Autiello: Will True Christianity Please Stand Up?
Nick Autiello, Contributor
The notion that homosexuality is a sin and un-Christian is one that is less than a hundred years old. It is wrong, and has no basis in scriptural or historical reality.
SASSO: The Coming New Year
James Sasso, Associate Editor
As the tumultuous 2011 comes down to its final day, this column could contain an obnoxious summary of the year’s extraordinary events. Rather than once again discussing the protests around the world, the death of Osama Bin Laden, Fukushima, America’s political ineptitude, Europe’s demise or the increasingly frightful weather patterns, here I attempt to predict what 2012 holds in store.
SASSO: Kicking the Can
James Sasso, Associate Editor
For one of the first times in his tenure as Speaker, John Boehner has made a statement with which every American, Republican or Democrat, should fully agree; the two-month Senate bipartisan extension of the payroll tax cut fails to fix the nation’s problems sufficiently. Providing a short-term band-aid to a long-term dilemma contradicts what a responsible government should accomplish, but fits the pattern of contemporary American politicking.
CIOCCI: A Foolish Consistency
Mitt Romney is guilty of serial hypocrisy, Newt Gingrich is guilty of being a public intellectual constantly scrutinized by the media and others, and Ron Paul never ceases to remind me about one of my favorite quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Essays: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”
AKMAN: Jon Huntsman’s Meaningless Campaign
Josh Akman, Columnist
Jon Huntsman did not participate in the CNN Debate in Las Vegas on Tuesday night. Short of his family and small (and getting smaller) campaign staff, no one really noticed. In a bizarre and counterproductive effort to impress New Hampshire voters Huntsman skipped the debate to protest Nevada moving its caucus ahead of New Hampshire’s, which has always been the nation’s first primary. It’s bizarre because no one else skipped the debate. It’s counterproductive because right now, Jon Huntsman is polling 6% in New Hampshire.
SASSO: The 99% Rising
James Sasso
Associate Editor
For the past month a movement has grown out of Zuccoti Park in New York with the potential to grab at the very heart of America’s problems. “We are the 99%” is not simply a catchy phrase used by frustrated jobless Americans , but a commentary on the disgraceful economic inequality that has arisen in the United States since the 1970s.
McNAMARA: “Peak Oil” and the Pre-Election Shuffle
We can no longer stand for individuals who are just talking about renewable energy sources—we need action. Especially since many environmentalists believe that we have reached “peak oil,” the point at which the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline.
MCNAMARA: Don’t Trust the Label
Lindsay McNamara, Environmentalist
In a heavily green washed society, we must look past the initial solution towards a solution that is truly beneficial for all involved. Just because something claims to be “natural” on the label doesn’t mean it’s good for our planet’s future.
MCNAMARA: Scientific Ocean Studies a Load of Garbage?
Lindsay McNamara, Columnist
Environmental extremist groups like Greenpeace are exaggerating the size of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch for their own ends — not in the interest of science. cience should reveal the truth about the processes and problems of both naturally-occurring and anthropogenic phenomena — not produce a load of garbage.
MCNAMARA: Ethanol Is Not the Answer
Lindsay McNamara, Columnist
Ethanol appears to be an eco-friendly alternative energy. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The repercussions of ethanol production pose severe threats to both the environment and impoverished countries.
MCNAMARA: Stormwater Runoff Management for Greener Communities and Cleaner Water
Lindsay McNamara, Environmentalist
In the last couple months there have been recording-setting amounts of precipitation across the U.S. Stormwater, however, cannot be absorbed back into the earth through parking lots, paved streets, and building rooftops. Cities and municipalities can adopt a few “green infrastructure” measures to improve the effectiveness of stormwater management and reduce ecological impact.
MCNAMARA: Brownfield Redevelopment — A Win-Win for the Economy and the Environment
Lindsay McNamara, Environmental Correspondent
Brownfield redevelopment — the development of contaminated, abandoned industrial sites — provides not only environmental benefits but economic benefits as well. Some of the country’s poorest, formerly-industrial areas like Pittsburgh and Camden, NJ stand to reap major social, economic, and environmental benefits from Brownfields redevelopment.
STROSTER: No Bells and Whistles
All eyes will be on President Obama this Tuesday for the 2011 State of the Union Address. This will be President Obama’s first legislative speech in a while, allowing him to lay out new priorities for the 112th Congress. What exactly the President will say had been up for debate amongst operatives, until a few days ago when the DNC and OFA released a sneak peak of the SOTU from President Obama. What can we expect to hear on Tuesday?
STROSTER: Chamber Reform
Lianna Stroster, Columnist
Thus far, there’s been healthcare reform, financial regulation reform and reform on the long-standing policy on gays in the military. Rumored to be the next kind of reform is the Senate chamber.
MCNAMARA: Cap and Trade to Conserve and Protect
Lindsay McNamara, Columnist
It is time to create a unified U.S. cap and trade program so that our carbon footprint decreases as much as it needs to. The longer it takes to implement a cohesive cap and trade program, the more drastic the cuts would have to be to make up for lost time and the subsequent amounts of carbon emitted into the atmosphere.
MCNAMARA: GREENER U.S. INFRASTRUCTURE, LOWER EMISSIONS
Lindsay McNamara, Columnist
Lindsay responds to the ULI’s 2010 infrastructure report in The Politicizer’s second installment of our three-part series on U.S. infrastructure. Lindsay makes an argument for efficient and high-tech transportation as a way to put the U.S. back in the fast lane.
MCNAMARA: Agribusiness Unable to Cultivate Ethics
Lindsay McNamara, Columnist
We must reexamine our approach to agriculture in the United States. We brag that we have come so far; we have progressed and doubled our food production. But by contaminating our air and our water for our grandchildren and destroying the rural farming tradition, are we progressing? Or are we regressing to a point where only ethics need to be cultivated?
MCNAMARA: Wanted — Decade-Defining Environmental Policy
The United States has a long history of progressive environmental policy, under Republican and Democratic presidents alike. But we have fallen behind, and it is time for Congress to pass new, stronger environmental regulations that set the tone for the rest of the world.
MCNAMARA: Born to Conserve?
Lindsay McNamara, Columnist
On the heels of Matthew Lifson’s article, “Our Political Genes,” environmentalist Lindsay McNamara questions whether environmental stewardship is an inborn trait or if it can be cultivated through education and economic incentives.
MCNAMARA: Innovative, Eco-Friendly Ideas Offer Hope to Environmentalists
Lindsay McNamara, Columnist
Concerned stewards of our planet are coming up with ingenious and creative ideas and policies to help save our Earth. Lindsay McNamara runs down her Top 5 favorite “green” products.
MCNAMARA: Sprawled Out
Lindsay McNamara, Columnist
New Jersey had more acres of subdivisions and shopping malls than of upland forests. The future looks bleak for environmentalists and plant and animals species alike, with nowhere to call home after the developers roll through, no relief from the pump and no natural habitats to enjoy and appreciate the wilderness. This notion leaves us sprawled out looking for answers.