Top College News Subscribe to the Newsletter
opinionbanner

Political Cartoons & Illustrations

editorial Desperately Seeking Service Valley Repeats Itself Sex Candy: The Thrill Pill Free Speech Gets Gagged Boldly going where it should not go Advertising, Consumption and the American Way sex offender Too Much Money, Too Many Interests Let Cobain Lie in Peace medical marijuana To Orca or Not to Orca Too Sexy for Your Phone To sext or not to sext does freedom come with or without the iced mocha latte

Opinion | Spring 2013 | Volume 78 Issue 6

  • Trading Web Searches with Govt. Violates Privacy

    “Big Brother” wants to watch browsing habits.

    Congress is once again attempting to encroach on citizens’ privacy. It should spend more time creating jobs and keeping the country solvent while finding a way to stop sequestering and spending less time on what Americans are searching on the web. After a year that saw the Stop Online Piracy Act, Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act, the House has decided to pass the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act.

  • History Repeats Itself as Syrian Terrorists Are Poised to Rise

    Syrian rebels and freedom fighters to future terrorists.

    Today’s rebels, tomorrow’s terrorists. What is going on in Syria today or Libya last year does not differ from what happened in Afghanistan in the 1980s. The Taliban went from freedom fighters against the invading soviets to terrorists to the invading Americans.

  • Knife-Ban on Planes Should Stay Intact Indefinitely

    TSA changes its mind and keeps ban on knives—for now.

    Common sense finally prevails as the government has decided to maintain the ban of small knives on planes. Allowing knives on planes is about as stupid as snakes on a plane. It is baffling why the government would even consider it in the first place, especially since Al-qaeda hijackers were believed to have used box cutters to gain control of four jetliners on 9/11.

  • Growing Student Debt Crisis Deserves More Attention

    Student debt has reached $1 trillion, second only to mortgages.

    Since 1980, college tuition has tripled at public and private four-year universities and doubled at community colleges, making student loans skyrocket. The average student graduates owing more than $26,000 with more than 40 percent in deferral status.

Opinion | Spring 2013 | Volume 78 Issue 4

  • Legislators Blame Game Misses Mark with New Gun Law

    Gun violence is an issue, but violating Americans’ Second Amendment rights is not the answer.

    America was founded on the principle of enlightened men and the barrel of a gun. Without guns, we would be sipping tea at noon and football would be totally different. That’s why the Second Amendment revolves around them. After the tragic events of Sandy Hook and Aurora, California’s very own Senator Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.

Opinion | Spring 2013 | Volume 78 Issue 4

  • CNN Takes Unethical Approach to Delivering News

    CNN shows young journalists what not to do when it botches its coverage of a rape trial.

    Two Steubenville, Ohio high school football players were convicted earlier this month of raping a drunk and unconscious 16-year-old girl while at a party during the summer of 2012. An egregious act. While reporting the on the trial’s outcome, CNN journalist who was live at the sentencing continually informed the viewers how difficult it was to watch the boys’ lives being destroyed.

Opinion | Spring 2013 | Volume 78 Issue 4

  • "Dirty Girls" Paved Way, Gave Girls a Voice

    The views of two teenage girls from more than a decade ago prove to still be relevant today.

    “You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation,” said Brigham Young, more than 100 years ago when women still did not even have the right to vote. Women’s power and influence did not go unnoticed even then. While they have undeniably gained more freedom and rights in the past century, they are still not seen as equals and there are still movements and struggles for equal rights.

Opinion | Spring 2013 | Volume 78 Issue 4

  • When Choosing a Major, Love or Money?

    Choosing comfort over passion when picking a major and career path is the smart decision.

    Deciding on a major is a life-altering event. Some may say it is the biggest decision a student could make, and they would be right. It is a choice that will dictate the rest of someone’s life. Now, if one’s dream is to be a doctor, lawyer, senator, CEO or even president of the United States, then they have a head start on life.

Opinion | Spring 2013 | Volume 78 Issue 4

  • When Choosing a Major, Love or Money?

    A student’s path to happiness might not include a big paycheck.

    Everyone has to work. Some people know their career path from a very young age while others are left unsure. One of the first decisions students face when starting college is the difficult choice of selecting a major. This first began as a choice depending on love and passion for the subject, but with the economy at its worst, the path for money rather than happiness has unfortunately become quite crowded.

Opinion | Spring 2013 | Volume 78 Issue 3

  • Quick, Cheap Energy Aids Take a Toll On Health

    Increasingly popular energy drinks cause health risks.

      Whether it is cramming for that final, trying to not fall asleep in class or just wanting to party, students everywhere are continuing to grab energy drinks off the shelves even with their bad reputation. Whether it is drinking one or blindly finishing more than three in one session, it is safe to say they are not healthy for the body or mind.

Opinion | Spring 2013 | Volume 78 Issue 3

  • Los Angeles Is Not On the List

    Los Angeles does not have the fashion credibility to compete with other major cities.

      During Fashion Week, runways are built in the “big four” style capitals: New York, London, Milan and Paris. The industry relies on these top cities to gain knowledge on the latest trends. Los Angeles has made numerous—failed—attempts to become a fashion capital contender and should remain excluded based upon its deficiencies in fashion credibility.

Opinion | Spring 2013 | Volume 78 Issue 3

  • Sneaky Food: Ikea the Latest to Take Advantage of Consumer Ignorance

    Companies play fast and loose with what they put into the food they sell.

      When looking for a new desk for the bedroom, a table for the kitchen or a couch for the living room, a trip to IKEA is inevitable for many. After finding the perfect piece of furniture, a pit stop at the in-store restaurant for some of their famed Swedish meatballs is the final detour for most before heading home to assemble their new piece of furniture’s 2,500 pieces.

Opinion | Spring 2013 | Volume 78 Issue 3

  • Publishers Rewrite the History Books

    Do not be duped by primary education; it often skews the facts.

           When asked, most students who were even half awake in third grade will tell you that Betsy Ross designed and made the first American flag. The rest will say, “Betty somebody?” The story goes that a congressional committee barged into her shop one day where she did indeed make flags and the rest is history.

Opinion | Spring 2013 | Volume 78 Issue 2

  • Online Classes Serve Important Purpose To Students With Little Time

    A quality education is still available to those with busy schedules, via online courses.

      Online classes often get a bad reputation for being easier or of unequal educational value as face-to-face classes. While students may enroll in online courses for an “easier” class, they soon realize the amount of determination and discipline needed to succeed.

Opinion | Spring 2013 | Volume 78 Issue 2

  • Strays Face Grim Future

    Animal welfare organizations strive to decrease the number of healthy animals killed by shelters.

      Every semester Valley College ushers in new faces to campus—cute, whiskered ones. These cats are abandoned at Valley by people who do not want to surrender them to animal control. Their fears about the pound are not unfounded. Most of the animals surrendered to the county will be euthanized.

Opinion | Spring 2013 | Volume 78 Issue 2

  • Jerry Brown

    Gov. Jerry Brown To Students: Don't Overstay Your Welcome

    A proposed bill may give a disadvantage to community college students who surpass 90 units.

      The governor has proposed a new budget plan for community colleges that includes a 90-unit limit for students. Students could go over the 90-unit cap but would have to pay full tuition, which would roughly be anywhere from $190 to $350 per unit. Taking that $350 price, a three- unit class would cost $1,050.

Opinion | Spring 2013 | Volume 78 Issue 1

  • Rihanna

    Domestic Violence In Celebrity World Impacts Real World

    Rihanna and Chris Brown’s reunion may have deeper consequences for fans.

      Nobody can forget the image leaked by police in 2009 of pop musician Rihanna’s face left bruised and swollen by her boyfriend, rapper Chris Brown. Except perhaps the couple themselves who reunited in late 2012.   Many question her decision because the statistics of domestic abuse do not point to a bright future for the couple and do not set a good example for her fans—primarily young girls.

Opinion | Fall 2012 | Volume 77 Special Edition

  • Voters Give Obama Second Term He Deserves

    The American people can breathe a sigh of relief as President Obama is re-elected.

    President Barack Obama has defeated his Republican challenger, Gov. Mitt Romney, in one of the closest presidential elections in history. In the face of economic times that are among the most difficult America has ever seen, Obama has remained a strong, caring leader, which is exactly what the American people can expect from him in his second term as president of the United States.

Opinion | Fall 2012 | Volume 77 Issue 3

  • Exercising The Vote Isn't That Difficult

    Asking students to show ID before voting is not the end of the world.

    “ID please,” is a phrase that most college students hear. So, it should not be a surprise when students cast their vote if they are asked to pull out their ID. Of the 50 states, five have strict voter identification laws, according to the National Conference of State Legislature, meaning 10 percent of states require voters to show ID.

  • Voter ID Laws Aren't the Easy Fix

    Voter ID laws will not stop fraud and will dis- courage and disenfranchise voters.

    New voter ID laws sweeping the nation are unnecessary and will not crack down on the supposed problem of fraudulent voting. More than half a dozen states have implemented stricter laws that will now require voters to show approved forms of photo identification, just in time for November’s presidential election.

Opinion | Fall 2012 | Volume 77 Issue 2.5

  • Math Doesn't Add Up For the New 100-Unit Limit

    The newly approved change of priority registration takes three steps backward.

    It is tough to be a California community college student and even harder to be a Los Angeles community college student. With classes being cut, the newly implemented Los Angeles Community College District three-strike rule and a recently approved change in registration, students are now looking at a cutthroat environment.

  • UC Students Now Lost at Sea

    State universities are looking to the higher tuition of out-of-state students to help offset budget.

    As if higher tuition, fewer admission freezes were not enough, California students attempting to enroll at one of the state’s universities are now facing another obstacle: out-of-state students. Budget cuts to the state’s university systems have left them scrambling to cut expenses and raise revenue.

Opinion | Fall 2012 | Volume 77 Issue 1.5

  • Truth or No Consequences

    Politicians are stretching the truth as a trusting public believes what it is told.

    The lying politician is a tired cliché, lampooned for years on television and in movies. But, this outdated stereotype is finding new life in the current election cycle as politicos on both sides of the aisle ignore the truth in their attempts to woo undecided voters.

  • Women Not an Easy Fix for Republican Votes

    The GOP should focus more on the whole party rather than one group

    With Republicans like Rep. Todd Akin and vice presidential hopeful Rep. Paul Ryan making questionable remarks about rape and women’s rights, the Republican Party was in need of a makeover heading into the Republican National Convention. Its cover-up for its party members who made these headshaking comments was to emphasize empowered Republican women at its convention rather than the diversity of the whole party.

Opinion | Spring 2012 | Volume 76 issue 8

  • Mitt Romney : Once A Bully, Always A Bully

    Mitt Romney shows serious character flaws that are far from presidential.

      A recent Washington Post story detailing an incident in Mitt Romney’s high school days when he bullied a student who was suspected of being gay has garnered a lot of attention, and rightfully so. Although Romney supporters are eager to dismiss it as a childish prank, doing so would ignore signs that this behavior has continued into his adult life and even his presidential campaign.

  • ASU Comes Close To Its Purpose

    The Associated Student Union hit the marks of its purpose while missing items completely.

      The best and most objective way to evaluate the performance of any government body is to formulate a retrospective of its achievements—specifically those that relate to the proposed mission. The constitution for the Valley College Associated Student Union presents a conjunction of goals, and this year’s board has achieved only a fraction of them.

Opinion | Spring 2012 | Volume 76 issue 7

  • Employers Abuse Social Media To Infringe On Jobseekers’ Rights, Invade Their Privacy

    Continued popularity of social media has provided employers with unregulated too.

     

  • Why Journalism Is Important

    Journalism has a very basic function: to tell the truth.

      The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution ensures the most basic American freedoms, and among these is the freedom of the press. The founders of this country recognized that a free press is necessary for the survival of a nation and its government.

  • Journalism Is Still Important

    Journalism remains as important to the well-being and education of society as ever.

      Journalism is important because it connects the dots of an expanding and confusing world. Reporters gather a deluge of data, translate the technical or academic language and present the facts in a digestible way, including both sides of the same coin.

Opinion | Spring 2012 | Volume 76 issue 6

  • Students Being Pushed Away From A Good Education

    Offering additional courses with higher fees alienates those already struggling to pay tuition.

      Having money has its advantages, but access to education shouldn’t be one of them. This is an issue that has recently received a lot of attention due to events at Santa Monica College, where a proposal to offer additional classes with higher fees was met with protests from angry students.

  • Being Ahead To Help Those In Need

    Santa Monica College was ahead of the curve in trying to offer students alternatives for classes.

      The board of trustees at Santa Monica College recently held a meeting to devise new options for tuition, and other colleges in the district should start to make similar plans. However, protests aimed at the meeting ended with 30 students being pepper sprayed, and the unfortunate outburst may draw attention away from a bittersweet possibility.

Opinion | Spring 2012 | Volume 76 issue 5

  • Bad Medicine: Addiction Hits Close to Home

    The face of drug addiction is changing.

      With the deaths of Heath Ledger, Michael Jackson and, most recently, Whitney Houston all being attributed to the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs, it is tempting to chalk up their addictions to simple rockstar decadence. But the L.A. Times released reports showing that deaths from drug overdose now outnumber deaths from traffic accidents in the United States, and these rock-star problems are wreaking havoc on the lives of everyday people.

  • Continued Lack of Gun Control Means No End to Tragic Campus Shootings

    Recent university shootings are proof that gun control laws are needed to end senseless killings.

      Early this month, seven people were killed at Oikos University in Oakland, Calif. A former nursing student, upset that he had been expelled, entered a classroom, told the students to line up against the wall and opened fire. Each of the seven deaths from that day is tragic.

  • Women’s Rights Take a Big Step Backward in AZ

    AZ’s HB-2625 to wreak havoc on employees while saving employers religious guilt and secular money.

      Birth control and contraception, a very personal topic, is on the minds of many Arizona women as their Republican led state legislature draws nearer to the passage of a new law allowing employers to deny insurance coverage for birth control when used for non-medical contraceptive reasons, giving employers a virtual key to the bedroom of their employees.

Opinion | Spring 2012 | Volume 76 issue 4

  • Kony Campaign Seeks Justice For Thousands

    The campaign hurls toward bringing former Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony to stand trial.

      Millions of Internet users have stumbled onto the viral hit “Kony 2012” and perhaps wondered what the hoopla is all about. After watching the emotional 30-minute YouTube documentary, the brainchild of Jason Russell—USC Production Film School graduate and founder of the non-profit organization Invisible Children Inc.

  • Kony 2012 Misrepresents the Facts

    The hugely popular film is misleading and the motives behind it are suspicious.

      Joseph Kony is a monster. That is indisputable. What is in dispute, however, are the facts and motivations behind the film that has made him an Internet sensation. This raises the question of whether “Kony 2012” is an altruistic call to action or mere propaganda to justify a military invasion in central Africa.

  • End This War: The Afghanistan War Has Gone On Too Long And Has Cost Too Many Lives

    The recent killings by American soldier prove prolonging the war will result in more atrocities.

      March 11, an American soldier walked into an Afghan village and slaughtered 16 innocent people, most of them women and children, and set the bodies on fire. This is tragic, but it is only one of countless violent acts that have been committed against civilians in the decade-long war in Afghanistan.

Opinion | Spring 2012 | Volume 76 Issue 3

  • Asleep On The Job

    Lax updates leave students in the dark about Valley’s crime records.

    Valley College seems like a relatively safe place for young adults to pursue an education. The crime record at the Sheriff’s office certainly agrees: no reports have been filed since mid-December of last year. But the valley crime record available online tells a different story.

  • Inflated Gas Prices Offer An Opportunity

    The high cost of gas provides added incentive to explore alternative fuel options.

    Gas prices are up. It is impossible not to notice. The national average cost of a gallon of gas has reached $3.79, with prices even higher in California. But, it does not have to be this way. Alternative energy solutions must be found. Everyone is feeling the pinch— even those who do not drive— as higher gas prices increase the prices of virtually everything else, since the more it costs to trans- port something, the more consumers pay for it.

  • North Korea Is Out With The Old, In With The New

    Kim Jong-un is a different man, that may bode well for the U.S. and the people of Koreas.

    Kim Jong-un bears a striking resemblance to his grandfather, north Korea’s founder and “Eternal President,” Kim Il-sung. After 20 years of drought and famine, though, the country he recently inherited hardly resembles the once- proud Korea of his grandfather’s era.

Opinion | Spring 2012 | Volume 76 Issue 2

  • Rally The Troops

    Smokers on campus must rally to prevent the potential smoking ban.

      Walking passed someone blow­ing smoke in your face is unpleasant regardless of whether the recipient smokes. It’s rude and is a potential health hazard to others, which is why there are designated smok­ing areas situated around campus. Unfortunately, that might be chang­ing very soon.

  • Valley College Smoking Ban Is A Bold Move

    Valley College considers a bold move into the 21st century with a blanket ban on campus smoking.

      Valley College should ban all smoking within the campus perimeter to protect the health of its students and faculty, as well as set an example as a green campus that is aware of the environmen­tal impact caused by discarded cigarette butts. It is no secret that smok­ing is dangerous to your health and a highly addictive habit that attracts many users at a young age.

  • Drop-Out Students Get Shut Out: Valley’s New Three-Strikes Rule Limits Class Attempts

    New rules to limit number of times a student can take a course questions generation’s motivation.

      In a day and age where bud­get cuts define the California Community Colleges System, it is no surprise the state is imple­menting changes such as the “three-strike rule” to limit the number of times a student can take a class; it is, however, baf­fling that anyone would com­plain.

Opinion | Spring 2012 | Volume 76 Issue 1

  • The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From The Billion-Dollar Corporation

    Apple faces the disapproval of hundreds of thousands of people who oppose its employee treatment.

      Look around, and one is bound to find an Apple product nearby. It might be someone making a phone call on an iPhone or a toddler trac­ing out the first letters of the alpha­bet on an iPad. This new year, Apple is faced with ups, downs, twists and turns.

  • Waiting To Exhale

    In the wake of Whitney Houston’s death, the public should consider its how liable it is.

      The death of pop icon Whitney Houston is just the latest in a celeb­rity-obsessed culture that destroys its heroes with an onslaught of tabloid headlines, turning a once amazing talent into a one-note joke. Houston was found dead in a Beverly Hilton bathtub on Feb.

  • The Dream Act Could Turn Into A Nightmare

    The DREAM Act threatens to take away classroom seats that belong to those with citizenship.

      California, ranked as the fifth-largest economy in the world, is buckling under its own weight, and no one is feeling the squeeze more than the education system. In these times of woe and want, with unemployment hovering around 10 percent and more adults returning to school to polish skills so they can compete in the job market, an initiative like the DREAM Act is destined to fail.

  • Marriage Is a Right, Not A Privilege

    California’s Prop 8 has been shot down as part of a new wave of support for same-sex marriage.KEVIN

      An appeals court has ruled that a proposed law banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. That is great news, but it is not enough. It is time for Proposition 8 to be repealed completely and for California to rec­ognize that everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation, has the right to marry the person they love.

Opinion | Fall 2011 | Volume 75 Issue 7

  • Pot, Kettle, Black

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences should practice what it preaches.

    The only thing wrong with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences' handling of Brett Ratner's resignation is what the move is supposed to represent. Ratner, who was tapped in August to produce the 2012 Academy Awards yet resigned his post Nov.8 after making a comment on The Howard Stern Show stating that "rehearsing is for fags.

  • Maggie Hasbun

    Lack of Security on Campus Spooks Students

    Hide your keys, hide your phone, grab a flashlight.

    According to Deputy Ricky Baker, the security system upgrades at Valley College will make the campus safer at night. But, what should students do as they walk back to their cars...tonight? Picture this: It's 10 p.m., and your instructor has just excused you from your last class of the day.

  • The Sound of Silence

    The firing of Penn State’s long-time Head coach Joe paterno was a long time coming.

    The removal of Penn State's head football coach Joe Paterno last Wednesday evening was not the end of a legacy or legend ... it was the end of a dictatorship. It was neither tragic nor unfortunate to see Paterno, who had been head coach at Penn State for 46 years, fired after the exposal of a deep and dark secret, which had remained hidden inside Penn State's walls for more than nine years.

Opinion | Fall 2011 | Volume 75 Issue 5

  • Los Angeles Parking Sucks (Even More)

    Apron parking tickets take a toll on college students, as though we need another expense.

    The Los Angeles Department of Transportation is sucking the life out of already broke Angelenos while financially raping already impoverished university students. All under the shield of an antiquated law. After more than 25 years, the city of Los Angeles has enacted a seemingly forgotten law: Los Angeles Municipal Code 80.

  • Fifteen Minutes of Shame

    Media outlets paint a skewed picture of reprieved convicted murderer.

    The story of Amanda Knox has been a tabloid goldmine since it unfolded in 2007. As long as people continue to believe lurid slurs in the media about particular people – i.e. Casey Anthony and Conrad Murray – tabloids will continue spewing these stories no matter the consequences.

  • Necessary Price

    Anwar al-Awlaki was an American-born figure in the Yemeni affiliate of Al-Qaeda.

    Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born member of Al-Qaeda, killed via a missile strike from an American drone aircraft was absolutely the right thing to do. It is ridiculous for anyone to argue that this one-time citizen of the United States should have been given the opportunity for a fair trial on American soil.

  • From College Dropout To More Money Than God

    Steve Jobs left a legacy that is second to none.

    A 1993 Wall Street Journal article described Steve Jobs as a once-great computer pioneer who had now been relegated to a "niche player." The irony is all the more delicious considering that many people found out about Jobs' death on the very machines that he invented.


Opinion | Spring 2011 | Volume 74 Archives - Click Here

Opinion | Fall 2010 | Volume 73 Archives - Click Here

Opinion | Spring 2010 | Volume 72 Archives - Click Here

Opinion | Fall 2009 | Volume 71 Archives - Click Here

Opinion | Spring 2009 | Volume 70 Archives - Click Here