©2012 Creative Commons

The killing of unarmed 17-year-old Miamian Trayvon Martin in Sanford last month sparked in outcry in communities throughout America because of the 45 days without the arrest of perpetrator, 27-year-old George Zimmerman. In the month and a half since the killing, families nationally are having discussions on gun rights and racial profiling while the alleged killer is preparing to stand trial on the charge of murder.

Many states are considering the merits of several recently passed “stand your ground” self-defense laws in the wake of the killing, but how do you, the student, feel on the issue? Let us know, and watch our upcoming debate on the legitimacy of self-defense and gun rights live on our last Spring 2012 edition of “We the Students”:

Tuesday, April 24
9pm on Channel 96 and 166 (Comcast, Coral Gables)
and streaming at umtv.miami.edu

Joey
Co-Executive Producer of WTS

©2012 UMTV

Missed our last show? The debate on abortion issues is a fiery one, and debaters from Planned Parenthood and the University of Miami College Republicans argued the merits of an embryo’s right to life or a woman’s right to choose. Have an opinion? Let us know by clicking the mail button at the top of our page and shoot us a line—we just may feature your topic as a part of our next discussion!

Joey
Co-Executive Producer of WTS

Conservative political cartoonist’s interpretation of the Healthcare Act.
©2009 Brett Tatman

President Obama’s landmark healthcare legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (colloquially called in conservative circles “Obamacare”) fundamentally altered the health insurance industry and the government’s role in your well-being for years to come. But the question many are asking is whether or not government-subsidized medicine a good thing and whether it’s even necessary.

We’ll take on the topic when “We the Students” for a debate in Studio B. Join us for a brand-new edition of the show, first airing:

Thursday, March 29
9pm on Channel 96 and 166 (Comcast, Coral Gables)
and streaming at umtv.miami.edu


Joey
Co-Executive Producer of WTS

“War: what is it good for?” are words uttered in a chart-topping Motown pop song in 1970—and it’s also a topic we tackled on our last show. Missed the program? No worries! Our show which first aired on March 8th is available here and is available on our the official UMTV website.

©2012 UMTV

Courtesy of Getty Images/The Fiscal Times

The upcoming 2012 presidential election will undoubtedly produce compelling stories for the history books. From inflated deficits to a decade of prolonged warfare, the question for our next debate will focus on this: Which party is better equipped to lead our country for the next four years? Which platform will guide America back to the peace and prosperity of the 1990s?

Debating their party platforms, UMTV welcomes the University of Miami Young and College Democrats and the UM College Republicans to the School of Communication for a fiery debate. Join us for the season premiere of America’s first interactive debate program, “We the Students”.

Thursday, February 23
9pm on Channel 96 (Comcast, Coral Gables)
and streaming at umtv.miami.edu


Joey
Co-Executive Producer of WTS

Courtesy of XETH TOONS

The video above advocates for the healthcare reform law, but, as with many debates, there are drawbacks and opponents are vocal about them. With an ever increasing senior citizen population in the coming decades combined with the exponential rise in the cost of medical care, President Obama’s healthcare reform law, officially the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially “Obamacare”, was introduced and passed to solve federal cost issues. Access to care, coverage for preexisting conditions, patient rights are at the forefront of some of the promises of the bill, but what are the drawbacks? Should it be repealed?

Join us for a fiery debate on our next live edition of “We the Students”:
Tuesday, November 15
9pm streaming on umtv.miami.edu
and on UMTV (Channel 96, Coral Gables)

Joey & Stephen
Executive Producers of WTS

Critical Mass
Government Center, Miami
Fall 2011

For a-great-while, I’ve lamented about the apparent lack of activism of my generation. Maybe it’s the TVs or the Apple devices which have fragmented both our time and attention spans, or maybe it’s the noise from the talking heads that has pushed people frightfully away from politics. Any which way, a genuinely active social movement is rising up in the localities of our nation, and one message is abundantly clear: the ineffective, debt-accumulative status quo of our deadlocked political systems cannot continue. Neither can the funding for decade-long wars which have long-lost popular support.

After over ten years of continued military deployments, our soldiers who’ve served in the deserts of Iraq will finally, in earnest, be coming home at the end of the year. Unfortunately, more than a few have asked and will repeat the refrain, “bin Laden’s dead and so are 4,800 of my comrades. al-Qaeda’s in shambles. Was it worth it?” They’ll be asking, along with the electorate, whether it’s right that our nation’s spent over 1 trillion dollars in nation-building abroad, all-the-while our own national infrastructure falls apart. They’ll also ask how is it that we’ve embarked on the longest armed battle in American history paid for not by normalizing tax increases on the wealthy, but indirectly by inflationary government debts on the backs of middle and working-class Americans.

From a long and dormant stupor, the beast has awakened to the smell of something unpleasant. Yeah, something’s in the air. That ‘something’ is sweeping around the world, much like it did around this time more than forty years ago during the great progressive movements in the wake of the civil rights struggle. Will it be great? Will it accomplish much? We don’t know. But I’m glad to know that I can finally say that we, as a collective, are finally having our say.

Joey Francilus
Co-Executive Producer, WTS
Originally published on the BigJoe tumblelog

(Opinions expressed are solely those of Joey Francilus and do not necessarily reflect those at UMTV or the University of Miami.)

Environmentalism has been an issue at the forefront of America’s conscience since the rise of the Green movement in the 1970s. Since Republican President Richard M. Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency and other legislation to protect the our nation’s resources, many in businesses contended protecting the environment would smother corporate interests. In this debate, we hosted debaters from Liberty University and California State University, Fullerton.

Have an opinion? Let us know what YOU think.

The estimated cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as of October 24, 2011
©2011 National Priorities Project

President Barack Obama’s announcement of the United States’ earnest withdrawal from Iraq will mark the partial end of the longest period of military engagement in our nation’s history. The conflicts of President George W. Bush have been at a human cost of 1.1 American million troops and 4,400 military casualties in Iraq alone. With figures on the costs of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ranging from as low as the $1.3 trillion, as reported above, to estimates as high as $4 trillion,^[1][2] the cost of warfare abroad has greatly impeded America’s abilities to meet its domestic obligations.

Since the start of the first American armed conflict where taxes were not raised on the rich, the taxing physical and monetary costs of our nation’s conflicts has become of paramount issue on both ends of the political and socioeconomic spectrums.

What’s been the impact of the wars on our society, for good or naught?
Join us for what is sure to be a hot discussion on the next edition of “We the Students”:

Tuesday, November 1st
9pm on UMTV
Channel 96 (Comcast, Coral Gables)
and streaming live @ umtv.miami.edu

Joey & Stephen
Executive Producers of WTS