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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014
PAGE 4
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opinion
Text your FFA submissions to (785) 289-8351 or at kansan.com
TEXT FREE FOR ALL
My life revolves around food.
The Gates of Hell have 'Abandon hope, all ye who enter here'. So does AFH. BOOM.
Shout out to the girl falling and spilling coffee on yourself at Wescoe. I saw you, but I promise not to tell anyone.
Some guy at the bus stop just tried to sell me drugs. His wife and kid were with him thou, so it was cool.
If you have ever burnt popcorn bad enough to trigger the fire alarm, while living in the dorms, I hate you.
People, if you look at the leaderboards for 2048, there are scores in the millions. Unless you're up there, can we stop talking about how amazing we are?
This bus has a hole in the roof.
I wonder what the tour groups think of KU when walking by the anti-abortion billboard.
What's a DJ's favorite vegetable? Beets.
Just because there is a crumb on my lap does not mean I have to eat it. Too late.
Is "Frequently featured in the FFA" a good thing to put on my resume?
Walking behind a frat pack that's discussing whether or not it's possible to poop in a condom. I'm not sure if this is the stupidest conversation I've ever heard or one that I'd have with my friends.
Nothing is more satisfying than walking down Jayhawk Blvd listening to Seyback.
Nothing says, "Welcome to KU1!" to visiting families like the experience of watching cars being towed off campus.
I'm not saying I'm in Bill Gill, but let's just say nobody has ever seen us coaching basketball on the same court.
To the girl who lost her jacket in Budig: you really should have been nicer to the guy trying to help you. That language was uncalled for. It's just a jacket.
To the guy who asked me when the last time a woman made a scientific discovery was at Quinton's on Saturday. The last time they made a discovery was that moment when I discovered that your reproductive organs would never come in contact with a females reproductive organs. Or whatever organs you're into for that matter.
ECONOMICS
To the Sonic guys fanatic writer:
Now I'm totally going to request
that for Yuletide this year.
@CherryLimarriage
Maximum wage could help close income gap
With the school year almost over, many of us are sweating
over our summer plans. For some this means a summer job with hourly pay hovering around minimum wage. How do you feel about minimum wage? It creates deadweight loss, but is the money redistributed better? What if a maximum wage law existed?
Back in November, Switzerland voted on a maximum wage law, the 1:12 Initiative. It would require compensation at the top, for say a CEO, to only be twelve times as much as a lower level employee. This way, a CEO cannot earn more in one month than a
lower level employee earns in one year. For comparison, here's the current ratio. The average compensation ratio as reported by the AFLCIO in a CNN article says around 354:1. In one day, a CEO earns almost as much as a worker does for the whole year. Is this fair or is it something we should adjust? Are hefty salaries required to attract and retain talent, or would a top executive be willing to work for less? Or is the CEO earning their keep and deserve that level of compensation?
When it was voted on last fall, Switzerland did not pass the bill. However, it did not fail completely with no
support, so, maybe it will pass in the future. It revisited a conversation economists, politicians and theorists have been having for ages. Even President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proposed and set a maximum wage during World War II. It limited corporate salaries to $25,000 per year, at a time when soldiers earned only about $60 a month. The idea of a maximum wage law
is not novel, but it is starting to gain more traction.
But is a maximum wage law feasible, fair or desirable? Looking to Switzerland and the general trend of CEO compensation, it is not feasible. Few policymakers will vote in favor of this because America is the land of opportunity. If someone works hard, why should they not be compensated fairly? CEOs must consistently make the right decisions regarding business practices. If they take the risk, should they not be rewarded?
Would a 12:1 ratio be fair?
Is the arbitrary number of $25,000 fair? Probably not.
The people at the top should
be incentivized to take risks and be innovative. This is not to say their pay should have no cap at all, even professional sports franchises have caps, but setting it at 12:1 seems low. Are maximum wages desirable? Maybe. If American society wants to help the middle class, and tighten the ever-widening gap in income equality, some changes need to be made. Minimum wage could be raised but a maximum wage should also be seriously considered.
POLITICS
Anrenee Reasor is a junior from Thayer studying economics and East Asian languages and culture.
Education cuts could change Kansas' image
Over a year has passed since the first round of the Governor Brownback tax cuts and the jury is in; lower taxes in hard times will not stimulate businesses to expand and hire over the longer term.
The State of Kansas has undergone large cuts in public spending, with education being one of the hardest hit. Some of these cuts have been to such an extreme that the Supreme Court of Kansas has ruled them unconstitutional.
Cutting education is often a first choice for red-state politicians and can come with disastrous results. I am a Republican from Idaho, a deeply red state, and one which sits at the bottom of almost every ranking in education. Not surprisingly, Idaho has one of the lowest funding rates for education and one of the lowest per capita incomes in the country. The message has always been clear to me in Idaho broad cuts in education do not help anyone, but rather make us less prepared for jobs, less prepared for higher education and less competitive as a state in generating workers that attract new industry. All of these have a direct impact on the economic health of our state and the competitiveness of Kansans and Idahoans at both a state and national level.
How much is too much?
The Supreme Court of Kansas is paying attention to this unfortunate lesson on economics and education.
By Garrett Wolfe
opinion@kansan.com
The reality behind the lesson is that a failure to fund education means a failure of education. Brownback has yet to learn the lesson or even open the book. When cuts are this extreme, with no thought to the impact this would have on the citizens of Kansas, one must ask why the governor of this state cares so little for its citizens. One of the most obvious conclusions to be drawn is that in the mad dash to a potential presidential bid in 2016, Brownback has eyes only for the finish line of national politics and no care for those that will help get him there.
By exhausting the Kansas General Fund, Brownback isn't left with too many choices. The Kansas Legislative Research Department, a nonpartisan part of the legislature, found that revenue isn't keeping up with expenses even after the massive cuts in spending, including those on colleges, libraries, local health departments, courts, and welfare. If this continues unabated, the numbers show us the state's general fund will have a shortfall of about $900 million by fiscal year 2019. The Kansas Constitution requires a balanced budget, so the picture is clear: either taxes will have to go back up or spending will have to come down even more.
Rather than making Kansas a competitive state with competitive towns that can generate additional revenue
by attracting industry. Brownback has created a reputation for us as a state that is so extreme in its lack of regard for education and competitive industry that we continue to see Kansas towns and economies die off. My family has deep roots in Kansas on both sides and they are hopeful I can build a future in this state when I graduate. Even they wonder what will happen if Brownback leaves Kansas uncompetitive and out of money. Where will the future be for retaining and attracting citizens for the growth and strength of this state?
DIVERSITY
Kansas growth is behind the national average and the extreme cuts that have been made to education only make that situation worse in the short term and long term. You can produce sound bytes touting an "economic shot of adrenaline" all day long but my Kansas relatives will tell you words are cheap, it is the actions of elected officials that you must watch. In a quote attributed to Thomas Jefferson, "The cornerstone of democracy rests on the foundation of an educated electorate." It is important to remember that funding education is not only essential for the wellbeing of students, like those of us at Kansas colleges, but also to the functioning of democracy.
Garrett Wolfe is a senior from Boise, Idaho studying global and international studies.
Connecting with your heritage is rewarding
Recently I reconnected with my African heritage. On April 17, I went to the Sisimuka Africa event, a University event hosted by the African Students Association that was rich with African poetry, music, dancing, fashion and food. It was really interesting, and I had a great time learning about my ancestral roots. I learned very quickly that dancing and music plays a big part in African culture. When the music began playing, you were expected to get out of your chair and dance away.
you chan and dance driver.
I had the opposite reaction,
clinging to the armrests of my seat. There was no way I was going to dance. I can't dance in general, let alone African style.
That is definitely something that has been washed out of my blood. But soon everyone around me was dancing (a few seats down from me there a wude really getting into it), so I stood up. Slowly, I began to sway back and forth.
I wasn't busting any Michael Jackson moves, but it was pretty good for me.
People read beautiful poetry afterwards. I was mesmerized by the thick accent of the poet and begin thinking of Africa. Someday I would like to visit where my family came from. I would like to have the sun fall on my face, bury my fingers into the soil and sit in the land of my ancestors. I wouldn't expect to find out much about my family's African history. Just being in my homeland would be enough for me.
Another thing I learned very quickly during Sisimuka is that African spirit is strong.
During the African fashion show at the event, I discovered that excitement is shown by screeching. Well, screeching wouldn't be the right word. Calling? Though I don't know the correct term for these bursts of excitement, one thing for certain is that I jumped out of my seat numerous of times from these sudden African calls.
One reason I liked the event so much was because it allowed me to peek into my own culture. Everywhere I turned was African culture and I absorbed it all with wide eyes. While listening to a beautifully read poem, I realized that sometimes we forget about our own heritage. We can spend so much time studying other cultural lifestyles that we unintentionally neglect our own. Going to the Sisimuka Africa event was a breath of fresh air. It reestablished my identity. It revived my African ancestry. It also reminded me that I still can't dance. Or at least that I'm not the next Michael Jackson.
Crystal Bradshaw is a freshman studying English.
FFA OF THE DAY
The Apathetic Party would like to thank the 80 some percentage of the student body for not voting. Thanks for supporting us!
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@CaHaDa
@KansanOpinion No, because then who would Robin Hood steal from? #butseriouslypriorities Consideration to minimum wage first.
Length: 300 words
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@KansanOpinion no, because I need the man I marry to be super rich.. Plus, people work for what they deserve right?
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@KansanOpinion No! If you work for your position should get to keep your money — provided that you actually work that hard.
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansas Editorial Board are Katie Kutsa, Alison Johns, Lauren Armendardt, Anna Wenner, Sean Powers and Kolby Bots.
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