Year: 2013

There has to be a law against police stopping you whenever they feel like it, and their only excuse is, “You fit the description.” Whether I’m traveling in a car, riding a bicycle or just walking down the street, I’ve fit the description on more than one occasion. Somehow I resist the temptation to even get upset about racial profiling. If I said what I wanted to say to whomever decides that I fit the description, then one thing would lead to another, and before you know it, I’d be in cuffs. Or the trigger-happy police, who just can’t wait to carry out their own form of swift justice, would be rolling out a stretcher. Why should I be another statistic? […]

The beginning of fall semester at Forest Park was just as chaotic as other semesters, filled with misunderstanding, disorganization and impatience. Let’s start with the Financial Aid office. Most of the time, students have a simple question: “How do I get financial aid?” The simple answer is, “Fill out your Free Application for Federal Student Aid, then submit it before the deadline.” No problem, right? Then why the interminable waiting? […]

I used to think I was a liberal on most issues, staking out positions before even hearing both sides. After all, conservatives are the guys who don’t want gay people to get married, right? But recently, I’ve changed my mind on a few things. I’ve learned that social ideologies are very different from fiscal ideologies. Being a conservative fiscally doesn’t mean you are a bigot. […]