David Salzillo Jr. '24


Opinion Staff


McGowan Off the Mark on Mt. Pleasant: An Update on Mt. Pleasant High School  

For the full version of this article, please see my Substack, called “Salzillo’s Two Cents.”    It is now Sept. 30, and still no word from the Providence School District on the future of Mount Pleasant High School.  There is a word, however, from Boston Globe reporter and columnist Dan McGowan. Just about a week ago, he […]

David Salzillo Jr. '24

Ramaswamy, Rap, and Revoking Voting Rights: What Should Young People Think of the Republican Party?

Vivek Ramaswamy, one of Donald Trump’s Republican primary challengers, is one of the few politicians I know of who has tried to court a group of voters he actively wants to disenfranchise. On one hand, he has developed a pitch to young people disillusioned with politics. On the other hand, he has proposed a plan […]

David Salzillo Jr. '24

A Totally Original Rant About Originalism

In the latest example of Supreme Court hypocrisy, Justice Clarence Thomas—the self-styled “man of the people” who prefers “RV parks” and “Walmart parking lots” to “the beaches”—has, according to the Beacon Hill Times, “been accepting luxury vacations from a Texas billionaire for the past 25 years.” Out of all the countless instances of the Court’s […]

David Salzillo Jr. '24

The Case for a RI Foundation-Ryan Incubator Partnership

Business to Benefit the Local Community Across many college campuses—including rival Catholic colleges like Boston College—the laboratories of entrepreneurship empower students to transform business skills into real-life success. At their best, they challenge students to see business as public service: how can I make my life and the lives of those around me better?   Luckily, […]

David Salzillo Jr. '24

In Defense of the Electoral College

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene—on Presidents’ Day, no less—proposed a “national divorce,” a separation of red states from blue. At first glance, her proposal appears to have little to do with the electoral college. After all, the mechanics of a “national divorce” are and ever will be unworkable. “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” as […]

David Salzillo Jr. '24

Why I Will Never Join the DSA

Eugene Debs, George Orwell, Bernie Sanders: what do they all have in common? A commitment to democratic socialism. Once a dirty word in American politics, it has transformed into a rallying cry for economic and social justice. Youth membership in the Democratic Socialists of America has reached all-time highs, and likely will continue to do […]

David Salzillo Jr. '24

An Open Letter to Sam Bankman-Fried

The rise and fall of your cryptocurrency empire/Ponzi scheme (sorry, but the truth is the truth) has raised many questions about the model of “effective altruism” you embraced. As for me, I can only think, “If only you had listened to the Church Fathers.” “Effective altruism,” as advocated for by philosophers like your mentor William […]

David Salzillo Jr. '24