Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
The Eastern Echo Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 | Print Archive
The Eastern Echo

Opinions

The Eastern Echo

Examining agnosticism

·

If one was unsure whether fall or winter was the more beautiful season or whether Chopin or Mozart was the more masterful composer, the disagreement which would ensue would be purely academic.



The Eastern Echo

What do we have to be thankful for?

·

Growing up, my parents were very instrumental in making sure that Thanksgiving was a day on which we made time to pause and think about the past year and all the things we were thankful for.


The Eastern Echo

Smell the roses

·

When I first joined the workforce in the late sixties, a popular expression was “don’t work so hard -- take time to smell the roses.” The implication was that we’re in this life to enjoy ourselves and the world around us, not just to work and “get ahead.” Balance was a watchword. Those among us with “Type A” personalities--the strivers and over-achievers--were admonished to slow down, take the time to relieve our stress by valuing enjoyment of nature or time to reflect and evaluate who we were and what we were doing. Sadly, those days are over.


The Eastern Echo

Lame duck, lame voters

·

Recently, the Michigan State Senate’s bill to raise fuel taxes to improve the roads passed by a 23 to 14 vote, in the lame duck session. For those who do not know, a lame duck session is the time between the election and the beginning of the new state senate term.


The Eastern Echo

Democrats and Republicans

·

As I am sure you know, Election Day has just passed. I have to admit I am very glad. Politics are almost impossible to get away from, as are conversations about them.


The Eastern Echo

Democrats lack a defining message

·

Elections were last week and many predictions over their outcome came true. The Democrats lost seven contested Senate races against Republican challengers and incumbents, which cost the Democrats control of the Senate.



The Eastern Echo

Retribution for the masses, not the criminals

·

Americans like to punish people. Despite research in fields like sociology and psychology advising that its effects are mostly harmful, retribution, for real or imagined sins, is a tradition we embrace fondly. Since colonial times, we’ve meted out punishment for whatever powerful people thought was “bad” behavior.


The Eastern Echo

Obama's surveillance state

·

Silencing political opponents, spying on enemies of the U.S., quarantining the diseased or suspected, and executing traitors without trial is nothing new for the United States government.  Americans were subject to the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 under President John Adams which increased the residency requirement for American citizenship from five to fourteen years, authorized the president to imprison or deport aliens considered "dangerous to the peace and safety of the United States" and restricted speech critical of the government.


The Eastern Echo

Old GM and New GM

·

This past week, General Motors Co. was in court over a lawsuit filed by owners of vehicles that have been found to have an ignition switch defect. A defect that has been linked to 29 deaths. And the company’s opening argument to defend itself was essentially, “Oh, no, that wasn’t us that produced those defective vehicles. That was Old G.M. We’re New G.M.”


The Eastern Echo

Aquaman deserves more respect

·

When you mention Aquaman most people will probably snicker and laugh. People will probably tell okes about him only being able to talk to fish. Someone will say he has all the powers of Spongebob Squarepants, and everyone will laugh about how worthless Aquaman is compared to Superman and Batman. This is mostly because of his comical appearance on the 1973 cartoon “Super Friends” and the Cartoon Network shorts we probably grew up watching. But Aquaman is anything but a joke.


The Eastern Echo

Common Core math a terrible idea

·

The new standard of math has taken the teacher out of the classroom and instead made them into facilitators and aids of Common Core math, the new math of self-discovery.


The Eastern Echo

Don't let traditional letter writing die

·

Last week, I wrote a friend of mine a letter. This is not a normal practice for me, but he had done the same for me upon his graduation from this university. While it was a little late, I still felt the need to reciprocate.


The Eastern Echo

EMU support of EAA shameful

·

I’ve never been very good at handling shame. As a young child, I felt ashamed that my parents were divorced while all of my friend’s parents seemed happily married.



The Eastern Echo

Colorado experiment

·

If Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado loses his race for reelection, it may well be because he didn’t tout his chief accomplishment: the legalization of marijuana. On Nov.



The Eastern Echo

The tenth amendment is Michigan's best friend

·

Under the Michigan’s 1964 Constitution, no person was allowed to serve more than three consecutive terms in the House of Representatives or more than two consecutive terms in the Senate, the equivalent of six and twelve years respectively. But instead of forcing each Michigan legislator to dedicate huge swaths of time to campaigning every two or six years, why not get rid of term limits?

Introducing The Eastern Echo’s newest event and news based podcast, Scoop on the Scene. These weekly episodes will be hosted by the organization’s Digital Editor, Julez DeShetler. She intends to bring awareness to the events happening on an around campus to Echo listeners. 

DeShetler’s goal with the podcast is to encourage students and community members to get involved in an educated, safe and fun manner. She will list various events to choose from in addition to sharing the key details of said events. 

These podcasts can be expected to come out near the weekends and be no longer than 10-15 minutes.

For the week of Sept. 14 to Sept. 20, DeShetler includes events such as sports, a pub crawl, yoga, a movie in the park, Study Abroad Fair and training sessions. 

Be sure to tune in weekly to stay up to date on all the Eastern Michigan and Ypsilanti amusement!

Listen to this week’s episode here: