The Collegiate Voice

mexicanelmo: I AM THE 99% I AM THE 1% I AM Attention...

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:14:04 -0400

~~I AM THE 99%~~

~~I AM THE 1%~~

I AM

Attention #OccupyWallStreet, internet dwellers, protesters, rioters, teenagers, adults, the wealthy, the poor, every human.

The majority of you all are so caught up in how much you make, how much others are making that you again are being blinded by what exactly caught you into being the “99%” in the first place.

The lack of knowledge. The majority of those that are out of jobs, were affected by the stock market and are drowned in student debt are those that chose to remain ignorant of the world surroundings. If you are looking for someone to blame, indeed WALLSTREET is to blame, the GOVERNMENT, but the entity that deserves the most blame?

You need not look farther than into a mirror. The majority of people reading this did not vote, nor did they pay attention to the news when the warning signs of economic disparity were but clouds in the distance; distant but indeed imminent. YOU chose to be sheep, to surround yourself with the internet, to distract yourself with video games, and to keep up with the latest celebrity gossip.

I understand why YOU did it. It’s not cool to know, politics and economics are too boring, or there was always the latest Jersey Shore episode to watch. But while you were Facebook’ing, Tweeting and Tumbling the latest picture about ~~Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, or Kanye West.~~ The RICH were getting RICHER and the stupid were getting poorer.

DID YOU KNOW that crime has decreased drastically in the last 5 years because of video games and social networking? The internet is a great tool but you’re also being crowd controlled by it.

The government, media, and corporations have you bounded as slaves. The chains that bind you are those of stupidity and ignorance. The key to freedom is simple: Knowledge. To learn is the greatest disobedience.

Those who do not remember the past, are condemned to repeat it.

Learn from your past mistakes, people. Is what you’re doing right now making the world, your life, or another’s life any better? Arm yourself with insight and knowledge for fuck’s sake.

Elections are coming up soon. Did Obama give you the change he promised?

fyeahafrica: Modcloth Encourages You to Volunteer in...

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 08:10:05 -0400

fyeahafrica:

Modcloth Encourages You to Volunteer in Africa

Modcloth, the official provider of blogger clothing, has a lovely product called “Trip to Tansy-nia” skit. In keeping with its policy of using forced twee to describe the clothing on offer, Modcloth presents you with this masterpieces of wtf:

Volunteering feels good, doesn’t it? It’s also a great excuse to travel, and this time your huge heart is taking you to Africa! Embody the vibrant personalities and positive spirits of the locals when you wear this dynamic maxi skirt with a gold exposed zipper! Created by Lauren Moffat, a favorite amongst fashion bloggers, this skirt’s wide, blue waistband matches its bottom hem, and every other olive brown, bright red, ivory, and blue vertical line is decorated with tansy-colored flowers. Wear it wonderfully with a solid-colored top, oversized beaded jewelry, and shoes that are just pleasantly unexpected as its silky lining and the colorful bouquet that diagonally blooms above the hem of this skirt, and you’ll be loved by Tanzania locals for more than just your helping hands!

My gut tells me that trying to tell a $274.99 skirt by telling people to wear it volunteering in Africa just seems…tacky? Then again this is Modcloth, their demographic is upper middle class suburban white girls who probably wouldn’t use a Greenpeace latrine if you paid them. I’m sure Modcloth thinks this is in no way condescending.

Source

submitted by: http://yesyoucant.tumblr.com/

Insensitivity at its finest.

ryking: “As soon as he unveils his jobs plan, we can complete...

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:14:50 -0400

ryking:

“As soon as he unveils his jobs plan, we can complete our response.”

The Future of American Industry: Why the New Deal Is Dead

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:42:37 -0400

The Future of American Industry: Why the New Deal Is Dead:

Here’s a piece I did for the online student news source, Next Gen Journal. They’re a great place for students from all over to come and join in a talk involving culture, news, politics and student issues. I’m very excited.

Here’s the link to NGJ’s Tumblr. Follow them, keep up! There’s much potential!

My piece is, essentially, about how the New Deals from the 1930’s would never work today, because of a shift in cultural, international and economic perspective. Despite our yearning for a more self-sufficient, beneficial economic system, we have become so stubborn to the point of no progress.

Here are some excerpts:

“Leaders need to stop eluding citizens into believing that immigrants “steal” jobs, when realistically, they take up the jobs that the American populace has grown to disdain. To be fair, there are Americans that make up a good amount of these humble jobs, and they most assuredly should be proud of their employment. However, the harvest of these disgraced jobs—the mangoes in the local supermarket, the cleanly mowed lawns and trimmed hedges in nearby neighborhoods—are rarely appreciated.”

…

“This then introduces a new factor into the equation: America simply cannot create jobs that clearly are not here anymore. The political and economic costliness of bringing jobs back to American soil makes the prospect improbable, although doing so may benefit the country in the long run. The productivity of the early twentieth century still heavily relied on industry work, but as our world fuses and jobs become compromised and moved overseas, the feasibility of an “American America” starts to dwindle.”

politicalprof: What we actually spend money on. From Ezra...

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:34:56 -0400

politicalprof:

What we actually spend money on. From Ezra Klein, The Washington Post.

Gah, this is what I have been saying!

I'm no Libertarian, but there is still a problem with this

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:32:51 -0400

I'm no Libertarian, but there is still a problem with this:

justinreadsthenews:

Ron Paul has officially surpassed Michele Bachmann in the GOP presidential nomination race, according to a recent poll. Now I know he’s technically a Republican, but I feel like he aligns with Libertarian views quite well, and as far as I can tell no one would argue with that. However, there is one HUGE problem that this article touches on that I think needs to be explored further.

Ron Paul is getting virtually no media coverage.

How is this possible? After the debate in Iowa, Bachmann was all over the news. But then again, she aligns better with conservative viewpoints - so people are more interested in what she has to say. Ron Paul has some different views than most Americans, and the general public isn’t so interested in him. At least that’s what I think. It’s about ratings.

However, I also think there’s more to it. Ordinary conservatives could feel threatened by someone with a more Libertarian lean and not want to give someone they see as a threat any coverage. More liberal leaning networks/newspapers might feel the same way - he’s a threat. He isn’t a traditional conservative, and therefore he they don’t want to give him publicity because people might see this difference and vote for him over Obama.

Now I’m almost as liberal as they come, but reporting, especially political reporting, cannot be biased. There isn’t room for it. We live in a democracy, which means that people should be able to decide who they want to vote for. Just because I believe my opinions are what’s right, maybe I’m wrong, and that’s why decisions are made by everyone - to correct individual mistakes. I don’t personally think that Ron Paul is the right person to lead our country, but that doesn’t mean people shouldn’t know about him. As an aspiring political reporter, I firmly believe that each candidate should be reported on - not only is it fair, but it also allows people to actually have an idea of who the candidates are and why they should be voting for them.

The moral of the story: Get your biases out of the way and give everyone equal coverage - it’s what the candidates and the people deserve.

Hey guys, here’s something I posted on my personal news blog. I figured I’d repost it here as well, because it’s an issue I feel pretty strongly about. It’s important to keep your eyes open and make sure you do your research before you go out and vote. Political ads don’t count - too much fact-bending and mudslinging.

"A weird day for quakes? Well, not really. Lost in the hullabaloo about the quake in Virginia was the..."

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:32:00 -0400

“A weird day for quakes? Well, not really. Lost in the hullabaloo about the quake in Virginia was the fact that there were about 90 others across the U.S.”

- NPR

youmightfindyourself: Child in a rebel camp in the...

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 22:34:54 -0400

youmightfindyourself:

Child in a rebel camp in the north-eastern Central African Republic. Photo by Pierre Holtz.

Great photo.

A new foreign relation? (lame pun)

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 22:33:00 -0400

A new foreign relation? (lame pun):

I stumbled upon (literally, not a cute reference to the aggregating website) this website/blog, Wannabe Hacks, of a curious bunch of five young journalists who are traversing through the world of journalism in the modern age. I thought it was fascinating, and I love the confident, old-school-crime approach to the blog with the members with names such as “The Intern” and “The Student”. This blog indicates, quite honestly, the difficulty of landing the traditional career of “journalist”—if that’s even in existence. It’s a fascinating idea, having five graduate students show their path through journalism today. It’s similar to what my friend, Justin, and I are doing with this blog. We felt that tapping into the expanding stage of journalism was important, and I felt an affinity to these guys. It’s inspiring and motivating to see other young people doing things like this. So, shout out to Wannabe Hacks. Kudos!

"What people recognize is that there’s a fear that the United States is in an unstoppable decline...."

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:34:00 -0400

“What people recognize is that there’s a fear that the United States is in an unstoppable decline. They see the rise of China, the rise of India, the rise of the Soviet Union and our loss militarily going forward.”

- GOP presidential contender Michele Bachmann in a radio interview, stating that Americans are worried about the rise of the Soviet Union, which ceased to exist 20 years ago. (via officialssay)

Oh. My. God.

motherjones: Ok, fine, Jon Huntsman. This is kind of cool. AW...

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:15:06 -0400

motherjones:

Ok, fine, Jon Huntsman. This is kind of cool.

AW yeah, get blues-y, Jon. Don’t tempt me, you rational, likable man.

"The Justice Department is investigating whether the nation’s largest credit ratings agency, Standard..."

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 09:10:14 -0400

“

The Justice Department is investigating whether the nation’s largest credit ratings agency, Standard & Poor’s, improperly rated dozens of mortgage securities in the years leading up to the financial crisis, according to two people interviewed by the government and another briefed on such interviews.

The investigation began before Standard & Poor’s cut the United States’ AAA credit rating this month, but it is likely to add fuel to the political firestorm that has surrounded that action. Lawmakers and some administration officials have since questioned the agency’s secretive process, its credibility and the competence of its analysts, claiming to have found an error in its debt calculations.

In the mortgage inquiry, the Justice Department has been asking about instances in which the company’s analysts wanted to award lower ratings on mortgage bonds but may have been overruled by other S.& P. business managers, according to the people with knowledge of the interviews. If the government finds enough evidence to support such a case, which is likely to be a civil case, it could undercut S.& P.’s longstanding claim that its analysts act independently from business concerns.

It is unclear if the Justice Department investigation involves the other two ratings agencies, Moody’s and Fitch, or only S.& P.

”

- U.S. Inquiry Eyes S.&P. Ratings of Mortgages (via ryking)

So…why didn’t they do this before? Because they’ve gotta flip the blame and make S&P the bad guy? Yes, S&P gave bad mortgage ratings. But remember—no one stopped them, because the short-term benefit was suffice enough for investors, and no one wants to interfere with the “free market”. This is a belated and reactive attempt at accountability.

"Some gun-toting runners use fanny packs. These are less than optimal since the weapon bounces around..."

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:01:00 -0400

““Some gun-toting runners use fanny packs. These are less than optimal since the weapon bounces around and the wearer must fumble with a zipper in an emergency.””

- Gun Running, Slate.com

I feel like these alleged runners should probably just find a better place to run.

In other news: Rick Perry is crazy and could be the Republican candidate for the presidency. Tickets to Germany, anyone?

-Abigail

Warren Buffett on taxing the wealthy

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 09:28:00 -0400

Warren Buffett on taxing the wealthy:

“Back in the 1980s and 1990s, tax rates for the rich were far higher, and my percentage rate was in the middle of the pack. According to a theory I sometimes hear, I should have thrown a fit and refused to invest because of the elevated tax rates on capital gains and dividends.

I didn’t refuse, nor did others. I have worked with investors for 60 years and I have yet to see anyone — not even when capital gains rates were 39.9 percent in 1976-77 — shy away from a sensible investment because of the tax rate on the potential gain. People invest to make money, and potential taxes have never scared them off. And to those who argue that higher rates hurt job creation, I would note that a net of nearly 40 million jobs were added between 1980 and 2000. You know what’s happened since then: lower tax rates and far lower job creation.”

Politicalprof: Stop Coddling the Super Rich--Warren Buffet

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 08:33:45 -0400

Politicalprof: Stop Coddling the Super Rich--Warren Buffet:

politicalprof:

Warren Buffet published the following editorial in The New York Times. It should be read. PP

———————-

OUR leaders have asked for “shared sacrifice.” But when they did the asking, they spared me. I checked with my mega-rich friends to learn what pain they were expecting. They, too, were left…

8 Reasons Young Americans Don't Fight Back: How the US Crushed Youth Resistance

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 22:07:32 -0400

8 Reasons Young Americans Don't Fight Back: How the US Crushed Youth Resistance:

kateoplis:

How exactly has American society subdued young Americans?

Student-Loan Debt. Large debt—and the fear it creates—is a pacifying force. […] Public universities continue to be free in the Arab world and are either free or with very low fees in many countries throughout the world. The millions of young Iranians who risked getting shot to protest their disputed 2009 presidential election, the millions of young Egyptians who risked their lives earlier this year to eliminate Mubarak, and the millions of young Americans who demonstrated against the Vietnam War all had in common the absence of pacifying huge student-loan debt. […]

Psychopathologizing and Medicating Noncompliance. In 1955, Erich Fromm, the then widely respected anti-authoritarian leftist psychoanalyst, wrote, “Today the function of psychiatry, psychology and psychoanalysis threatens to become the tool in the manipulation of man.” Fromm died in 1980, the same year that an increasingly authoritarian America elected Ronald Reagan president, and an increasingly authoritarian American Psychiatric Association added to their diagnostic bible (then the DSM-III) disruptive mental disorders for children and teenagers such as the increasingly popular “oppositional defiant disorder” (ODD). The official symptoms of ODD include “often actively defies or refuses to comply with adult requests or rules,” “often argues with adults,” and “often deliberately does things to annoy other people.” […]

Read on. (via)

I’ve thought about this before—why has it become so much more difficult for young Americans to create a movement, much less a widespread revolt? This list is interesting, and very accurate (other than number 5. I think that one’s a little reverse-idealistic. No one can lie; a degree still matters. A lot.) But an interesting point to bring up about the suppression of youth would be youth revolt in America’s history: particularly in Berkeley in the 1960’s. One point of view states that the “youth revolution” of that decade never really went too far because of the financial dependence the students had on the school itself. These students were well-to-do, upper/upper-middle class students, and the irony behind their “against the system” mentality and their dependence upon this system is what essentially fragmented the cause. But when working class people start a movement—as seen in London now—there reasons and mission become controversial and debated. It’s interesting to actually ask: is it possible to rebel in the modern age?

"Print is the new vinyl."

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:52:51 -0400

“Print is the new vinyl.”

- John Bracken, director of digital media, Knight Media Foundation, speaking to an audience at Asian American Journalists Association.

Via Poynter.

(via futurejournalismproject)

whiporwill: In “socialist” Norway, government spending is 40%...

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 08:28:00 -0400

whiporwill:

In “socialist” Norway, government spending is 40% of GDP. That sounds like a lot, until you realize that in the “free market” United States, it’s 39%. So where the hell is the money going?

The military. We have a military that costs 20 times as much as the next 17 countries combined. Not only is there a lot of waste, but there is a lot of unnecessary war going on.

Not true. More of our budget goes to entitlements than the military. The defense spending does need to be reined back, but it’s becoming an unnecessary argument. NYTimes did their own graphic. So did the Post. And the CBPP. Cutting the discretionary spending (defense) just won’t work unless other parts of the budget are considered. People need to stop making this indefensible (no pun intended) argument.

csmonitor: Hundreds of messages of support from the community...

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:58:15 -0400

csmonitor:

Hundreds of messages of support from the community of Peckham are seen posted on a looted storefront in south London. British cities began on Wednesday to clean up shopping streets littered with debris from a night of looting by gangs of hooded youths copying the tactics of young Londoners who had rampaged through districts of the capital for three nights. Photo by REUTERS/Chris Helgren

picturesoftheday: A Somali boy stood on a cannister Wednesday...

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:44:49 -0400

picturesoftheday:

A Somali boy stood on a cannister Wednesday as he waited to collect water at the UNHCR’s Ifo Extension camp outside Dadaab, Kenya. The Dadaab refugee camp is the largest in the world. The current population is over 400,000 with thousands of new arrivals crammed into areas outside the camp.