opinion
Opinion pieces from the left, right, and everyone in between.
Socialism, the Enemy of Creativity
There is understandable resentment about the governance of the western nations, but will socialism be an improvement? The very many people, who consider creativity to be the most important facet of human existence, fear socialism. It is feared that it is anti-creativity. It is a wholly negative view of the world. It has a main objective of bringing down those who enjoy wealth and privilege. It does not plan to bring everyone else up to that level. The whole philosophy is based on taking from those that have and giving it to “the state.” A body they control and by making everybody dependent on “the state,” they perpetuate the control they have and the power they wield.
By Peter Rose7 years ago in The Swamp
Democracy in Venezuela
Below is a brief, but concise, opinion about the powers, such as the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive—which although they are the three main, are not the only ones in the country. I will also comment on the type of democracy that I observe currently in Venezuela.
By Danna Molina7 years ago in The Swamp
A Bleak and Troubling Outlook
Where are we going? This question has been asked repeatedly for endless centuries, eons, millennia. As a historian, I have analyzed repeatedly the outcomes of several societies, as they spiral towards different events, different futures, but what I realize is forever the same. We are headed towards disaster. There is no questioning that there is currently a form of fascism in the world, a new totalitarianism springing up everywhere, in democracies and autocracies, in flailing political systems unqualified and poorly designed to fulfill the needs of the people. I have researched Latin America to find that repeatedly, societies which totter on the knife's edge, will collapse. We have been doing so for a decade. We have seen increasing political and economic discontent since the 2008 recession. We face another recession in the near future. We are in fact overdue for another major economic downturn. While observing the economy, this month has been one of the most turbulent ones since the collapse, and yet economists voice no concerns that the instability of the stock market could be a bad sign.
By Thomas Sebacher7 years ago in The Swamp
The Second Amendment
The Second Amendment is a tough one to wrap our modern brains around, only because it means that the actual law doe not allow people to own guns, despite this being a self-defense situation for those who do own guns. I don’t know much about guns, given that I live in California, but I would like to learn about them for the sake of knowing something about a gun and how it works. The Second Amendment reads “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
By Iria Vasquez-Paez7 years ago in The Swamp
Why Jeremy Corbyn Will Not Be PM
Great Britain is at present, and for the last few years, essentially been a two-party country. At this point in time the Labour Party, Britain’s opposition party, should be able to either challenge the Conservative Party for power or to maintain a clear agenda on Brexit. However, the Labour leader is making it look less likely he will ever become Prime Minister.
By Patrick Hollis7 years ago in The Swamp
The Liars' Stage: The Fabricators and Plagiarists of the News World
The latest liar to strut and fret his hour upon the stage is Claas Relotius. Joining the ranks of disgraced former journalists like Janet Cooke, Stephen Glass, and Jayson Blair, Relotius has achieved the ultimate in fallacies and falsehoods. But why? Why don’t these men and women choose to instead go the fiction route rather than to risk (and fail) at the task of preserving the truth? At a time when TIME magazine has named journalists as the Persons of the Year for 2018, it is somewhat ironic that the news media now cover a non-journalist.
By Skyler Saunders7 years ago in The Swamp
America the land of the Oppressed?
I am a millennial living in modern day America. Where many of my young peers are liberal. According to them, I should have a fierce hatred for my country, I am oppressed because of my womanhood. No, that is not where the calamity lies. The calamity comes when someone like me, questions her fellow Americans who believe that America was never great. I believe we can still be happy in this country if we so chose to be. Do not let one voice speak for all, the liberals and the media would have the American people believe, that their policies and own agenda, is this country's only hope for a better future. When in truth all they care about is how your votes will benefit said agenda. These things are able to happen, however, because we live in freedom not oppression.
By Jillian Weiss7 years ago in The Swamp
Modernizing Emergency Services
Whilst this essay is about England, the principles can be applied to any nation. A consultation paper on local plans to transfer responsibility for clearing road traffic accidents, from police to the fire brigade, has drawn heavy criticism from the local Fire Brigade union chief.
By Peter Rose7 years ago in The Swamp
Toys
So this is Christmas. A time of year when children everywhere wait in anticipation for Santa to deliver toys and games to every boy and girl. When we really think about though the kinds of toys that actually are beneath the Christmas tree, they have very little in common to the toys of yesteryear. Ever notice how toys today have evolved in a way that children are less likely to develop a creative passion using their imagination in interacting with their toys? When we look back to a time long since past, children were more inclined through toys and games in developing creativity, imagination, and actually interacting with other children.
By Dr. Williams7 years ago in The Swamp
How to Stop Politicians Lying! Guillotines and Localism?
If I were to describe to you all the feelings that I experience when I watch the UK Conservative party lie to parliament, I would say it is like a burning volcanic eruption inside my rib cage, moving upwards towards my epiglottis. Then, when the Tories are prevented from being called dishonest by the out of touch parliamentary rules, my head explodes and I scream uncontrollably for the return of the guillotine.
By Johnny Vedmore7 years ago in The Swamp
