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The Fourth Wall
ALEXIS PRATT
On the tenth anniversary of
the 9/11 attacks, remembrances
seem stronger than on Septem-
ber 11 of the past few years.
Television programs, news
broadcasts, public ceremonies,
Facebook statuses, and even
newspaper articles (in the clear-
ly irrelevant medium of print)
are all abuzz with reflections
and reminiscence on the nation-
al tragedy still within recent
memory. Before wars waged in
“retribution” and the failure of
our own government to protect
us become memories warm and
fuzzy as childhood recollections
of Christmas day, let’s take a
more lighthearted look at some
of the ongoing results of gov-
ernmental decisions taken in the
name of “honoring” the victims
of 9/11.
1. The Patriot Act. Every-
one’s favorite wire-tapping,
freedom-abridging, Constitution
-invalidating piece of legislation
from the law by the hand of our
glorious leader of change,
bill (including the provisos al-
lowing wire-tapping) for four
years. Change has come to
America.
2. Dependence on foreign oil.
Despite an endless stream of
promises by United States presi-
dents stretching back past
Reagan, not a single one has
significantly reduced our over-
reliance on foreign oil
(approximately 60% of the oil
used in this country is import-
ed). U.S. oil production peaked
in the 1970’s, while demand has
unceasingly increased, with no
true alternatives being supported
by any major political policies.
Why is this so relevant? Bear
with me: OPEC, a conglomerate
of a variety of countries com-
promising the largest oil re-
serves on the planet, is responsi-
ble for around 40% of the oil
imported to the United States. A
founding member? None other
than Saudi Arabia, the birth-
place of Osama Bin Laden, as
well as a country with an abso-
lute monarchy restricting free-
dom of speech, where women
are not permitted to drive and
extra-judicial killings are not
uncommon. Since the fall of the
Mubarak regime, they are one of
our strongest allies in the Mid-
dle East, as supporters of free-
dom and justice through authori-
tarianism and oppression. Other
important US allies: the Galactic
Empire and Oceania.
3. The ongoing war in Af-
ghanistan, which was clearly
won in May, when Osama Bid
Laden was killed in an entirely
different country where he con-
tinued his reign of evil by mak-
ing home movies and buying
beard dye. While this was a dev-
astating blow for sales of “Just
For Men: Jihad Grey,” it was a
moment of supreme triumph, a
day when the death of one old
man in Pakistan justified 1770
American casualties (and count-
ing), thousands more deaths of
Afghani civilians, more than
$450 billion spent, and a general
loss of any semblance of social
order in two nations. Mission
Accomplished II: This time we
mean it.
Barack Obama, upon his
reelection. (Hint: This may
possibly be facetious.) Or,
rather, mercy filled the eyes of
our Warlord-in-Chief, and as
he raised his blade one last
time to slay, the Patriot Act’s
grubby eyes filled with tears,
fear; and uncertainty in the
face of death. So, as a com-
promise, Obama instead ex-
tended major portions of the
Jeff Donald
President
ASHLEY ORELLANA
Many would think that the U.S.
would have the highest percent-
age of students graduating from
college, but according to a new
study it seems other countries,
such as China and South Korea,
are increasing their numbers more
quickly. Many prestigious colleg-
es like Yale, Princeton, and Har-
vard are very well-known for
their academic achievement, but
when the U.S. ranks 14th in read-
ing, 17th in science, and 25th in
math—out of 34 countries—it
says a lot about what we are (or
are not) doing.
Maybe the fact that more stu-
dents are graduating in other
countries is because of the prices.
According to new findings, U.S.
students are spending an average
of $100,000 in school, while oth-
ers are only paying half of that
internationally. This price still
stays the same even when schol-
arships and grants are included.
Students would rather pay less in
other countries where they might
be receiving a better education.
The report by the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and
“many U.S. students are aca-
demically unprepared for the
challenges of higher education,”
showing why many students
might want to be receiving an
education elsewhere. The Herit-
age Foundation shows many
graphs and statistics on how inter-
national . universities and colleges
see higher performance rates in
U.S. students then the U.S. itself.
All this makes one wonder what
we can do to really improve our
studies, and how to strive to have
students who are both prepared
for college and able to afford it as
well.
STEPHANIE NEGRON
September 11, 2001 was a very
tragic day for many people.
Many lost loved ones: some in
the WTC; at the Pentagon; on
flights American 11, American
77, United 175, and the famous
United 93; and in the course of
responding to the attacks. Many
first responders risked their lives
that day, as they do daily, and
they helped out with the clean-
up process as well. The NYPD
and FDNY were our heroes that
day. You would think they
would be highly appreciated and
honored forever, right? Wrong!
This year marked the tenth
anniversary of September 11.
Every year there is a memorial
service on 9/11, but this year a
change was made. The first re-
sponders were told that they
service because of “lack of
room.” They were also told that
they would attend a private cer-
emony on a later date.
The city claimed that the first
cause of security and space is-
sues. Anthony Fammia, a retired
NYPD officer, stated that he
was disgusted, and that the ex-
clusion was disrespectful to him
and every other responder. He
felt so disrespected that he isn’t
even sure if he
wants to attend
the private ceremony. Flammia
told FOX that since 9/11, his
health has continued to deterio-
rate as a result of being on the
scene at Ground Zero.
Mayor Bloomberg’s office
reported that the ceremony was
mainly to accommodate the
family members of the nearly
3,000 people who lost their lives
that day. First responders really -
took offense to this, and I don’t
blame them one bit, particularly
given that many more people
would have been lost if it were-
n't for their work. CNN quoted
Bloomberg’s office as stating
that no first responders were
invited to the other 9/11 memo-
rial services, either. Morris
Faitelwicz, who is the vice pres-
ident of the Auxiliary Police
Supervisors Benevolent Associ-
ation, called CNN’s explanation
“nonsense,” stating that re-
sponders have been able to at-
tend past 9/11 services simply
by showing up.
The FDNY and NYPD did a
great deal for this country ten
years ago, and without them on
scene many more people would
have lost their lives. The city
needs to appreciate that fact, and
accommodate not only those
who lost family .
RYAN HATTON
This month the Department of
Education stated that 2011 has
had the highest percentage of stu-
dents defaulting on loans in more
than ten years. The overall student
loan default rates increased from
7% to 8.8% this year.
Due to the drastic increase in
college cost, students are borrow-
ing at higher rates. This has
caused student debt to shoot
through the roof. Last year, for
the first time ever, student loans
debt was greater than credit card
debt. In 2000, student loan debt
was estimated at $200 billion, and
by the end of this year student
loans will be reaching the $1 tril-
lion mark.
According to Mark Kantrowitz,
of the financial aid websites Fast-
web.com and Finaid.org, the aver-
age debt burden for
2011 graduates will be around
$27,000. The debt load is becom-
ing so great, says Kantrowitz, that
"in the coming years, a lot of peo-
ple will still be paying off their
student loans when it's time for
their kids to go to college."
Education has always been
viewed as a promise of upward
mobility, but if costs continue to
rise, it may not be the best option
for success. In President Obama’s
2010 State of the Union speech he
stated, "In the United States of
America, no one should go broke
because they chose to go to col-
lege." Hopefully the president
will soon present an effective plan
specifically for student debt. Col-
lege students deserve a lifetime of
opportunities, and should not see
the door to success close due to
college loans.