We have recently distributed the September issue of the Review. As a (presumably tantalizing) preview, here’s the letter from the Editors introducing the issue (I have no idea what the deal is with the font):
Dear Readers,
As this school year kicks off, there are many exciting things happening on UNC’s campus. From reuniting with old friends, to starting new classes with new teachers, to joining any of hundreds of student organizations, there is plenty to preoccupy an undergraduate’s mind.
And yet, our attention is inevitably drawn elsewhere: the election. Every four years we are bombarded with the quadrennial refrain that this is the most important election in our lifetime, if not the history of the Republic itself. However, unlike other obnoxious clichés, this actually seems true.
With the continual expansion of government well beyond its rightful powers and responsibilities, each election is increasingly important. Either the electorate will accept more statism, or it will empower those who would curb the interference of the government with our lives.
While it would be a tad histrionic to declare that this election will determine whether the great American experiment will meet with its final demise or experience a glorious resurrection, this election will determine (however temporarily) the relation between the federal government and the individual. And, in the immortal words of William F. Buckley (although, frankly, it’s questionable whether WFB ever spoke a mortal word), “There is … something in the system that warns us, warns us that America had better strike out on a different course rather than face another four years of asphyxiation by liberal premises.”
With that in mind, we have focused this issue on national issues, most of which will play significant roles in the coming election.
Our cover article deals with the rise of a liberal Christian theology within the evangelical movement. Lydia Walker examines the increasing influence of visions of so-called social justice and tolerance among what used to be a reliably conservative voting block, tying the issue back to our campus with interviews from UNC’s evangelical Christians on both the Left and the Right.
Anthony Dent’s article focuses on the many flaws in Obama’s healthcare plan. Though Obama promises to fix the system, Dent’s piece skewers Obama’s plan, as it would take us in quite the opposite direction of the true solution.
Brad Smith analyzes potential reforms to education. He focuses on Obama and McCain’s plans to reform our woefully broken public education system, concluding that McCain’s solution, which is influenced by market principles and emphasizes school choice, is superior to Obama’s, which focuses on vague ideas of “accountability” and other solutions that have proven to be abject failures.
The common thread in our critique of Obama is that he has refused to learn the lesson of the 20th century: policies based on faith in the central government, rather than the individual, are bound to fail.
Sincerely,
Bryan Weynand and Nash Keune
Co-Editors