Graham Kozak

Germany passes the buck – and the bill – to the youth

by Graham Kozak

It’s no secret that Europe is in quite a bind. Not even the industrious, stalwart Germany has been able to avoid the squeeze of an economic slowdown, unfavorable demographics, and unsustainable promises made its citizens. The bill for several generations of government-provided goodies is about to come due, and – to put it bluntly – [...]

Occupy UMich: mad as hell, clueless as ever

by Graham Kozak

The Occupy Movement, or whatever is left of it, has been characterized by a series of ideological near-misses. Protesters accurately identify a problem – Wall Street cronyism, the rising cost of healthcare, the lack of quality jobs – before demanding more of the intervention that accelerated those problems in the first place. Short-term social justice [...]

Student loan debt chickens come home to roost

by Graham Kozak

As college costs continue their upward spiral and students rack up ever more loan debt in pursuit of the almighty degree, a handful of perspicacious pundits have warned that we are in the midst of a higher education bubble that will inevitably follow the same destructive course as the housing bubble. Well, the next financial [...]

LaFaive brings the fight for free(er) alcohol to U-M

by Graham Kozak

Ever tasted a great craft beer at a microbrewery and then tried in vain to find it for sale at a local bar? Ever wondered why your favorite whiskey seems to cost so much more in Michigan than it does in, say, Indiana? There’s no mystery behind these frustrations: you can thank the State of [...]

Our bodies, our entitled selves

by Graham Kozak

Much has been said about Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke over the past several days. It’s a shame that so much of the commentary has revolved around sex. The focus on sex might seem appropriate given Fluke’s plea before Congress for free contraceptives. But this debacle has presented us with so many of what the [...]

Learning from Breitbart’s example

by Graham Kozak

The passing of Andrew Breitbart was a shocking thing to wake up to yesterday morning. I had hoped to run into him somewhere, some day, and have a spirited discussion – or even an argument. I’m sure it would have been a blast either way. There was obviously a lot to like about Breitbart, and [...]

Santorum’s surge may prove fatal to GOP

by Graham Kozak

Even the most mainstream of Republicans should give Ron Paul some credit when he calls a focus on social issues a “losing position” in the upcoming election (via HotAir). Ed Morrissey, the author of the linked article, disagrees with (or is at least ambivalent towards) Paul’s claims. And it’s quite clear why–in an election that [...]

Biden’s higher ed bullseye

by Graham Kozak

Joe Biden is sort of like the Ark of the Covenant in an Indiana Jones flick: on those rare occasions when he makes a public appearance, havoc–or at least hilarity–is virtually guaranteed. It’s no wonder the Obama Administration keeps him locked away in a giant warehouse somewhere below the Capital. Still, when he does escape [...]

Are students getting a degree, or an education?

by Graham Kozak

I have to assume that Jonathan Zimmerman was being more than a little rhetorical when he titled his recent LA Times op-ed “Are college students learning?,” since he seems to harbor some serious doubts. Throughout the piece, Zimmerman brings up a few very relevant points that challenge our assumptions about the actual educational value of [...]

U-M Obamatons

by Graham Kozak

I’ve often written optimistically of the young people resisting the urge to conform to the campus status quo, proclaiming the ideals of liberty deep behind the enemy lines of a hostile academia. Nowhere was that trend less apparent that at the University of Michigan’s Al Glick Field House this past Friday morning, where Obama spoke [...]

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