The Wildcat comments on the weekend’s news
A healthy debate
Today, Hillary Clinton, panned a decade ago for submitting a 1,342 page health care overhaul bill during her husband’s presidency, is expected to formally announce her new plan on reforming health coverage in the United states. She’s learned from the mistakes of “”HillaryCare,”” her much-derided 1993 policy that flopped in Congress. This time, however, many Americans are on her side, as political attitudes have swung in favor of comprehensive health care reform over the past several years. Hillary’s plan would mandate health insurance for all Americans, provide subsidies for low-income citizens, and require large employers to provide insurance. It’s clear that our health care system needs to make big changes, and it’s good to see candidates proposing specific policies instead of vague generalizations. Now that all three leading Democratic candidates have laid out their ideas for health care reform, debate on the future of health care can begin in earnest. Now, if only candidates like John McCain and Fred Thompson would give the details of their policies. Republicans: your move.
The juice: no longer on the loose
Football star O.J. Simpson, best known for his high-profile acquittal of charges of murdering his wife, and the subsequent media frenzy surrounding his trial, was arrested this weekend and charged with armed robbery in a bizarre personal “”sting operation.”” O.J., in an attempt to retrieve sports memorabilia he describes as “”stolen stuff that’s mine,”” was allegedly involved in a gunpoint robbery of a Las Vegas hotel room holding the suit he wore to his infamous murder trial. Meanwhile, Simpson’s hypothetical death-porn book, “”If I Did It,”” is a top seller on Amazon. Proceeds from the controversial book will help pay off Simpson’s civil settlement over his wife’s death. The whole affair is a sordid mess, but hopefully justice will have a second chance to be served.
Throw the (Face)book at ’em
Over the weekend, the Arizona Daily Star reported on the increasing use of “”online clues”” in criminal and civil trials. Information gleaned from Facebook accounts and MySpace pages is popping up more and more often in court, and few guidelines are in place regarding the constitutional use of evidence posted on the Internet. College students are constantly harangued about the dangers of putting too much personal information on the web, but it’s worth another reminder. As diligent as you may be with privacy settings and Internet safety, bear in mind that your actions online leave an indelible digital trail.
Greenspan’s gripes
Alan Greenspan, the Wall Street wizard whose words, expressions, and briefcase thickness were exhaustively analyzed by economic commentators while he served as Chairman of the Federal Reserve, lambastes the Bush White House for abandoning its principles of conservative fiscal policy in his new memoir, to be released this week. Republicans, say Greenspan, “”deserved to lose”” control of Congress last year for running huge deficits to pay for expensive campaign promises. Although plenty of commentators have turned against the policies of the current presidency, Greenspan’s important role as a political and economic insider makes his rebuke all the more harsh. Another sign of how far Republicans have strayed from their small-government roots.
OPINIONS BOARD: Editorials are determined by the Wildcat opinions board and written by one of its members. They are Allison Hornick, Sarah Keeler, Connor Mendenhall, Justyn Dillingham, Jerry Simmons and Allison Dumka.
