Opinion – Page 3 – The Minnesota Republic

The Case for Minnesota Legalizing Marijuana

February 19, 2019

Filed under Opinion

Marijuana is currently the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. A study in 2013 found that 80.6% of all illicit drug users use the drug in its various forms. Additionally, 8.1 million people used marijuana on a daily or almost daily basis in 2013. Minnesota currently has decriminalized marijuana...

A United State of The Union

Michael Geiger

February 8, 2019

Filed under Opinion

The State of The Union Address, like the appendix or Major League Soccer, is something that most Americans would do just fine without. It’s an 80-minute speech usually chock-full of empty platitudes and hollow promises interrupted only by the incessant applause of the majority party’s members of...

Wreck-It Ralph Northam

Michael Geiger

February 8, 2019

Filed under Opinion

To follow politics closely and remain sane, I’ve learned that you need to pick your spots. I have a few issues that I’ll go 15 rounds over, but generally, it isn’t worth the time or energy to fight the other side on seven different fronts. So, on some issues, I choose to remain fairly passive. For example, ...

Please add a Taco Bell to UMN’s fast-food culture

Tiana Meador

February 8, 2019

Filed under Opinion

Millenials and Gen Z customers are quite possibly the most lucrative group of people to target with a way to get quick, cheap, and easy food- especially on a fast-paced, short-of-time campus. Which leads me to the question: We have McDonald's, Jamba Juice, Chipotle, Noodles & Co., Punch, Erb...

We Need to Unite, Not Fight Each Other

Tiana Meador

February 8, 2019

Filed under Opinion

As a journalist, you are taught to take yourself out of the equation. Formal articles are taught to begin with a lead, nut-graph (fancy words for introductory statements) and follow a fact-quote formula. One thing that journalists usually stray away from is factoring "I" into the equation. I am about ...

Starbucks: Where You Deal with More Than Just Long Lines

Marissa Huberty

February 1, 2019

Filed under Opinion

For sleep-deprived college students, Starbucks is the place to be. The popular chain has several locations on the University of Minnesota campus, with Coffman Memorial Union and the Graduate hotel having perhaps the longest lines and the most crowded tables. Students flock to Starbucks to get their ca...

Centennial Dining Hall is a Disgrace

Timothy Wilmot

January 31, 2019

Filed under Opinion

In one word the dining experience at Centennial Hall’s dining hall is atrocious. Other candidates that could just as easily have been used include “abysmal,” “horrendous,” or “pitiful.” In my first semester at the U of M I was been appalled by the food that was served and the manner in...

Weekend at Ruthie’s

Michael Geiger

January 31, 2019

Filed under Opinion

Much is written about the deeply polarized nature of modern politics. These days, confirmation hearings and midterm elections feel more like trench warfare than typical government operations. Almost no other issue shines a brighter spotlight on this phenomenon than the health of Ruth Bader Gin...

Duo: the New, Annoying, Secure Way

Tiana Meador

November 19, 2018

Filed under Opinion

Beginning November 1, all students at the University (including UMN students, faculty, staff, and users with sponsored accounts) are required to enroll in Duo Security for their MyU account annual password reset (a phase-in that will last 12 months). But what does this actually mean? Well, upon logging in, you are req...

Libertarians Should More Actively Defend Trans People

Charlie Gers

November 19, 2018

Filed under Opinion

According to “The Report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey” conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality, 40 percent of transgender adults reported having made a suicide attempt. The report provides information not just on the striking number of suicide attempts made by transgen...

Point/Counterpoint: The Case for Private Prisons

Tor Anderbeck

November 19, 2018

Filed under Opinion

When witnessing a discussion about criminal justice, I usually hear someone mention the necessity of abolishing private prisons. Despite almost never providing evidence to support their claim, they receive universal agreement from their teachers and peers. Their lack of evidence is because the resea...

Point/Counterpoint: Private Prisons are Scandalous, Violent, and Inhumane

Addison Scufsa

November 19, 2018

Filed under Opinion

The justice and prison systems in the United States are completely broken. Everything from sentencing to felon rights and parole contributes to systems that promote a high recidivism rate and punishment over rehabilitation. One major aspect of our prison system that contributes to high incarceration ra...