As UCLA students return to campus for the start of spring quarter, record-breaking gasoline prices are squeezing their pocketbooks. (As if outlandishly high textbook prices and Governor Schwarzenegger’s fee hikes weren’t enough of a burden on students’ limited finances.) Gas prices, which have risen to a record national average of $1.80, have also sparked fierce […]
Author Archives: Mike Bitondo
Kerry can’t do it alone
Now that John Kerry has nearly locked up the Democratic nomination for president, the real fun is just beginning as he and President Bush start down the long road of campaigning toward the Nov. 2 presidential election. Sen. Kerry’s next task is to select a vice presidential running mate. His selection will be extremely important […]
More parking would drive life from campus
One of the biggest complaints undergraduates have about UCLA is the lack of parking. While not having a car can sometimes be a little annoying, the limited parking situation for undergraduates is actually very beneficial to both students and the campus as a whole. Most importantly, the lack of parking is a major reason why […]
Prop. 57, 58 won’t fix budget’s structural problems
As students, a common characteristic defining most of our relationships with our parents is how they complain about paying our bills ““ our credit card bills, our education bills, our phone bills. On March 2, however, the tables will very likely turn and our parents will hand us a bill far worse. Fifteen billion dollars […]
What’s right not always popular
The major civil rights issue of our generation ““ gay rights ““ took two steps forward last week, with the courts ruling to legalize gay marriage in Massachusetts and the distribution of marriage licenses to gay couples in San Francisco. Unfortunately, it also took one step back, as the two victories for gay rights were […]
Bruin Republicans’ campaign lacks tact
Just last week I had a conversation with a friend in which I expressed my belief that the Bruin Republicans and Bruin Democrats should be given more funding and a central office in Ackerman Union or Kerckhoff Hall to improve campus political discourse. Apparently I spoke too soon. Just when I thought the Bruin Republicans […]
Retaliate by supporting UCSA’s lawsuit
January has come to an end and so has Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s honeymoon in office. After basing his entire campaign during the recall election around California’s fiscal crisis, his first action as governor was to plunge the state $4 billion further into debt by eliminating the vehicle license fee. The result was massive cuts to […]