Opinion - Page 137

The case for a negative income tax

In the current system, it is possible to be disqualified from assistance programs like Medicaid by virtue of being slightly too rich. Since many benefits are lost completely instead of being gradually tapered down as income increases, earning an additional dollar can
October 24, 2013

Punishment is punishment

With her October 21 response letter, President Chopp made it clear that the college would not be pushed by FIRE to change its policies or reconsider its actions with regards to Phi Psi. While we commend her decision to defend Swarthmore’s policies,
October 24, 2013

Understanding the Democratic Republic of the Congo

In his article “The Price of Precious,” which recently appeared in National Geographic’s October issue, Jeffrey Gettleman attempts to tell the story of how minerals mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) make their way into our electronics.  Drawing on
October 24, 2013

Letter To The Editor: A Call for Student Power

Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG. Letter submitted
October 22, 2013

Open letter to the community

Earlier this week Phi Psi Fraternity distributed bids (invitations) to members of the college community to join the fraternity. Since before 2006, the fraternity has used this bid template, the image of which the school is now familiar: a mosaic of small
October 10, 2013

Phi Psi bids highlight institutional misogyny

The outrage stemming from the revelation that Phi Psi bid letters have, for several years now, featured a collage of nude women is more than justified. We believe that Phi Psi’s bid letters are completely indefensible. Clearly, something needs to be done
October 10, 2013

Reconciling art and the artist

When I was in elementary school I read “Ender’s Game.” Even without context, that’s a common enough occurrence, and a perfectly acceptable one. With context, it’s a bit more significant. During the first few years of my education I had to go
October 10, 2013

Rethinking assumptions

We have the tendency to make quick assumptions about others without knowing them. So when a bearded man with a turban walks down the street, he is quickly assumed to be a religious fundamentalist — most likely an Islamic one. This is
October 10, 2013

Shutdown demonstrates how not to negotiate

Nearly two years ago, I wrote on these same pages how the deficit reduction “supercommittee” that was supposed to reign in the nation’s debt was “predictably unsuccessful.” Perhaps the same goes for the current situation in Washington. Over these past two years,
October 10, 2013
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