WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015
PAGE 4
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TEXT FREE FOR ALL
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FFA OF THE DAY
I love it when people just steal quotes from reddit and other sites and submit it to FFA! -said no one ever
When I have kids I'll teach them musical chairs but tell them it's called Game of Thrones, and play it to the theme song.
The word 'nun' is just the letter 'n' doing a cartwheel.
Boyfriend: kiss, cuddle, talk, hang out. No boyfriend: watch people kiss, cuddle, talk, hang out on Netflix.
The fact that we know chameleons exist means that they're avid failures.
I get so offended when a website judges the strength of my password.
We only use leashes because dogs can't hold hands.
"She turned 18 two days later" is not really a good excuse.
I feel more awkward running into my ex-roommate than my ex-boyfriend.
The Jaybowl is shutting down May 9th. We all should be mourning. (
A picture you take of someone without them realizing it should be called a stealthie.
Looks like I'll be setting up my trail cam for the next person who thinks it's funny to throw eggs at cars.
College in 4 words: is this really necessary?
Hope they can still scan my scantron when it's covered in tears.
Planning for my summer makes me question my sanity. I'm going to be involved in 4 shows, plus another 2, plus auditioning for another one. Wait. I'm already insane
Ugh I just wanna get tattoos and get married, ya know.
I would lose weight but I hate losing.
My roommate's been pissing me off, so I'm changing the Netflix password on her.
Intern needed: must be 21 with at least 30 years of experience.
High school: I'll find someone in college. College: I'll find someone in grad school.
First draft = final draft.
POLITICIANS'RELIGION
Voters care about faith in government
I'm not religious, nor would I vote for or against a political candidate based on their proclaimed religion, but I do very much believe a candidate's faith matters. Ted Cruz, 2016 presidential candidate, released his TV ad, and the first scene shows his family praying at the dinner table.
Todd Gillman of the Dallas Morning News calls it an attempt to "nail down as much of the evangelical vote as possible, then build from that foundation." Indiana's "religious freedom" forced 2016 hopefuls to take a side, with many possible Republican contenders standing by the law. Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum and Ben Carson defended the bill, which allows businesses to refuse service to homosexuals, claiming it violates an individual's faith.
Religion clearly plays an important role. If today's political candidate seeks office, they must declare faith to the American people. Every single U.S. president has declared a religion. Once in office, their religious practices are still scrutinized. For example, every president since Eisenhower attended the National Prayer Breakfast. Imagine if President Barack Obama had not attended. Outrage would ensue.
Why does a candidate's religion matter? Liberals can point toward the conservative, evangelical base like the 2011 prayer rally led by then Gov. Rick Perry in Houston, sponsored by the American Family
Association (AFA). The AFA "opposes abortion and same-sex marriage and advocates for religious liberty," according to Anthea Butler's New York Times article. Butler argues how these events and organizations provide platforms for their candidates and "mailing lists of like-minded voters." But the conservative Republican crowd holds no monopoly over religion.
Democrats can look at Obama and Bill Clinton, both identifying as Christians. Part of me thinks Obama, Hillary Clinton and other liberals claim to be Christian because they know doing so would help their campaign, as Americans would not elect an agnostic or atheist. Another part of me believes the staunchest of conservatives adhere to their strict biblical beliefs in order to attract radical voters. It makes one wonder if anyone in politics is genuine with their beliefs.
Candidates know everything matters. From the cost of the labels they wear, the location of their fundraisers, when their biographical books come out, who they accept campaign donations from (and how much), the staff they choose to run their campaign — everything matters. Nothing is left to chance.
How can we believe a candidate's religious choices, like where they go to church, how often, and with whom, do not matter? They clearly do. Remember when people accused Obama of being Muslim, as if there was something wrong with being Muslim? Religion still matters to Americans. Perhaps someday America will elect an atheist president, but I am not holding my breath for a few decades. Religion still matters in politics.
Politicians' religious views are irrelevant
Anrenee Reasor is a senior from Thayer studying economics and East Asian Languages and Cultures
Many ill-informed citizens think that President Obama is Muslim, even though he is not. Nevertheless, even if President Obama were Muslim, it simply would not matter. In my view, any change in his religious identity would not change his effectiveness as a leader. The fact of the matter is, Barack Obama is a politician, and that is all you need to know to decide where he stands.
WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY POLITICIAN'S RELIGION IS FROM WHAT SOURCES THEY GATHER THEIR POLITICAL CAPITAL."
Politicians cater to whatever audiences hold the most political capital for them. Once elected, they pursue policies that appeal to their base and donors to accumulate more and more political capital in order to be reelected, according to organization behavioral psychologist Jeremiah Stanghini. After all, being involved in the political process is their career, and they will do whatever feels necessary to maintain or advance their position.
Ultimately, it is the political climate that has the most bearing. Politicians will vote a certain way one day, then
vote completely differently the next if it becomes politically profitable. A great case study of this would be the recent controversy surrounding the Indiana law that effectively legalized discrimination against the LGBT population. The law initially passed with ease, but once a nationwide uproar ensured, Indiana legislators suddenly changed their tune and amended the statute. Social policy is not reflective of a politician's faith, but of who gave them power, according to economist Russell Sobel. For instance, if social conservatives made up the majority that elected Governor Sam Brownback — which they did — then Brownback would pursue policies appealing to social conservatives, as he has. The root of the issue is that a politician's religion does not matter, and given how politicians make choices, it should not matter.
What matters is the climate of opinion. As economist Milton Friedman once remarked, we do not need to change the makeup of legislatures in order to improve policy. Even if you had all the "right people" in charge at this very moment, there is no way to guarantee that they will be there several election cycles from now. If it is politically expedient for the wrong people to do the wrong things, then the key is, in the words of Friedman, "to make it politically profitable for the wrong people to do the right things."
Perhaps that begins with ignoring what religion, or lack thereof, a politician claims. What is more important than any politician's religion is from what sources they gather their political capital. If it is from an informed populace that votes for productive solutions rather than how a politician chooses to define God, then perhaps fewer problems will arise come lawmaking season.
John Olson is a sophomore from Wichita studying economics
LGBT discrimination reverses progress
As students, we're taught to look back on the failings of the past and learn from them. We learn about the horror of the Holocaust and about Martin Luther King, Jr.'s fight for equality. Discriminating against someone based on their religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation is an antiquated practice that belongs
in our history books, not the 21st century.
Recently, the Florida House passed a bill allowing private adoption agencies to refuse gay couples from adopting based on the agencies "religious or moral grounds." Florida's approval is on the tail of a law passed by the state of Indiana that allows businesses to refuse service to gay customers, the Indy Star reports. This Indiana law was passed only a few months after Gov. Sam Brownback rescinded an order that prevented state employees from being discriminated against based on their gender identity and sexual orientation. To say the least, 2015 has not been a good year for
equality. The Indiana law was met with great opposition from celebrities, large corporations and other politicians, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
These laws are repeating the past. They regress us to a time before equality was a main priority. This is vaguely reminiscent of the "white only" and "no Irish" signs we see in history books. That is exactly where this kind of legislation belongs.
If Florida's adoption law makes its way through the state's senate, it could take away many children's chance at a happy home and a strong childhood. In Indiuna, a gay individual could walk into a business and be refused
"DISCRIMINATING AGAINST SOMEONE BASED ON THEIR RELIGION, ETHNICITY OR SEXUAL ORIENTATION IS AN ANTIQUATED PRACTICE THAT BELONGS IN OUR HISTORY BOOKS, NOT THE 21ST CENTURY."
service based on a personal aspect that doesn't affect the business owner in any way. Here in Kansas, state employees can lose their jobs on account of how they live their life.
As this year progresses, we need more people to remind lawmakers that we can't repeat the past. We must move out of this rut and create laws that protect the rights of all Americans.
Maddy Mikinski is a sophomore from Linwood studying journalism
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DATA: ALIENS ARE DIFFERENT. OBSERVATION: HUMANS ARE DIFFERENT FROM ME. CONCLUSION: HUMANS ARE ALIENS.
Rickard
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