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Tensions erupted and emotions flared this past week as Americans discovered that American International Group, an insurance company that received federal bailout money, had dished out $165 million in bonus money to top-earning executives. In the ensuing Congressional firestorm, senators and House representatives, responding to public outrage at the bonus payments, were quick to denounce AIG and shower the company and its executives with scorn and contempt.

One of the many companies that received bailout money from the government, AIG has brought bigger issues to hand than just whether or not we should bail almost bankrupt companies out. The new question is whether or not the government that bailed them out should be able to dictate just how they run their business and alter contracts made before bailout money was given.

President Obama's new economic plan contains increased tax rates for upper-income individuals and increased benefits for middle- and lower-income earners. We have had a system for decades that offers services available only to the lower class while the upper class picked up the tab.

Once a year, teachers spend the day letting their students color pictures of the Earth, learn about cute, fuzzy animals, and possibly even take a trip outside to plant flowers. Earth Day is no longer a day to learn about the Earth; it is a day on which thousands of organizations all over the world participate in making the earth a better place to live.

Over the past 20 years, studies have been popping up across the country that show a steady increase in the average GPA of college students. Since the sixties, average GPAs have steadily climbed, dipping slightly in the eighties, but rebounding flawlessly. This phenomenon is known as grade inflation, and in recent decades, it often suggests that secondary education has gotten easier instead of implying that students have become more dedicated and intelligent.

Instead of a petty (and useless) argument about which gender lies more, why doesn't anyone talk about the reasons why we're lying to each other? This goes beyond girls being "illusionists" or boys making excuses. The real problem is that we don't have open lines of communication with each other, and so we dish out what we think the opposite sex wants.

Thumbs Up Cherry Blossom Festival This Saturday marks the beginning of the Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C. (For those of you who might live in a cave, Washington, D.C. is famous for its cherry blossoms.) From March 28 through April 11, go enjoy a little of nature's beauty.

Instead of a petty (and useless) argument about which gender lies more, why doesn't anyone talk about the reasons why we're lying to each other? This goes beyond girls being "illusionists" or boys making excuses. The real problem is that we don't have open lines of communication with each other, and so we dish out what we think the opposite sex wants.

Sometimes it seems like our expenses are never ending, and while paying for your cap and gown may lighten your wallet for a week or two, Loyola gives students a lot more than most realize. Tuition only covers 76% percent of what it really costs to educate a student at Loyola.