The Student Voice of Fordham Lincoln Center

The Observer
The Student Voice of Fordham Lincoln Center

The Observer
The Student Voice of Fordham Lincoln Center

The Observer
Leo Bernabei

LEO BERNABEI, Staff Columnist

Leo Bernabei, Fordham College Lincoln Center ’21, enjoys writing political takes for the opinions section but dabbles with all sorts of stories. He hopes to one day warm a seat in the Oval Office, but is more importantly on a quest to find the best burger in New York City.

All content by LEO BERNABEI
four people sitting at a table for a press conference on the MTA

New York’s Financial Situation Is Better Than You Think

March 22, 2021
While the state projected a 31% decline in revenue for the 2020 fiscal year from the prior year, its actual losses were only 1.6%.
photo of a new york starbucks window with a sign saying "we're open" in the window

Don’t Bet Against New York

January 30, 2021
New York will take a long time to fully recover its economic strength, but the city will still bounce back.
governor cuomo sitting at a table for a press conference

Cuomo Called All the Shots — and Failed

November 11, 2020
An analysis of Cuomo’s pandemic response, divorced from the glossy and romanticized version that the media presents, reveals a man who has continuously made the wrong decisions at every turn.
a New York hotel room used for quarantine

Time to Nix New York’s Quarantine

September 16, 2020
The rules for quarantining are highly specific and unrealistic in implementation.
Photo of corner restaurant

A Definitive List of Manhattan’s Best Burgers

August 20, 2020
Hungry? Follow Leo Bernabei on a trip through Manhattan's best burger joints. From vegan options to classic favorites, there's something for everyone.
Coronavirus Graph

Republicans Are Losing the Coronavirus Battle

July 7, 2020
Once seen as the plague of liberal cities, the tide of the coronavirus has now turned.
headshot of Paul Mariani smiling

Faculty Spotlight: Fr. Paul Mariani, S.J.

June 26, 2020
As a scholar of Christianity in China, Father Paul Mariani spent the Spring 2020 semester as Fordham’s St. Ignatious Loyola Chair.
a For Sale sign

Should I Stay or Should I Go

June 19, 2020
While it would be trivial to pretend that anyone could predict how the coronavirus crisis will end and when its long-term effects will be fully realized, the rise of remote working could certainly incentivize renters to move out of their city apartments and into the suburbs.
NY Budget Graphic

New York’s Budget: It Ain’t Much, But It’s an Improvement

April 28, 2020
Although strategically sprinkled with all too common sleights of hand from New York politicians, next year’s budget poses a win for New York’s middle class residents and reinforces safety throughout the city and state.
Fordham Lincoln Center Lowenstein entrance empty of people

What Lies Ahead for New York?

April 21, 2020
Because the virus is spreading asymmetrically throughout the country, it’s likely that states and cities not hit as hard may reopen before New York.
As the COVID-19 epidemic progresses throughout the US, New York State takes initiative to address the public health threat.

The Empire State Sets the Bar for Coronavirus Handling

March 18, 2020
Although New York has the highest number of cases of the novel coronavirus in the nation as of March 17th, the state and city leadership is setting a strong example of preventive and proactive measures stronger than the majority of their 49 counterparts.
In New York, plastic bags must have a lifespan of at least 125 uses for carrying up to 22 pounds a distance of 175 feet to be considered “reusable” and in compliance with state regulations.

Conservatives Shouldn’t Trash Plastic Bag Ban

March 10, 2020
While this bag ban isn’t a panacea to our environmental woes, it is a tenable start. We should be balancing any potential costs with the gains from cleaner oceans, parks, roads, streets and sidewalks.
A Fordham Meme Legend: The Top 10 Funniest Trump Tweets

A Fordham Meme Legend: The Top 10 Funniest Trump Tweets

February 19, 2020
Scoring Trump's top 10 Fordham memes of all time, which, unlike his grades while at Rose Hill, we can share with you.
In this case, Corey really shouldn’t be in the house.

BERNABEI: Mayor Corey Johnson? Let’s Hope Not

February 18, 2020
Now, let’s not whitewash the utter failure de Blasio’s mayorship has been — but Corey Johnson would be even worse at the helm of the United States’ most populated city.
BERNABEI: New York on Hot Seat over Gun Rules

BERNABEI: New York on Hot Seat over Gun Rules

February 5, 2020
For years, New York’s gun laws have not only violated the Second Amendment, but also common sense and basic principles of firearm safety.
Offensive woes and early foul trouble led to a tough Fordham defeat on the road.

Women’s Basketball Loses on the Road, VCU Remains Undefeated

February 5, 2020
Fordham women's basketball led for much of the game against undefeated VCU on the road, but gradually lost control in an eventual 62-52 defeat.
New York City is looking to remove free parking in Manhattan. Should New Yorkers roll with it?

New York’s War on Cars Paves On

January 22, 2020
It’s hard enough as it is to have a car in this city, you might think. But now, a cabal of anti-vehicular bureaucrats in the city wants to do the unthinkable: eliminate free parking altogether, exclusively reserving those rare street spots for holders of a residential parking permit.
A Conservative Case Against Medicare for All

A Conservative Case Against Medicare for All

October 16, 2019
If we cut funding to our valuable research industry, ripple effects will be felt across the world.
When students are denied their full rights as citizens, it causes resentment and mistrust that goes far beyond the schoolhouse walls.

What Students’ Rights Really Look Like

September 17, 2019
Police aren’t allowed to break into someone’s home or private property under the guise of a “reasonable suspicion.” They wouldn’t be allowed to randomly search your car for drugs without you having broken the law first. So why do we allow school administrators, who aren’t even law enforcement officials, a sweeping ability to conduct searches of personal and private property of students?
A Defense of the Electoral College

A Defense of the Electoral College

August 25, 2019
While challengers have their hearts in the right place, abolishing the electoral college is not something that would make our Union more perfect.
To some, this legislation represents a metaphorical return to the Dark Ages, so it shouldn’t be hard to criticize them without lying.

The Dangerous Myths of the New Abortion Bills

July 18, 2019
Let’s not sugarcoat these new bills. They’re bad, regressive and qualify for the use of an entire slew of negative adjectives.
Albeit with good intent, curriculum standardization and administrative bloat have jeopardized the success of students in the public education system.

Fixing America’s Public Education: A Complex Solution

April 30, 2019
Between an ever-tightening federal grasp over local authority, alongside the ballooning of a bureaucratic administration, it seems that we’re forgetting the most fundamental part of school: children.
Jordan B. Peterson taught his rules for how to live a meaningful life.

‘An Antidote to Chaos’

April 30, 2019
Not a seat was left unfilled on the night of April 17 at Manhattan’s Beacon Theatre. Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, acclaimed Canadian psychology professor turned political figurehead, held a nearly 3,000-person audience. All gathered to learn about his book, “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos.”
In a debate between the Fordham College Republicans and Democrats, students came together to discuss pertinent issues facing our world today in a civil manner. Topics included such issues as President Donald Trump’s proposed wall along the U.S. southern border, subsidizing public college tuition and a possible military withdrawal from Syria.

College Democrats, Republicans Debate Border Wall, Free College and More

April 11, 2019
It was a heated night on Tuesday, April 9 at Fordham Rose Hill’s Tognino Hall, as students from both Fordham’s College Democrats and College Republicans took to the podium at Fordham Political Review’s Spring Semester Debate.
Some criticism leveled at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is warranted. Some is definitely not.

AOC: The Bigger Picture

April 9, 2019
As an American conservative and a European liberal, we hold different political convictions, but we both agree the criticism Ocasio-Cortez receives is trivial.
Democrats’ Tax Proposals Need Other Revenue Sources

Democrats’ Tax Proposals Need Other Revenue Sources

March 21, 2019
In the context of Ocasio-Cortez’s proposed Green New Deal, which would be a massive economic stimulus to address climate change and income inequality, $50 billion would barely make a dent in this piece of legislation.
Patrick McNeill was found dead next to a Brooklyn pier in 1997.

Fordham Murder Case Resurfaces After 22 Years

February 19, 2019
Leo Bernabei reopens the 22-year old murder case of Patrick McNeill, a Fordham student whose death was declared undetermined.
Fordham's applicant pool continues to rise while its acceptance and yield rates remain constant.

Let’s Get That Yield Rate Up, Fordham

January 22, 2019
Yield rates are inextricably linked to higher selectivity in college admissions, a factor that carries 10 percent of the weight in determining a university’s rank in the “National Universities” category of U.S. News and World Report.
DeVos's New Title IX Proposal Is Fair for Everyone

DeVos’s New Title IX Proposal Is Fair for Everyone

December 4, 2018
By utilizing the higher standard of “clear and convincing evidence,” DeVos rightfully raises the burden of proof in order to make investigations more closely resemble a true criminal trial.
End Birthright Citizenship — But Fix Naturalization, Too

End Birthright Citizenship — But Fix Naturalization, Too

November 14, 2018
The United States and its progressive neighbor Canada are the world’s only developed countries (as defined by the International Monetary Fund) which grant unrestricted citizenship to children of noncitizens.
New Amazon lockers make picking up packages much easier. (LEO BERNABEI/THE OBSERVER)

Amazon Lockers Upgrade Fordham’s Package Delivery Services

September 26, 2018

What was once an empty passage in the tunnel between McKeon Hall and the Leon Lowenstein Building now houses new Amazon lockers, replete with easy-access functions that let students skip the overflowing...

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