Obama proposes $3.8 trillion budget

Greek parliament passes austerity measures, waits for response from Europe

Austin Baragary
2/17/12

For nearly two years, Greece has been struggling to get a stable financial footing. In the process, they have elected a new prime minister and seen hundreds of thousands of protesters take to the streets. On Monday, however, amid rioting and protesting, the Greek parliament passed a plan which, if all goes according to plan, should serve to guarantee a financial lifeline from the rest of Europe.
According to the New York Times, on Monday the Greek Parliament passed a set of austerity measures as dictated by European officials in order to receive bailout money. The Times  said that the measures included a cut in minimum wage as well as a plan to downsize the government workforce by 150,000 by 2015. While some are concerned that what the Greek government is doing is not enough to prevent an economic meltdown, most Greeks believe that the government is going too far in its efforts. The Times reported that, following the passage of the austerity measures, protesters took to the streets, inflicting the most damage the city of Athens had seen since May of 2010.
Greece has now entered a waiting game. Having approved the conditions as set forth by Europe, Greek lawmakers must now wait for Europe to lend them the money, which, according to Jean-Paul Juncker, prime minister of Luxembourg and chief of a consortium of European finance ministers, should happen Monday.
Before Greece can access the funds, however, Juncker indicated that he would like to see tighter monitoring of the way in which Greece implements its austerity measures. This is frustrating for some Greek leaders, who have resigned in protest of the way in which Europe is treating the nation.
Others, though, have put in writing their commitment to the measures. On Wednesday, former prime minister George Papandreou sent a letter to European officials confirming his commitment to the cuts that were made.
All of this waiting as well as the seemingly constant revision of the conditions of the bailout have worn on the Greek populace. According to both NPR and the New York Times, Greeks are very frustrated with their government and the way the bailout is being handled. Some older Greeks are even making comparisons to the Nazi occupation of Greece during World War II.
European leaders, though, are no longer united in the idea that they must save Greece in order to save the euro. Some have begun calling for allowing Greece to default on its debts so that leaders can move on to nations which are more likely to pull through this recession, like Ireland and Portugal.

Proposition 8 ruled unconstitutional by California court

Rachelle Davis
2/17/12

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reaffirmed an earlier ruling from 2010 stating Proposition 8 was unconstitutional on Feb. 7.
“The 9th Circuit’s decision upholds a necessary precedent that a vote cannot remove a right granted to citizens,” Kevin Garner, instructor of communication and assistant debate coach, said.
According to the New York Times, the ban on same-sex marriage was passed on Nov. 4, 2008 after the Supreme Court of California ruled that there could be no restrictions put on who can be married. A federal law suit was filed on behalf of two gay couples who stated that Prop 8 violated their Constitutional rights to equal protection and due process.
Judge Vaughn R. Walker, chief judge of the Federal District Court of the Northern District of California, made the decision in 2010 ruling Prop 8 unconstitutional.
Despite the decision, many suspect that further action will be taken. “Both sides acknowledge that the decision isn’t the last word on the subject—an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court is expected,” Mark Memmott of NPR wrote.
Both Garner and Sam Penney, senior and S.A.G.E. Vice President, are somewhat optimistic regarding the case should it go to the Supreme Court.
“The court has a long history of standing up for minorities,” Penney said, “I will be guardedly optimistic when it goes to the Supreme Court.”
Justice Anthony Kennedy is seen to be a swing vote, according to Garner. Kennedy has sided in favor of LGBTQ equality in the past.
“I am somewhat confident the Court will rule for the side of equality,”

Church, state: not always so separate

Jillian Bush- Staff Writer

2/10/12

Despite the revered U.S. principle of separation of church and state, instances of the two institutions mixing still can be found in public schools nationwide. Now more than ever, it seems, U.S. citizens are taking action to remove the vestiges of religion that remain in their public schools.
Last week, the City of New York passed an ordinance that banned church congregations from using public school buildings to worship, after a federal court ruled in 2011 that the gatherings violate the separation of Church and State. As of last year, there were approximately 160 churches meeting in New York City public schools. These churches have less than one week left to vacate the buildings.
Meanwhile, 16-year-old Jessica Ahlquist of Cranston, R.I. continues to face ridicule from her community after requesting that her high school remove an eight-foot-tall prayer banner that hangs on the auditorium wall. Though the banner has been hanging there for 49 years and provides, according to residents, a sense of solidarity for students and their families, Ahlquist wanted the prayer removed because she said it made her, as an atheist, feel unwelcome and out of place.
William Jewell College, formerly a Baptist-affiliated school, became unaffiliated in 2003 by severing  ties with the Southern Baptist Convention. Despite its neutrality, the College maintains Christian practices, like weekly Chapel services.
“We’re a private school. That makes us fundamentally different,” Dr. Andrew Pratt, vice president of religious ministries and dean of the Chapel, said. Pratt said he recognizes that though the school is no longer Baptist, it is also not completely secular. Pratt also promotes the right of students to practice whatever religion they choose.
“We [the College] don’t want anyone to feel like they’re second-class citizens if they come here, and they’re not Christian,” Pratt said.
Spencer Allen, first-year, does not practice Christianity but does not oppose the College’s doing so.
“I’m not obligated to attend the [Chapel] service, and it’s not as if the service is invading some public place that I enjoy drinking tea or having lunch. It’s in the Chapel … that’s what it is for,” Allen said.
The ongoing dilemma for Americans seems to be the propensity to interpret the Establishment Clause as exclusively “freedom of” or “freedom from” religion, rather than finding a balance between the two. This balance is something the College strives to achieve.
 “[The College is looking to] be faithful to our own heritage and, at the same time, be a place where all the world religions are welcome and can engage in conversation,” Pratt said.