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-Blake Ziegler | Thursday, October 14, 2021
In April, the U.S. Census Bureau released the new apportionment of representatives allotted to each state for the House of Representatives. Several states lost one seat, others gained a seat and Texas gained two. Political analysts and commentators in the media have spent the time speculating the new apportionment’s effect on the 2022 midterm elections.
Blake Ziegler | Thursday, September 30, 2021
In its 233-year history, the U.S. Constitution has only been amended 27 times. There are two ways to amend the Constitution, but the biggest hurdle is that three-fourths of the states must ratify an amendment for it to be officially added to the Constitution. This makes the amendment process very difficult and explains why the
Blake Ziegler | Thursday, September 16, 2021
Last week, President Joe Biden announced a series of policies to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, which has become increasingly complicated due to the delta variant. Among the initiatives, two executive orders mandate the vaccine for federal executive branch employees and the employees of any contractor who does business with the federal government. The Centers for
Blake Ziegler | Thursday, September 2, 2021
In case you missed it, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) found herself in another antisemitic controversy over the summer. In multiple tweets and an interview, she compared proof of vaccination and mask mandates to the yellow stars Jews were forced to wear in Nazi Germany. Fortunately, her comments were widely criticized by Republicans and Democrats.
Blake Ziegler | Wednesday, May 5, 2021
Last November, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared that anti-Zionism, opposition to the existence of a Jewish state, is inherently antisemitic. The statement was directed at BDS, the Palestinian-led movement calling for the boycott, divestment, and sanctioning of Israel. We find similar rhetoric in the Biden administration, where U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated that
Blake Ziegler | Tuesday, April 20, 2021
After the passage of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, the Biden administration is looking for its second major victory on infrastructure. The American Jobs Plan is a $2 trillion investment in America’s infrastructure to “reimagine and rebuild a new economy” for the 21st century. The plan envisions modernizing 20,000 miles of highways and
Blake Ziegler | Wednesday, April 7, 2021
As a Jewish student, something I’ve noticed during my time at Notre Dame is that most people don’t know much about Judaism. That makes sense, considering we’re a Catholic university, but it also means a large portion of our community has likely not been exposed to anti-Semitism. The purpose of this column is not to
Blake Ziegler | Wednesday, March 24, 2021
In 2019, I wrote a column analyzing universal basic income (UBI), a policy championed by former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang. There, I argued the UBI debate shouldn’t center on its effectiveness. The literature on UBI suggests that it’s a necessary remedy in combating the poverty and economic injustices plaguing our nation. In an analysis
Blake Ziegler | Wednesday, March 10, 2021
“And all the people took off the gold rings that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. This he took from them and cast in a mold, and made it into a golden calf. And they exclaimed, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’” (Exodus
Blake Ziegler | Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Welcome to election day, Notre Dame! I want to highlight something different about today’s ballot. Two weeks ago, the Student Senate approved a referendum to gauge the student body’s opinion on raising the required signatures for a petition to be referred to the Senate. The Committee on the Constitution envisions raising the required number from