The Hidden Costs of Educating Illegal Immigrants

September 08, 2014 by Enquiry Editor in Volume 2 Issue 2, Amy Elinski

Since the start of the year, upwards of 66,000 unaccompanied children from South America and Mexico have flooded the southern border of the United States, nearly double that of the previous year. Rumors of unilateral amnesty by President Obama motivated the unaccompanied children’s to make the long journey to the United States. As the new school year rolls in, at least 50,000 of these minors are expected to enter our public schools.

How to Talk About Ferguson

September 08, 2014 by Enquiry Editor in Volume 2 Issue 2, Alexander Bresnan

In the most recent wave of racially-focused campus activism, many have posed an excellent suggestion: “Let’s talk about Ferguson.” Although I’ve found many of the self-proclaimed ‘Movement’s’ postings to be inflammatory and reductive—though undoubtedly well-intentioned—this one strikes me as particularly valuable, since it really aims to engage our community in a conversation that is absolutely worth having. However, while this might be a good way to begin the conversation, the language of social activism doesn’t provide a useful way to continue the discussion. The kind of pithy, axiomatic language that fits on signs and on the bricks of Martin’s Way is too simple and too myopic to be really effective in launching a serious conversation about prejudice. Therefore, in the hopes of generating a more substantive dialogue, I have compiled a list of suggestions about how to have a productive discussion about the shooting of Michael Brown, or any of the other recent tragic shootings of young black men by white police officers.

Affirmative Action and Asians

September 08, 2014 by Enquiry Editor in Volume 2 Issue 2, Alex Klosner

A favorite strategy of the Democratic Party is to focus on winning over particular ethnic groups. Asian voters, a small percentage of the electorate, do not receive the same kind of attention as other minority voters. However, it is no secret that a majority of Asian Americans support the Democratic Party. This hasn’t always been the case. Voting patterns reveal that the Democrat Party has succeeded in winning the loyalty of a significant majority of Asian Americans over the past two decades. In the 1996 presidential election where Asians made up just one percent of all voters; 44% voted for Bill Clinton and 48% voted for Republican contender Bob Dole. In the most recent presidential election, the number of Asians voting grew to three percent; and 73% voted for Barack Obama and only 26% voted for Mitt Romney. Despite overwhelming support for Democratic candidates, affirmative action policies supported by the left often undermine Asian Americans.

Getting Hobby Lobby Right

September 01, 2014 by Enquiry Editor in Volume 2 Issue 1, Mike Adamo

The media’s reporting on Hobby Lobby made it seem like the Supreme Court decision was nothing more than a conflict between religious liberty and women’s rights. The reality is more complicated, though not so complicated that we can excuse the hysterical reactions.

A Review of Summer Events

September 01, 2014 by Enquiry Editor in Volume 2 Issue 1, The Editors, Editorial

Following negotiations with the Taliban, President Obama authorized the release of five high-ranking Taliban members from Guantanamo in exchange for a U.S. soldier, Bowe Bergdahl, who was likely captured after deserting his post in Afghanistan. The U.S. has previously avoided negotiating with terror groups for fear that it would encourage further acts of terrorism. President Obama authorized the deal without notifying Congress in defiance of a stipulation that he himself signed into law last year. Apologists argued that the law would have prevented Obama from carrying out the swap. No one seems to see the problem with this attitude towards law, least of all Mr. Obama.