4
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
PAGE 4
THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2015
opinion
I wonder how many calories girls burn jumping to all these conclusions.
The struggle of dressing for the morning temperatures and then melting in the afternoon...
TEXT FREE FOR ALL
It's only 9 p.m. and my friend is already sleeping... I didn't sign up for this!
FFA OF THE DAY
Relationship goal: A relationship.
Text your FFA submissions to (785)289-8351 or at kansan.com
College is mostly just sitting with laptops in different places.
I've been way too sober this semester.
I miss making all As like in 6th grade.
If I have to take 40 hours of random humanities, I want humanities majors to take 40 hours of STEM classes.
I love my abs so much that I protect them with a layer of fat.
To the kid who wants to have a Harry Potter marathon: I'm totally
When your room gets dark and you realize it's night and you've done absolutely nothing today.
Can't go out tonight 'cause I have an essay to write... not that I'm going to write it tonight, but I need to devote a certain amount of time to not doing an essay before I actually do it.
There are things you just don't joke about. And getting rid of the Crunchy Chicken Cheddar Wrap is dangerously near that limit...
There's no reason to tailgate me when I'm going 50 in a 35... and those flashing lights on top of your car look ridiculous.
Assert dominance by calling your roommate by his school ID number.
in proper fashion, I get good news and I celebrate by eating pizza
I love girls who text first. Mom you da real MVP.
Why can't the food in the dining halls be like the food at Hogwarts?
If you take the elevator to go down one floor, I hate you.
Secretly changing my major to housewife with a minor in mom.
They should make "Whoever's playing against Kentucky" jerseys
When you are eating alone and a hot girl comes over and asks if anyone is sitting there and takes the chair back to her table...
Citizens are not represented by politicians
Sebastian Schoneich
@ThingsSebiThink
I've always been cynical about our politicians' supposed adherence to their professional mandate: that of serving as representatives of the people over whom they politically preside. It is rare for me to ever think, "This politician is truly interested in accurately representing the will of the people." In fact, I find myself thinking the exact opposite on a regular basis. Pick up the newspaper on any day and there is bound to be some political headline that is worthy of a dejected sigh.
Politicians fail to accurately represent us for several reasons. The first and foremost problem in American politics is that political decisions boil down to "A versus B" — Left versus Right, Democrats versus Republicans. Since when have there only been
two sides to an issue?
Preventing a broader and healthier discussion about political issues is a major structural failure of our political system. I would even say that our political freedoms are tightly restricted (i.e., we don't have political freedom) by the unshakable nature of the two-party system. On the voting ballot, we are essentially given only two options to choose from because, at the end of the day, the two existing parties are so historically well set that only a major political revolution could change the system.
are forced to choose the better of only two less-than-optimal parties. I say this because I find it impossible to believe that all those who vote for Democrats uphold all of the Democratic platform's stances, and the same for the GOP. If you like chocolate/vanilla marble cake, but the cake store only offers a chocolate/caramel combo and a lemon/vanilla combo, at the end of the day you give up and pick the chocolate one because you like chocolate slightly more than vanilla. This is no commendable sign for American politics.
This powerful two-party system prevents accurate representation of the people because it offers merely two choices for political representation. I'd say that most Americans do not even agree with their politicians on many issues, yet they vote for them simply because they
Another reason our representatives don't accurately represent us lies in money — big money. Though not often empirically provable, it is well known that politicians frequently exchange political favors for monetary support. In Washington D.C., this is
called lobbying. How sad is it that the 320 million people of this country have not pushed for political reform in order to prevent the massive influence that money ("the one percent") has on politics? One reason is that big money does its best to prevent such a political change from happening. Ironic, right?
Finally, we are never well represented because our citizens are rarely asked for their opinions on political matters. In Switzerland, citizens are allowed to demand for binding referendums at all levels of government as long as they collect enough signatures to do so. This results in their frequent participation in voting on political issues. What a wonderfully democratic and fair system, in which citizens' opinions matter more than in most other countries. If only the U.S. had something similar
- but it constitutionally
does not. Sure, we are allowed to write to our representatives petitioning for this and that, but how often does that actually do anything?
So, how might we go about changing the system? Well, long story short, we need to talk loudly about these problems and hope for change through generational shift in a notoriously stubborn profession. Although it is true that this country provides for many freedoms that are elsewhere impossible to obtain, its political system does a terrible job of living up to its supposed democratic ideals. It is structurally not fit for accurately reflecting the will of the people, and that weak structure allows for the invasion of unwanted opportunists.
Sebastian Schoneich is a senior from Lawrence studying biochemistry and philosophy
UBER
Uber sent an e-mail to its users stating, "The Kansas State Legislature is considering a bill TODAY that would make it impossible for Uber to operate in the state."
CECILIA CHO/KANSAN
Uber should adhere to Kansas' requirements
Users of the popular transportation app Uber received an email from Uber Kansas on Monday evening urging users to contact their legislators to "save the service in Kansas." Lawmakers are hoping to enforce stricter regulations on the company, which to some people's disappointment may force the GPS app out of the state.
If the proposed bill SB 117 passes, it would require background checks on the drivers, regular inspections of cars and insurance for all transportation companies. Additionally, the bill would charge drivers $250. "But if Uber pays an annual fee of $10,000, [then] the driver
permit will only cost $150," as reported by Fox4KC.
The bill has caused a bit of a stir in the state with drivers and users voicing their opposition to the proposed regulations last Thursday. UberX users, in a testimony on Thursday, "praised the service as superior to regular taxis and said it lets them live in Kansas City and get around town easily without a car."
But The Kansas City Star reported Regulated Industries Division Manager Jim Ready had investigators randomly check 16 Uber drivers during the Big 12 Tournament, finding that "none had the required certification, and 10 of those drivers said they would take cash rather than a credit card payment through the UberX smartphone app, which is illegal."
If Uber users and drivers wish to continue services in Kansas, they must adhere to the regulations proposed by Kansas legislators.
When relying on a random individual to drive you and your friends or family around town. I would hope that you realize your life is, quite literally, in this driver's hands. Without proper background checks, insurance or car inspections, a plethora of issues could go wrong: your driver could turn out to be a lunatic intentionally endangering your life; your driver could sexually assault or harass you; the brakes in the driver's car could stop working and they failed to realize that due to the lack of a vehicle inspection. For all these incidents, though worst-case scenarios, you would be held completely responsible, not Uber.
CBS News reports several instances of Uber drivers being accused of sexually assaulting or harassing their riders. Some examples include a woman in New Delhi accusing her driver of rape, and an Uber driver in Chicago being arrested
on "suspicion of kidnapping a drunk passenger" and proceeded to take the user to a hotel with intent of sexual assault.
Uber's Terms and Conditions emphasize that it "does not provide transportation...or function as a transportation carrier." Rather, they are only servicing your requests to schedule transportation. As a result, Uber cannot be blamed for any issues that arise during your ride. The terms and conditions continue to state that the company does not guarantee the suitability, safety or ability of third party providers." So, hypothetically, if your driver decides to drive their car into a wall, the only individual you can blame is yourself because you are acknowledging "that you may be exposed to situations involving third-party providers that are potentially unsafe, offensive, harmful to minors, or otherwise
objectionable..."
The main problem with those opposing stricter regulations for Uber is that if you relax the rules for Uber, then you must subject all transportation services in Kansas to these same standards. You can't pick and choose which companies follow these regulations. However, if all taxi/driving companies weren't required to have background checks, proper insurance or vehicle inspections, then many more riders' lives could potentially be in danger, intentional or not. If Uber chooses to pull out of Kansas because they can't pay fees or deal with "extra hurdles" that are necessary for their drivers, then I say good riddance. Rely on different modes of transportation, as there are plenty of other services that are more dependable.
Cecilia Cho is a senior from Overland Park studying American Studies
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Send letters to opinion@kanan.com. Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the email subject line. Length: 300 words
The submission should include the author's name, grade and hometown. Find our full letter to the editor policy online at kansan.com/letters.
Brian Hillix, editor-in-chief bhillix@kansan.com
Paige Lytle, managing editor
ppfie@kansan.com
Stephanie Bicket, digital editor
sabке@kansan.com
CONTACT US
Cecilia Cho, opinion editor
cchio@kansan.com
Cole Anberger, art director
canneberg@kansan.com
Sharlene Xu, advertising director
sxu@kansan.com
Jordan Mentzter, print sales manager
injentor@kansan.com
Kristen Hays digital media manager
khays@kansan.com
Jon Schlitt, sales and marketing adviser
jschlitt@kansan.com
THE KANSAN EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansan
Editorial Board are Brian
Hillis, Page Lyfe, Cocilia
Cho, Stephanie Bickel and
Shariu Seu.
+