California, a blue state that leads by example on most progressive policies, went red this past election cycle on an important issue. Somehow, the values of the Democratic Party and progressives alike proved baseless when the liberal populace of California voted not only to keep the death penalty via Proposition 66, but also chose to […]
Author Archives: Aaron Julian
Aaron Julian: Democrats should focus on practical liberalism, not destructive protests
I was raised in a white, working-class rural American town that voted for Donald Trump this year. Urban liberals lack understanding of places like my home, and tend to write them off as uneducated or backwards. My town and countless others across the country proved this month why this attitude is so misguided and has […]
Aaron Julian: Prison system and society’s view of inmates need reform
We all laugh at wealthy, white college students breaking the law in obscene ways – think movies like “Animal House” and “Neighbors,” with scenes of underage drunken antics, hazing, abuse of illegal drugs and sex offenses. But when it comes to how we treat different demographics actually convicted of these crimes, we deplore them. Two […]
Aaron Julian: In order to save itself, the GOP must abandon Reaganism
The GOP is currently in a tailspin, caught between the forces of the radical right, the more moderate establishment and the rapidly changing demographics of the United States. The “alt-right” has taken the party by storm and ushered in its protest candidate, Donald Trump, to the nomination. The rest of the GOP is currently searching for […]
Aaron Julian: City officials should use traffic violations for safety, not revenue
I went to high school in the heart of Washington, D.C. and admittedly, I jaywalked many times in one of the most secure and heavily policed cities in the world. Never once did it occur to me, however, that this behavior could end up causing me struggles financially or with law enforcement elsewhere. Los Angeles […]
Aaron Julian: Students who claim political awareness on social media must vote
A Bruin Walk preacher stopped me on my way home from campus to talk about his beliefs. Although I do not support the fearmongering and vindictive claims he advocated, I was impressed by his willingness to put himself on the line in a place where his beliefs are counter to the norm and met with […]
Aaron Julian: California GOP should push to prevent prison overpopulation
The American prison system and its population is huge. About 22-percent-of-the-world’s-prisoners huge. This sound bite has been used in many political debates, stump speeches and news articles, but changing this apparent injustice through scientifically backed, tried-and-true methods has been slow and complicated. The American populace strongly supports prison reform, and the political party or individual […]