WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 5
EDITORIAL
opinion
FREE FOR ALL
Text your FFA submissions to 785-289-8351
Wescoe makes me feel like a minotaur is chasing me.
Attention route 43 riders! Dan's birthday is Wednesday! Since he's basi cally God's gift to KU, you all should probably wish him a happy birthday.
I don't believe in whales.
Brownback's tax plan is bad news for students
Gov. Brownback's tax plan must be opposed.
Senate Minority Leader
Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley called the plan "Robin Hood in Reverse", saying that Brownback's plan steals from the poor to give to the rich.
Under the plan, taxpayers who make less than $25,000 a year would see an annual average increase of $156 in income-taxes. Inversely, those who make in excess of $250,000 will see a significant decrease in taxes, an average of $5,200 yearly.
Most students currently fall into the lowest tax bracket, which will be hit the hardest on income taxes should this plan pass. Even as we enter into the job market, few students will make enough money starting out to benefit from the cuts to the wealthiest bracket's income taxes.
There are about 21,000 taxpayers in Kansas who make $250,000 or more. There are far more people in the category being burdened in this plan, as more than half a million workers make less than $25,000, including most working students at the University.
The average salary for 2011 graduates, according to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employees, is around $50,000.
Brownback has defended his tax plan by saying it lowers the rate for all taxpayers. He has called the plan "fairer, flatter and simpler."
In opposition to Brownback's statement, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy has stated that this tax plan would "actually make the Kansas tax structure more unfair."
While the plan does lower rates for all brackets, what the governor does not account for is the elimination of various credits and deductions that are heavily relied on by
Those in charge often have the money and resources necessary to benefit from tax breaks like this and mold their tax plans for their own good.
Mitt Romney has proposed the same tax plan on the national level. This is another example of the rich-getting-richer, poor-getting-poorer government policies that have become commonplace in America.
The governor's tax plan isn't just bad for students and bad for the working poor, but it's also bad for the state. According to analysis
provided by the Kansas Revenue Department, the highest tax bracket cumulatively will pay $110 million less in taxes annually. Those on the low end, as a whole, will pay $88.2 million more, meaning that this tax plan nets a loss of $21.8 million in income-tax revenue for the state.
middle- and lower-class citizens.
As students, as current or future workers and as residents of the state, we have a duty to oppose a plan that seems to only benefit the very wealthy minority.
As a state desperately trying to balance our budget, how does it make sense to pass a tax plan that is not only unfair to lower class citizens, but would also cut off $22.8 million in income-tax revenue?
Find your state legislators, and contact them. Let them know that promoting further division between the classes will not stimulate economic growth. If you work in Kansas, but are not a resident, contact any legislator and tell them you oppose this bill. Let your voices be heard.
TELL YOUR LEGISLATOR
You can find legislators by looking online here:
http://udkne.ws/zF9923
Dear FFA editor, what will it take for you to be my Valentine?
Editor's note: Flowers and chocolate.
Riding on Campus Red is a lot like that Outcast song; "Ah hah, hush that fuss. Everybody move to the back of the bus."
Why do Missouri golf courses only have 14 holes? Cause they never make it to the Final Four #moreMizzoufinal-fourjokes
Ryan Schlesener for the Kansan Editorial Board
Instead of ticketing people eating in Budig, they should ticket people smoking within 20 feet of the entrance #asthmapproblems
As the democratically elected leader of the Jayhawk Towers, we hereby join Oliver in the battle against Daisy Hill.
I just want to cover my roommate in nutella--for artistic purposes, of course.
You may have jedis, but they are no match for our drunken fox brigade or the wild moose. #bibiton
My second day working at the Pulse in Wescoe reminded me of the first 30 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan." #bloodbath
The other day I was at McDonald's and this random girl asks the lady behind the counter "Do shamrock shakes taste like shamrocks?" I was speechless.
I found out I accidentally watched the censored version of "Sex and the City". So I guess I just watched "The City."
I find a sick pleasure in holding the door open for people far enough away to force them into an awkward run.
How am I suppose to remember 15 pages of reading if I can't remember what I ate yesterday?
The only thing worse than girls wear leggings as pants are guys who wear japama bottoms in public.
All ROTC guys maybe gentlemen, but they are all a clue when it comes to taking a hint. #askthegirlout
As a KState grad, living in Lawrence I'll admit that reading the UDK is the highlight of my workday.
Some times I like to cover my self in butter and pretend I'm Paula Dean.
I don't always finish my sentences but when I
I send in to the ffa when I'm eating so its om-nom-nonymous.
It's Driver Dans Birthday today!
Invite him to be hawk, shots on me.
I think the universe wants me to walk to class to burn off the super bowl food. I've had three bus drivers shut their doors in my face today alone.
CULTURE
Technology decreases our productivity
We need to stop using technology as a means of distraction and use it as a positive resource
I wish I could count how many times my roommate has made fun of me for checking my phone constantly. "Just checking my email," I tell him.
Inarguably, the Internet has evolved to become an entity that is absolutely essential to our everyday lives, especially as college students.
Before smartphones, we could
didn't know who was calling) or old have changed to text message exchanges because of their convenience. It is all wrapped up in a tiny, portable device that works almost everywhere.
only access the Internet on an actual desktop computer; now, the peripherals of web surfing, complete with email checking, Wikipedia wormholing.
We have evolved to become a culture in which we feel compelled to check our phones often to see what it is we may have missed, whether it be text mes-
"Our society is defined by its technology usage and our personal relationship to that technology"
and Twitter scrolling, are literally at our fingertips 24 hours a day.
Our society is defined by its technology usage and our personal relationship to that technology. Its evolution has changed how we communicate with one another. Much of the face-to-face contact and occasional phone calls (in which you
sages, emails, calls, or otherwise. Many see these daily patterns as an "addiction." In a way, our phones, tablets, computers and
music players play such a large, visible part in our lives that it is physically and mentally inescapable that one could justify the definition of their usage as an addiction.
These objects clearly point us in the direction of success if we use them, but only if we use them correctly. Their usage becomes an addiction when we begin to use them during countless hours of the day unproductively and we justify their usage using productive reasoning.
These technological devices are essential in deciding whether or not we succeed or fail in our endeavors. Think of the hours you've spent on Blackboard taking quizzes and doing readings. Think of all the research you've accomplished outside of the library.
Think of the blogging you've done. Think of how easy all of this can be done no matter what device you are using. As college students, our world today and the direction we're headed in the future is defined by the Internet and those pieces of technology we use to gain access to it.
Want to get ahead on an assignment or get information quickly? You better have a personal computer, smartphone and the capacity and will to check the Internet through them often. I wish I could count how many work shifts I've nabbed by getting emails sent directly to my phone. Greater accessibility leads to more shifts, which results in more money in my pocket. This isn't necessarily bad in essence, but it certainly gives us an incentive to check our technological
devices more often.
Unfortunately, a checkup on the most non-essential applications is what follows, taking up even more of our time. We need the most advanced technology at our disposal to be upwardly mobile in society today, but we can thank apps such as "Pinterest" and "Words With Friends" for becoming addicted to it.
Salsbury is a senior in English and art history from Chapman.
- Illustration by Ryan Benedick
ENTERTAINMENT
Defining a hometown hero
Wichita, KS is a small city two hours south of Lawrence, made up of less than 500,000 people. I spent my first 19 years of my life calling it home. I had friends move in and friends move out, but they all said the same thing: "This place sucks."
Donavan Johnson, a Wichita native, disagrees.
Johnson, or better known for his stage name XV, is a rapper who signed with Warner Bros. Records in July 2010. With his latest release, a mix-tape titled "Zero Heroesm," XV shows his love for his hometown by dedicating the opening track to Wichita. For someone who has constantly seen people bash his hometown, I was absolutely ecstatic knowing one of my Wichita brethren was willing to step up and support his hometown.
While currently on the Midwest State of Mind tour, XV came to Lawrence in mid-January to showcase his love for Kansas. He is taking his high-energy show across the Midwest to prove to the world that Wichita can produce something more than sighs from its inhabitants.
while setting up his own genre in the wide range of rap music. XV doesn't want to be the same rapper you hear on the radio everyday; he wants to make a place for himself.
XV uses his self-claimed "Squarian" persona ("square" as in lame or loser) to bring nerd and hip-hop culture together
He's a kid from south central Kansas with a nice flow and an uncanny ability to reference pop culture in his lyrics while getting everyone to get up and dance. Most rap artists like to act tough and rap about girls, money, and weapons. XV isn't like that; he likes to rap about video games, and having a good time (and girls).
XV has found a lot of recent success, as his single "Awesome" has been featured on Verizon Wireless commercials and is apart of the playlist on the 2K Sports video game "NBA 2K12". His full-length album is set to come out in the summer, titled "The Kid With the Green Backpack". He's making his way up through the hiphop underground scene, and is a growing star that you should keep
an eye out for.
I could not be more proud that a man from my hometown is taking the world by storm, and represents Wichita as much as he can. If there is one thing I learned growing up in Wichita, it's that the people make the place. And while many want to get out and claim that Wichita sucks, they need to realize what they are really talking about. XV understands this, and he shows that his city that made him deserves a little more respect.
Wichita has had it's fair share of very famous people who have succeeded in their profession of choice (Barry Sanders, Darnell Valentine, Lynette Woodard, etc.), but to have a hometown hero represent his city every chance he gets is a different story. I listen to the "Zero Heroes" mix-tape, and realize the greatness that Wichita can produce. Once people move away, they tend to forget their hometowns help make who they are. But because of XV, all of those same people that claimed Wichita sucks have a little bit of a newfound respect for their city, and now they are saying something else in regards to Wichita: "Awesome."
Lysen is a junior in journalism from Andover, KS.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Mr. Obermeier's article on Feb.6 regarding the provisional conscience clause of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act attacks freedom of religion while pretending to defend it, a duality often seen in those with personal religious agendas.
Mr. Obermeier's argument seems to be that the rights of those who care for others are more important than those who are being cared for. Namely, that people should be denied the services and care they desire because the provider doesn't believe in their use.
By ensuring that birth control measures are available to all, the country can protect the religious rights of minority religious groups in otherwise heavily mono-religious areas.
What right does a Catholic drugstore owner (hypothetically the only provider of drugs in a small community) have to deny a Protestant customer
While Mr. Obermeier makes the point that it is unfair for the Catholic to have to carry the birth control, he neglects to mention how unfair it would be for the customer to not have access to it.
The measures Mrs. Sebelius and her team are suggesting do not force the use of the birth control upon Catholics; it simply enforces their availability to people who desire them.
Religious freedom is important, but so is the right to birth control and other forms of medical care. Religion should be a power for good in the world; if it is being used to cause harm to people, or deny people access to health care, then perhaps it is time to reevaluate the beliefs causing this harm.
lan Maatta is a senior in linguistics from Manhattan.
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LETTER GUIDELINES
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birth control?
jan Cummings, editor
8481-8481 or eduari@kansan.com
Lisa Curran, managing editor
8481-8481 or eduari@kansan.com
Alexis Kutten, opinion editor
8492-8924 or eduari@kansan.com
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843-4588 or dlean@kansan.com
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CONTACT US
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864-7657 or mglbson@kansan.com.
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansai Editorial Board are Ian Cummings,
Lisa Curran, Alexis Knutsen, Angela Hawkins and Ryan Schlesener.
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