by Matthew Leonard
President Obama and the Democrat majorities in Congress have amassed $3 trillion in deficit spending in just twenty-three months since taking the reins of Washington in 2008.[i]
The Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), a nonprofit watch group, think the president’s fiscal strategy for the country spells doom, and they have unleashed a public awareness campaign to express their indignation.[ii] The 60 second message set 20 years into the future features a Communist Chinese professor lecturing an auditorium of college students on the history of failed civilizations.  In subtitled Mandarin, …

By Lingfeng Li
Watch out, Ben Bernanke.
Ron Paul, the 2008 Presidential candidate and Texas Congressman (and Duke Med grad), may become the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology on the House Financial Services Committee.  For Paul who has long advocated for the dissolution of the Federal Reserve, leading the committee responsible for overseeing the Fed, along with U.S. financial policies, represents a golden opportunity.

Here are three good questions concerning Ron Paul and the Fed for the next year:
Why does Ron Paul want to dissolve the Federal …

By Trent Serwetz
The latest nationwide hullabaloo over the alcoholic drink “Four Loko” provides a poignant reminder of how quick America is to point the finger. Four Loko, for those who are unfamiliar with the beverage, is a 12% ABV drink sold in 23.5 ounce cans which also packs a hefty dose of caffeine. It’s like super-concentrated Smirnoff Ice mixed with Red Bull. The drink is sold at grocery stores and 7-11’s and comes in a variety of fruity flavors.
Last week, New York called for a voluntary ban on Four Loko …

By Daniel Strunk
What is the Tea Party movement? This question has been bounced back and forth so often in past few months by mainstream news networks and politicos that the responses are drowned out by white noise. The New York Times on October 26th published an article alluding to the Tea Party “undermining voting rights” by daring to question possible fraudulent voting1. More dramatically, on the same day Foreign Policy magazine published an article provokingly entitled “The Horror, The Horror…and the Pity”, highlighting the “characterizations” held of …

By Lingfeng Li
Both Democratic incumbent David Price and his Republican challenger, BJ Lawson, attended the Chamber of Commerce’s town-hall styled forum in early September. The candidates largely focused on the economy and the role of government in business during the debate.
While both candidates performed adequately, Lawson seemed noticeably more comfortable and concise with his opening and closing statements, and in his responses to questions. On multiple occasions, Price implied that Lawson was relying on “sound bytes” and “buzz words,” rather than actually delivering a thoughtful reply. But …

In an effort to generate cross-campus dialogue on political issues, The Gothic Guardian has joined with other college publications to form the Alliance of Collegiate Editors (ACE). This week we interviewed 1960s political organizer Mark Rudd, most well known for his involvement with the Weather Underground.
The Gothic Guardian at Duke University
1. Your participation in the Weather Underground came during a time of diverse movement politics and a certain brand of kick-ass liberals. Today, movement politics seem to have disappeared at the same time that liberalism is becoming increasingly tied to …

By Trent Serwetz
In ancient times, warriors fought within meters of their opposition, feeling the sweat and blood of their human enemies. In the modern age, rifles, bombs, and artillery increasingly distanced the human from his/her target, moving the soldier farther and farther away from the gaze of the dead. Today, hundreds can be killed with the push of a button and the deployment of an unmanned orbital missile.
The ever-growing distance between the killer and the killed is not rendered exclusively as physical distance. It is a distance from the human …

By Trent Serwetz
“…Piracy is theft. Clean and simple. It’s smash and grab. It ain’t no different than smashing a window at Tiffany’s and grabbing [merchandise].”1
Vice President Joe Biden made this admonishment on June 22, 2010 as he introduced the Obama administration’s new “Joint Strategic Plan” for enforcing intellectual property rights. While his words are significantly more severe than the administration’s actual record would suggest, they leave no doubt as to the direction of the Executive Branch’s IP policy initiatives. Biden’s words represent a serious threat to the American people.
U.S. intellectual …

By Joey Lauer
The hot-button issue of illegal immigration has bubbled to the top once again over the summer. The SB1070 law from Arizona has sparked politicians into taking another stab at the immigration problem. But what’s it going to take for true immigration reform this time around?
States like Arizona have it the hardest being on the border when it comes to illegal immigration. The flow of illegal immigrants contributes to drug and violence related crime, and also puts stress on services such as hospitals and the public school system. They …

By Chloe Rockow
In August 2005, Americans were reeling from the worst environmental catastrophe in recent memory, and begging for help. The state and local governments were overwhelmed and unprepared for the magnitude of what had to be done. Historic New Orleans was devastated as many pointed the finger of blame at President Bush, calling his response slow and inefficient. Five years later, the country seems to be suffering from a case of déjà vu. An environmental disaster, compounded with mismanagement at the federal level, is crippling the Gulf coast and …