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College: The biggest scam we'll ever buy

By The Observer · Monday, Dec. 5, 2011

We may have been fooled by one of our generation's biggest scams. In fact, not only do we blindly accept it, but most of us will be working our way out of debt for a decade because of it. It's a system that penalizes creativity, scatters our focus thinly between unrelated errands and unashamedly conditions us to believe that a few people can tell us how smart we are.

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When I grow up: A lobsterman

By The Observer · Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011

When I was younger, I wanted to be a lobsterman when I grew up. And by younger, I mean until I was about 10. And no, I didn't want to be a lobsterwoman, I wanted to be a lobsterman — I didn't really understand the concept of making my job title politically correct.

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Thoughts amidst the failure of the 'Super Committee'

By The Observer · Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011

"Failure." This word accurately and succinctly sums up the efforts of the so-called "Super Committee." This committee, composed of six Republicans and six Democrats, was charged with finding between $1.2-1.5 trillion in deficit reductions by the end of the year. If this group was unable to come up with any savings, $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts, half to defense and half to social programs, would go into effect in 2013. Many hoped that these highly concentrated cuts to social programs and defense would incentivize the Super Committee to create a more balanced plan that included reforms to entitlements and new tax revenues.

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Flat tax just won't work

By The Observer · Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011

Nearly every week I read articles in The Observer with columnists claiming a flat tax is the answer, and nearly every week I shake my head with disdain.

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Sidewalk etiquette

By The Observer · Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011

Notre Dame students may be some of the most intelligent kids in America, but frankly, they could use a lesson in sidewalk etiquette. So I have decided to take it upon myself to educate the populace.

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Thou shall not judge

By The Observer · Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011

It's funny. There are many stereotypes at Notre Dame about the different majors available in each of the university's colleges.

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The cost of death

By The Observer · Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011

Despite the common misconception, the death penalty isn't a moral issue. It is a public policy issue: a bureaucratic issue, a systematic issue and a cost issue. Sure, the death penalty may be a government administration of "justice," but it is more fundamentally a government administration. And when we, as Indiana residents, start evaluating government policies such as the Indiana death penalty (or the same policy in our home states), we must look at the effectiveness, fairness and cost of the program compared to other alternatives.

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20-12' in 2012

By The Observer · Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has come up with a bold plan not just to reform the current tax code, but to replace it. It's called ‘9-9-9' — perhaps you have heard of it. It is both elegant and simple in execution: 9 percent personal income tax, 9 percent corporate tax, and 9 percent national sales tax. This both significantly decreases taxes for all Americans while increasing the efficiency and simplicity of tax collection. While this is one possible and popular tax code reform, other tweaks can also be made to achieve similar or better results. The tax code debate is here, ladies and gentleman!

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Too fast, too furious

By The Observer · Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011

Here's an idea: let's arm known weapons traffickers in the hopes of tracing the weapons back to Mexican drug cartels. Sounds absurd, right? Not according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) and the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Project Gunrunner.

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The social soundtrack

By The Observer · Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011

Our soundscape has been drastically altered. There has been a sea of change in the way we collect, create, listen to and share music. A decade ago, the rampant piracy of music descended upon the Internet. With the growth of technology enabling peer-to-peer sharing, as soon as one inspired individual had the audacity to put a song, album or discography on the Internet, all had access to it. The technology was too new for there to be direct moral codes around it; people knew that if they wanted music, they could search, click and it would be theirs — tucked safely in their library. Apple made a bet with the iTunes Store that people would want to pay for their music so long as acquiring it was as frictionless as in the models presented by the pirate giants Napster, KaZaA and Limewire. The iTunes 99 cents per song model worked for a time, then it fell apart. Complaints were lobbied: the sound quality wasn't high enough, the previews weren't long enough, the selection not broad enough. Piracy still ran rampant, and no insular group seemed to have the clout to fight it. To best piracy, an attempt had to be made to out-maneuver the benefits of stealing music while still promoting music, musicians and the music industry.

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Advent: the lonely season

By The Observer · Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011

As is well known, our human story, from a faith perspective, begins in Eden, where we enjoyed perfect relationship with God, one another, and all of Creation. A snake and an apple later, however, all had been lost. The opening story of the human drama ends with the dramatic final lines of Genesis 3:

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Aiden Project

By The Observer · Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011

This Saturday, Knott Hall and Circle K will be hosting the 6th Annual Aiden Project — the largest on-campus, single-day service event. The Aiden Project, named after former Juggerknott and cancer survivor Aiden Fitzgerald, affords students the opportunity to make colorful fleece blankets and create encouraging cards for children undergoing cancer treatment at Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis, the site of Aiden's cancer battle.

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Mad Hatter

By The Observer · Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011

There are generally two opinions regarding Louisiana State head football coach Les Miles. The first is that he is a complete fool whose teams are either too talented to lose or they win despite him. The second opinion is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum — that Miles is a great, if not elite, football coach. I personally believe you are a complete fool if you do not hold the second opinion.

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Sustainability Strategy

By The Observer · Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011

Despite the characterization of the University's new carbon emissions goals as "ambitious" by the Observer and "aggressive" by the campus Director of Sustainability, the plan announced on Nov. 29 is not one of which Notre Dame should be proud. A decade ago the Sustainability Strategy might have been moderately progressive in higher education circles. Now, compared to the plans of leading universities doing their parts to address global warming, it looks more quaint than visionary.

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