If “all the world’s a stage,” the last thing we need is more drama.
A community for the civil exchange of ideas and opinions.
No trolls, no bots, no comments section.
Just thought-provoking questions and thoughtful answers.
What’s up with the icons? How each generation consumed music as young adults serves an indicator of their “location” in the flow of recent history. Rather than labeling a contributor “GenX or Millennial,” the icons provide context without distracting from the comments… Read more
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Q: HEV or EV?
“People are finally seeing reality.”
– Akio Toyoda, Toyota Chairman
Toyota has been roundly criticized for its go-slow EV strategy emphasizing Hybrid models over EV models. EV sales have slowed significantly after an initial burst of interest in EV cars. EV charging infrastructure challenges, higher pricing, and questions challenging how green are EVs have contributed to the decline in sales.
Moreover, major auto companies are cutting back production of EVs and Electric Trucks and increasing production of hybrids. In 2023, HEVs accounted for 8.3% of U.S. car sales, and EVs accounted for 6.9% of U.S. car sales. The Biden administration is pushing with regulatory changes to get more EVs on the road as soon as possible.
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Q: Two, Three, or More Candidates for 2024?
“Which one of the three candidates would you want your daughter to marry?”
– Ross Perot
1992 was the last presidential election with a significant third candidate challenge for the White House. In the end, Ross Perot received 18.9% of the popular vote, over 19 million votes, but no electoral college votes. Bill Clinton won with over 44 million votes and 370 electoral votes over George Bush.
For the 2024 election, independent, third-party, and primary challengers are lined up to run for the United States Presidency. According to Pew, support for more political parties is higher among voters under 50.
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A:I want to vote for someone different than Trump or Biden, but I haven’t seen a good alternative. One good thing is that the ones who are thinking of challenging them are much younger than they are. I want someone who is closer in age to me and can understand my world. I don’t think Biden or Trump have any idea about how we talk about things that are important to us.
MaryA:Age is important, but as long as they are not too old, policy and experience matter the most. Biden and Trump are too old and do not really understand what my generation wants. I feel disconnected from our politics when I watch and listen to Biden or Trump. Even if they were younger, I would disagree with them.
JeffA:As much as I would like someone else to run for president, I don’t think they have a chance. Our system is too strict and doesn’t allow for a third party to have a real chance. Money has become so important, so how can an independent candidate raise enough money to be competitive with the Democratic and Republican candidates?
Filial Kid
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Q: 2024? Phillips v. Haley
“If not us, who? If not now, when?”
– John F. Kennedy
According to a Pew Research analysis, 49% of Americans want a president in their 50s. Dean Phillips is 54, and Nikki Haley is 51. Respectively, they each have two children. Respectively, Biden and Trump have seven and ten grandchildren.
Nikki Haley served as governor of South Carolina for six years and as the Ambassador to the United Nations for one year. Dean Phillips has served in the U.S. House for four years and has voted with Biden 100 percent of the time.
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A:I don’t know if I’d like to see a Phillips – Haley election, but I sure do not want a Biden – Trump election. They are younger, and that means a lot to me, but I’m not sure if I completely agree with either of the two candidates. I don’t know enough about them.
JeffA:Yes, they would be a refreshing look at the Presidential election for 2024. We need to move on from the Baby Boom or older generation in US politics. They at least have younger kids and should be in touch with us.
JenniferA:What are the chances? It doesn’t seem likely to have these two as the Democratic and Republican nominees. The current political system just doesn’t allow for candidates with moderate views to make it through the primaries. But I like the idea of having younger candidates.
Filial Kid -
Q: Community Colleges – Not Appreciated?
“I wanted to race cars…[but]…I decided to take education more seriously and go to a community college”
– George Lucas
Over one thousand public and private community colleges in the United States enroll over six million credit-seeking students. According to the American Association of Community Colleges, of the six million students, 27 percent are Hispanic, 12 percent are Black, and 45 percent are White. They are an essential gateway to a four-year college and higher-paying professional careers.
Good news just out this week: community college enrollment grew 4.4% this past year and accounted for 58.9% of the increase in all undergraduates. This cut against the declining enrollment trend of community colleges before the pandemic, when community colleges saw a 14.4% decline between 2010 and 2017.
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Illustration by Shannon Bodeau/Aragon Outlook
A:Community colleges can be the backbone of our higher education system. They are so crucial to so many students already. The schools provide essential skill training for good paying jobs. They also help athletes who want to go to more prominent schools. The community colleges offer essential coaching and mentorship for them. Maybe we should start by calling them by a name that is more appropriate for what it does for its students.
Filial KidA:The federal government should transfer some of the billions of dollars it gives to the wealthiest universities to community colleges so they can support more financial aid for students. That money should also go towards helping improve and renovate school infrastructure and other programs. Community colleges are like the thousands of public libraries across the United States. They are part of the community and should be seen as helping communities get stronger.
JenniferA:Instead of our most competitive and prestigious universities expanding enrollment of under-served groups, they should first look to community colleges and support the best students from them, regardless of race or economic background. We should help and encourage the hardest-working students committed to improving themselves by attending local community colleges.
JeffA:Community colleges should serve as a pathway to four-year colleges and universities. You should be guaranteed to transfer to a four-year school if you achieve a certain grade point average. The guarantee should include financial aid and other well-defined academic and social support for the student.
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Q: Prioritize Major Donors or Free Speech?
“You can’t have a university without having free speech.”
– Donna Shalala, President University of Miami, 2001-2015
Recent events in Israel have put America’s elite universities – and the price of free speech on campus – under a spotlight.
High-profile donors have recently announced that they are no longer donating to universities like Harvard and UPenn, citing inadequate support for Israel, inadequate public condemnation of Hamas, and/or tacit support of pro-Palestinian student groups after the October 7th attacks by Hamas on Israel.
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Photo by Vitaly Taranov
A:Donors are free to donate to institutions or to stop donating to institutions as they see fit – it’s their money. I can’t help but wonder, though, if publicly announcing that they are stopping all donations to a prestigious university is a good look. Wouldn’t it be better to express concerns to the administration about the guidelines that student organizations are expected to follow and lobby for adjustments if warranted? I guess none of these successful businessmen (I haven’t seen… READ MORE
JenniferA:We need journalists to have free speech to maintain our democracy (or republic). We need universities to protect free speech to instill critical thinking skills in the next generation of journalists – and business leaders, politicians, and so on. That said, I found some of the wording from several student group statements (regarding the attack on Oct. 7) abhorrent. Honestly, I would be a little uneasy around classmates who signed-on to or showed support for the more extreme statements online. READ MORE
MaryA:Universities have for too long been influenced by their donors. The fact that major donors could publicly shame universities and their presidents for “not” saying something speaks more about the donors and how they seem themselves in relation to the university. Of course, upholding free speech at schools is much more important than appeasing major donors by parroting their views on major issues.
Filial Kid
I have to drive over 75 miles each way to work. Where I live, there are very few charging stations. I cannot rely on finding one when I have to get to work on time and get back to pick up my kids. I’ll keep my regular car.
Hybrids are great! I don’t have to worry about a charging station, and I almost never go to the gas station. How great is that? We should all move to hybrids before we go to electric. EVs are for rich people who have more than one car.
I’m never going to buy an EV. I just rented one. Actually, I was forced to rent one. It was a horrible experience. I couldn’t find charging stations, and when I did, it took forever for me to get back on the road. I’ll wait until everyone else has worked out the problems.