a connection to the land and its peoples, a link between blood and language, literature, and culture. I am against affirmative action, because I believe that my racial and cultural heritage is a powerful credential on its own. Each racial heritage has access to intellectual and cultural resources that others ought to admire. I will promote my culture through the excellence of my work. Some would answer Mortimer Adler by insisting he include diverse authors for the sake of diversity. I would answer Mortimer Adler by writing a good book, just as I once hoped, in the end, to write a good college application essay. I concluded this essay with words that couldn't be written by any other. I hope they are words that could be appreciated both by my ancestors and by Professor Bird: "Now, what do I want from college? I want college to be that walk on the beach. I want to learn about the world and, by learning about the world, learn about myself. I want to be in a place saturated with Truth, waiting for me to discover it in my education and in myself. I want to be in the presence of great people, who will help me develop through the exchange of the intellect. I want an experience I will never forget." Christopher Damian is a sophomore. He can be reached at cdamian1@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

The Observer

Green loans pay for themselves

By The Observer · Monday, Nov. 5, 2012

There are few things in this world that I like more than free stuff. Pens, t-shirts, packs of gum or what ever it may be. If it's free, I'll be getting one for me (Poetry is one of my many passions). However, if there is one thing that I like more than free stuff, it's free green stuff. I'm talking LED Christmas lights, some fresh new laboratory ovens for my chemistry majors out there and compact fluorescent light bulbs for all. All of these awesome green goodies were brought to you by the Green Loan Fund. Since 2008, money from the Green Loan Fund has helped purchase the nifty Energy Dashboard, super computers for the Center for Research Computing and a revolutionary dry-cleaning machine for Saint Michael's, just to name a few. Its support has contributed to the conservation of 350,000 gallons per year of water in Chemistry Department autoclaves, and has replaced 8,950 incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents to date. The fund is a force for good around campus, a force that should be utilized more. Sure we have accomplished a lot, but I think we can do more. The Green Loan Fund is managed by the Office of Sustainability and is for students, staff and faculty use.  We are talking $2 million dollars waiting to be spent by you to improve your dorms, classrooms and labs. All you have to do is come up with a proposal that will pay for itself in 10 years. Just think, you could replace that fridge that was top-of-the-line back when Tim Brown won our last Heisman, those dull incandescent Christmas lights, or that laboratory equipment that is about as state-of-the-art and efficient as the 1992 Ford Bronco your friend drove in high school. You're probably thinking, "But GreenMan, loans aren't free." Well, these green loans aren't like normal loans. Green Loan funded projects conserve resources, thus saving money. This money then pays for the loan. Trust me, money is green, and I know green. Unlike your student loans, these loans actually pay for themselves. It's like magic! Sure, we have accomplished a lot.  The funded projects are nothing to scoff at. However, I think we can do more, so don't be afraid to submit an idea. I want to make it rain. I want to see the fund completely distributed by innovative proposals.   It's a new age. Notre Dame will soon have a new Heisman (don't worry I went out and knocked on a tree) and you deserve a new, more energy efficient fridge for your dorm. So brainstorm some ideas, email or visit me at the office and take out the best kind of loan, the kind that pays for itself! Plus, for a limited time only, every loan comes with a hug from me, The GreenMan, guaranteed to teach you the meaning of the universe or potentially feel semi-awkward. If that doesn't motivate you, I don't know what will! Green Forever, The GreenMan Email your predicaments to The GreenMan at askthegreenman@gmail.com and let him answer you with a sustainable twist. The GreenMan will be here every other week to provide you with insights you never knew you were missing out on until now. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

The Observer

Considering contraception

By The Observer · Monday, Nov. 5, 2012

Tonight, this country will know who will lead it for the next four years. As we will all enjoy the reprieve from mud-slinging that will shortly come, it is imperative that every person at Notre Dame represent Our Lady's university by not just casting a ballot, but also by making an informed, educated decision on who will be granted the title of "Commander-in-Chief" for the next four years. Reading opposing Viewpoint columns that highlight popular blunders by each candidate terrifies me. Instead of using one slip-up as a basis for a vote, I urge every member of our community to consider all of the issues at stake in this election. As a female member of the Notre Dame family who was diagnosed with Severe Endometriosis six and a half years ago, I am incredibly concerned with the role that women's reproductive systems have begun to play in politics. The only known treatment for endometriosis is birth control pills. Don't believe me? Try being diagnosed with it. Sure, some women choose to try lifestyle changes and may see moderate improvements, especially if their case is quite mild. However, for most, we go through an often long and frustrating trial period of medications to try to find the right one for our bodies. Once you find that medication, you finally feel the freedom to live the way your friends do - free of a pain so severe, it often cannot even be dampened by Vicodin. I am a proud Catholic who has chosen to wait until marriage to have sex, yet my birth control prescription has earned me severe judgment from friends, nurses at St. Liam's and fellow residents of my dorm. As I see my reproductive organs being thrown into the election as political ping-pong balls, I have no choice but to urge my fellow students to consider the many dimensions of every issue facing this election. The first principle of Catholic Social Teaching is the Dignity of the Human Person. This principle extends beyond the extremely tired topic of abortion and encompasses quality of life. The dignity of the human person guarantees each human in the world a certain quality of life that is considered adequate and fulfilling. Providing any other medication that treats disorders and diseases is lauded in this vein. So why, then, am I judged? Why am I counting the days until I can go to a doctor who will not chastise me for my medication without knowing the reason it was prescribed? Why am I alienated daily from a campus that claims to be so intimately tied with Catholic Social Teaching? In addition to the treatment of endometriosis that birth control pills provide, condoms are widely distributed throughout countries deeply affected by AIDS and other STIs to help prevent their continual spread. Regardless of the reasons a person has chosen to have sex and regardless of if that person is married, the health benefits of these methods of contraception are factual and indisputable. This is why it thoroughly disgusted me to see people continue to support Rick Santorum after his comment that contraception "is not okay" and is "a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be." This view reflects an incredibly savage view of humanity. If the box of condoms for sale in CVS right next to the tampons changes your moral standpoint on sex, then you may not have thought it through very thoroughly in the first place. Making contraception available to all persons (a provision of Obamacare) is not a mandate that all persons use contraception. If you want to wait until marriage to have sex and then choose to not use contraception, please go right ahead. No problem with me, or Obamacare. If you want to have sex before marriage and use contraception, go right ahead. If you are among the many like me who need contraception to maintain a basic quality of life, by all means, head to the pharmacy. However, your decision to use or not use contraception does not give you the right to tell others that they too should or should not, especially in the common case that you very likely do not understand the full depth of their decision. I am not sure the exact moment in our society when intimate partner decisions became public, but the complexity and intensely personal nature of these decisions undeniably disqualifies them from broad, misdirected legislation. When Paul Ryan chose to side with Santorum on his pro-life and anti-contraception platform, his camp should have immediately lost the votes of those who prefer to make their own health decisions, rather than have someone else make them without knowing your personal circumstances. This Sunday at Mass, I urge you to look around. Chances are, your glance will rest upon at least one person who is taking birth control pills, at least one who has used a condom and at least one who does not believe in the use of either. Each of these people is standing there, in communion with you and Jesus Christ, receiving the Eucharist as you are, participating as one of God's children and a member of the human family that works for the good of all. Regardless of where you fall in these groups, try to remember that their choices are not one-dimensional. Their choices may have vastly improved their quality of life, so much so as to have allowed them to attend this University and be standing in this mass at the same time as you. Mary Kakenmaster is a senior. She can be reached at mkakenma@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

The Observer

The right decision

By The Observer · Monday, Nov. 5, 2012

Since 1970, the New York Marathon has been one of the Big Apple's most hallowed traditions. An estimated 47,000 runners, 12,000 volunteers and 2.5 million spectators take part in the annual 26.2-mile race through all five city boroughs. Not this year. After the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg made the final call to cancel the race in a decision that was undoubtedly the right one.

The Observer

Thank you, Maem!

By The Observer · Monday, Nov. 5, 2012

In St. Ed's, we live a little messily. Sometimes our trash overflows, every once in a while we leave food in the lounge and at the year's beginning we flood the halls with sawdust. God knows we're a nightmare to clean up after. Even though we don't deserve her, we're lucky enough to have MaemDetaksone.

The Observer

Freshmen rushed it

By The Observer · Monday, Nov. 5, 2012

Hey freshmen, You guys did a great job rushing the field on Saturday. After a win like that, rushing the field was definitely appropriate. As you all know, the Wake Forest game is the last home game of the season. Traditionally, the seniors rush the field after the game since it is their last home game as students. However, since you all are so experienced at rushing the field (having done it twice now, first against a lower-ranked Stanford team and then against an unranked Pittsburgh team) we would love it if you rushed the field after the Wake Forest game, win or lose. It would certainly add to the atmosphere. Unfortunately, you have already used up all of your field-rushes for the year, so this will have to be a senior-only affair. Brett Straka senior Siegfried Hall Nov. 5

The Observer

A race to remember

By The Observer · Monday, Nov. 5, 2012

As I write this, the excitement of the 2012 election is reaching its peak. Within the last week I have heard plenty of disgruntled citizens saying they "cannot wait for the election to be over" and they're "sick of all the advertisements on TV."

The Observer

Keep Douglas Road safe

By The Observer · Monday, Nov. 5, 2012

To the Editor: We live at University Village, home of Notre Dame's graduate student families, and we are stakeholders in this University that we love. Notre Dame is proposing to expand and reroute Douglas Road directly in front of where we live. It is very likely that this proposal will be approved by the county. After hearing a presentation from representatives of the University on Oct. 9, we had numerous concerns about how the new four-lane highway would affect us. The safety of our families is of primary importance. In particular,  we are concerned about crossing a busy four-lane highway without proper safety measures in place. On Oct. 17, we met with John Affleck-Graves, Executive Vice President, and Erin Hoffman Harding, Vice President of Student Affairs. After assuring us that family housing is a priority for Notre Dame, they requested specific proposals to diminish the impact of the new road on our community. The proposal we submitted this week calls for measures to keep vehicle speeds below 35 mph, an important safety threshold, as well as a crosswalk with sufficient safety features. Further, the proposed road follows a straight line passing about 150 feet from our homes and where our children play. If the road were more curved, traffic could be naturally slowed and more green space at the Village could be preserved. We are currently working with the administration on these and other proposals and we encourage other members of the Notre Dame community to be aware of, and involved in, this important project that will shape the university's future for years to come. Simone and Wes Hamrick graduate students University Village Nov. 5             Angela and Peter Campbell graduate students University Village Nov. 5

The Observer

Lessons from Peking University

By The Observer · Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012

Every time I tell people that I was in China over fall break, I get the same surprised response: "Why in the world did you go all the way to China?" I'm not sure if it's the fact that a group of us went abroad for a school trip, or simply the fact that we went to China leads to such a response, but it truly was one of the most rewarding experiences I, and everyone else on the trip, have had at Notre Dame. I am so glad that this project has come to fruition in a very short amount of time, and hopefully will be a start to greater initiatives and continued relationships between schools in different countries. This trip to Peking University was such a memorable week. We climbed the Great Wall of China, ate Peking Duck at the Forbidden City, prepared for our case projects with Chinese students at internet cafes off campus, visited well-known Chinese companies and bargained for Chinese souvenirs (and street food). It was also challenging because it was many of the students' first time in China and, beyond the language barriers, there were the various degrees of cultural differences. While this was a big part of the challenge, it was also the single factor that made this trip so rewarding. Most of us agreed that the best part of the trip was the opportunity to meet and make new friends with students from Peking University. Junior Bobby Weltner said, "It was extremely interesting to learn about the similarities and differences between our two cultures and to discuss the different ways that the American and Chinese students viewed the issues that were presented to us in the case competition." Sophomore Alisha Anderson said in her group, they had to explain that "gambler" cannot be used interchangeably for "investor" and that there really is a difference between "supply chain" and "value chain." We all learned so much from conversations like these, and we hope they will lead to a stronger long-term relationship with Peking University students. Overall, it was gratifying to see how delegates from both teams were willing to work together and accept differences in thinking and presenting, and, in the process, learn more about each other. Beyond the research everyone did on the industry and case topic, I would say the time spent working with the Chinese students was very informative and valuable. Sophomore John Reising said, "The time spent in Beijing opened a different perspective on viewing the world. Traveling abroad and leaving the enclosed bubble surrounding the United States and especially Notre Dame is a valuable asset to have." At a time when there is so much global attention directed towards China and its rapid economic growth, the combination of case competition, city excursions and company visits provided a great opportunity for everyone on the trip to witness this phenomenon first-hand and learn more about the crucial role China plays in the international economy.     The SIBC is the largest student-run organization on campus with over 400 active members. We seek to promote "Peace through Commerce" by partnering with leading companies across all areas of business and providing international internships for our members. We can be reached at sibc@nd.edu or at sibc.nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

The Observer

One more month

By The Observer · Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012

Friends, Smicks, communication studies majors, lend me your ears and eyes. Finally, I have seven words that guarantee a smile will spread across your faces: One month until senior comprehensives are done! Yes, that is correct; only about one more month until we all gather into Vander VennetTheatre in the basement of the Student Center for three whole nights of presentations by our peers. As we enter this final month of preparations, I encourage you to remember that soon we will sigh a breath of relief as our comprehensives come together with the finishing touches before our very eyes. All the hard work, sweat and tears that we have poured into (and maybe onto) our projects will be worth it once that eight-minute presentation is over. Just think back to last semester, when we were second-semester juniors, dreaming of the day our senior comps would commence, picking topics and writing literature reviews. Those were the days. As we look back from where we began to where we are now, one month stands in our way of that buzz our professors call "senioritis." This next month will be intense. Many of us will find our walls of mental strength begin to crack. But fear not, friends, we will prevail in the end. Forget about the next few weekends being the busiest you've ever had. Forget about the upcoming weeks being cramped with finals preparation. Forget that you may not end up at Brothers or O'Rourke's until spring semester. You are almost there. You must keep going; you must not quit. My fellow communication majors, we are almost there. So close to the end that you can smell the sweet scent of freedom knocking on our doors. All will be right in the world once again, just keep on going my friends. CJ's and Finny's will have to wait. The bouncer with the bar handle mustache will understand. We must keep going; we must not quit. Smicks, I know you can do this. I have faith in you. I am rooting for you all like you are all rooting for me. We have to stick together and finish what we came to Saint Mary's to do. That clock is ticking. Once it hits the end, graduation day is here. Only one more month to go, ladies. One more month and we will be on our way to the "real world." Friends, let's get this done. Let's finish these comps. Let's celebrate because we deserve to. Only one more month! We can do it. Contact Jillian Barwick at jbarwi01@saintmarys.edu The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.  

The Observer

Re-elect Barack Obama

By The Observer · Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012

"This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism and doubt and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can." This is an excerpt from the victory speech delivered by President-elect Barack Obama at Grant Park in Chicago, Ill. It was seen as a historic night not only because America had elected their first African-American president, but also because they elected a man who had the ability to be a "transformative president." Four years later, many people do not believe, or are unsure if Barack Obama should be re-elected. To those, I present the case to re-elect President Barack Obama. Obama came into office in the middle of the worst economic crisis in our lifetime. The stock market had declined from its high of over 14,000 points in October 2007 to 7,949 the day he took office. In the fourth quarter of 2008, the economy contracted at a rate of nine percent, and when he took office it was contracting at a rate of seven percent. In the first three months of his presidency, the economy lost an average of 750,000 jobs. While politically unpopular, the Recovery Act (better known as the stimulus) helped stop the decline through tax breaks, infrastructure projects and assistance to states. Within months, the economy had come back from the brink and was growing. Jobs growth would come later - albeit not as strongly as hoped. The CBO estimated that as a result of the stimulus, between 1.5 and 3.3 million more people were employed, unemployment was between 0.7 and 1.7 percent lower than it would have been without it and the level of GDP was higher by up to 4.5 percent. Against political advice and lessons from history, Obama took on health care reform. Many people believe that this was a mistake during an economic downturn. But these people are misinformed. America's health care system is a ticking time bomb that needs reform, and the only time a president can do it is in his first two years in office. Health care reform has been attempted by seven other presidents, including FDR. All have failed, but Obama succeeded in pushing for universal coverage while helping contain costs in the long term. Obama has many other successes. He restructured the auto industry, which helped provide liquidity during the worst of the recession when private firms - like Bain Capital - would not loan money. Obama passed the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and was within striking distance of a historic long-term deficit reduction deal with House Speaker John Boehner that ended due to Tea Party opposition. Moreover, Obama has pursued an excellent foreign policy. He has overseen the removal of American troops from Iraq and created the framework to bring troops home from Afghanistan in 2014. His preference for targeted drone strikes versus large-scale occupations has been a much better use of American resources at a time when Americans are tired after a decade of war. His shift of resources from the Middle East to the Pacific reflects a 21st-century foreign policy that will balance the rise of China. With that being said, his greatest accomplishment was overseeing the mission to kill Bin Laden. Many wrongly believe that this was an easy call. Many of Obama's advisors - CIA chief Leon Panetta, Defense Secretary Bob Gates and Vice President Joe Biden all advised against it at that time. A failed mission with American deaths and no Bin Laden would have meant plummeting poll numbers.   Obama should not just be re-elected for what has done, but for what he will do. Reports suggest that the Obama administration will gear up for one last reform - most likely the immigration system, by humanely dealing with the 12 million undocumented immigrants who are here now. Obama came into office at a time of economic crisis. He not only led us out of it, but he also began to lay the framework for a 21st-century economy and executed a brilliant foreign policy. In terms of accomplishments, leadership and vision, there is no doubt that Obama should serve another term as the president of the United States. Adam Newman is a senior political science major. He can be reached at anewman3@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Trending