The Obama administration recently announced its plan to help create 250,000 summer jobs this year for underprivileged youths aged 16-24, in a response to record-high levels of unemployment in that age group. The program, Summer Jobs+, calls for the government, nonprofit organizations and private sector businesses to collaborate and offer employment opportunities to ‘young people. So far, there have been 180,000 positions committed from organizations around the country. In July 2011, the employment rate of  youths was 48.8 percent, according… Read more

In the beginning, there was Bush: an openly selfish, headstrong and confused man who misinterpreted religion as a means for world dominance. Bush provided an experience that left most Americans in deep need of relief. Both his election and re-election were dubious and controversial. His administration lied about weapons of mass destruction leading to the war in Iraq and his deregulation of Wall Street arguably started the economic meltdown. An “anybody but him” attitude embodied America and encompassed all Republicans… Read more

Barack Obama is a friend of mine. Well, on Facebook. President Obama has seized upon countless opportunities this summer to promote his economic vision for America, defend his spending habits, and excoriate his political adversaries for opposing his fiscal policies – all in the form of status updates. They said he’d bring change to Washington, and he’s exceeding expectations. Seriously, though. I have been experiencing a three-month mental hang-up, as the president of the United States informs me and his twelve million other “friends” that our economy is “moving… Read more

Antoine Abou-Diwan Contributing reporter In an address to American Society of Newspaper Editors in 1925, President Calvin Coolidge said, “The chief business of the Americ an people is business.” This succinct statement defined America’s strengths for decades.  Unfortunately, the idea behind Coolidge’s brilliant statement has been hijacked by business interests whose mandate to enhance shareholder value overshadows any sense of ethics that they may once have upheld. Plenty has been written about what led us—and the rest of the world—into… Read more

Taleen Khalafian Contributing reporter France has done it. Italy, Germany, and Switzerland have done it, too. About twenty countries (and forty-two U.S. states) have officially recognized the Armenian Genocide. Now, it’s time for the United States government to step up and do the same. Doing so will affect relations between the U.S. and Turkey and for this reason, President Obama’s administration, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is against the measure. The truth of the matter is, though, justice and… Read more

Black Man Black Man black man is all that they be clappin tryin to tear my image down like I don’t even exist then you want to get all scared when you see that shadow in the midst pumpin the fist yeah that’s me and I’m coming closer, but not for you I’m coming to accomplish my dreams while I’m laughing at you nay sayers, like the joker because honestly you didn’t even expect me to get this far you… Read more

Harrison Leonard Contributing columnist In 2005, Senate Republicans threatened to employ the “nuclear option,” a crafty procedural rule that would allow the Senate to pass bills without the traditionally required supermajority. Democrats summarily denounced this tactic. Barack Obama said the plan “would change the character of the Senate forever” and would result in “majoritarian absolute power on either side, and that’s just not what the founders intended.” Joe Biden called it “an example of the arrogance of power. It is… Read more

Antoine Abou-Diwan There is a health insurance provider whose primary motivation is money. This healthcare provider has a propensity to drag its feet or refuse medical care because of a loophole, technicality in its policy, even if you paid your bill every month. Would you still trust this healthcare provider to have your wellbeing at heart when providing care means taking money out of his or her pocket? This sums up the ineffective, broken and downright offensive healthcare system in… Read more

President Obama addressed the nation in his first State of the Union speech  last Wednesday. I anticipated another moving speech by the current champion of oratory and public grace. I heard the man talk; now I’m waiting for results. It’s been more than a year since his inauguration and campaign for hope and change, but not much has changed. In fact the only thing that has changed is the heated rivalry between our nation’s two parties. Second only to “Jersey… Read more