University Daily Kansan, February 21, 1985
OPINION
Page 4
The University Daily KANSAN
Published since 1889 bv students of the University of Kansas
The University Daykan, DKANS, USP$ 60,640 is published at the University of Kannas, 118 Stairfer Fitt Hall, Lawrence, Kan $60,645, daily during the regular school year and Wednesday and Friday during the summer session, excluding Saturday, Sunday, holidays and finals periods. Second-class postage paid at Lawrence, Kan $60,644. Subscriptions by mail are $15 for six months or in Douglas County and $18 for six months or $3 a year outstaff the county. Student fees are based on the number of students enrolled and address changes to the University Daykan, DKANS, 118 Stairfer Fitt Hall, Lawrence, Kan $60,640.
MATT DEGALAN Editor
DIANE LUBER SUSAN WORTMAN
Managing Editor Editorial Editor
ROB KARWATH Campus Editor
LYNNE STARK Business Manager
DAVID NIXON Campus Sales Manager
DUNCAN CALHOUN MARY BERNICA Retail Sales National Sales Manager Manager
General Manager and News Adviser
JOHN OBERZAN Sales and Marketing Adviser
No eye for an eye
Do you think that putting a person to death for a crime would cost Kansas taxpayers less than putting that person in prison for life?
Or do you think that re-enacting the death penalty would decrease the number of murders committed in Kansas each year?
If you do, you probably would agree with the 72 members of the Kansas House of Representatives who voted last week to allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty in cases of premeditated first-degree murder.
And you would be wrong.
The costs associated with court appeals of death sentences since all legal avenues must and should be explored and with building and maintaining special maximum security institutions to house and execute those convicted of capital crimes are greater than the costs of feeding and housing those inmates for life.
Year after year of conflicting studies have yet to prove finally and conclusively that the death penalty has any significant effect on a state's murder rate.
And yet, most Americans, at least 72 percent of those interviewed in a recent Gallup poll, favor the death penalty for murderers. Fifty-one percent said they would still favor the death penalty even if evidence showed conclusively that it did not deter criminals.
What motivates these people's opinions? More often than economic considerations, more often than the desire to punish or deter, revenge was cited as the reason to take another's life. Can the scales of justice be entrusted to a vengeful mob that still demands "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth?"
Intrity-eight people have been executed in the 38 states that have the death penalty since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976. Kansas has not executed anyone since 1965.
Instead, a person convicted of first-degree murder is automatically sentenced to life in prison but is eligible for parole after 15 years. If deterrence, punishment or even greater revenge is the intent, the Kansas Senate has plenty of room to maneuver between a 15-year prison term and the House's death penalty proposal.
If popularity is more precious to the Senate than human life, then it will be up to Gov. John Carlin, as it has been three times before, to veto the death penalty bill and keep Kansas among the ranks of most other Western industrialized democracies that have abolished capital punishment.
No dissent over 2 cents
The U.S. Postal Service has helped find a use for those seemingly useless pennies.
To send a letter to loved ones or to pay the electric bill by mail now, costs 22 cents.
The increase in postal rates comes with few promises of any improvements in the postal system.
But before grumbling about the deficiencies that most postal users have experienced with the system at one time or another, a look at the capabilities of the U.S. Postal Service points out what your 22-cent stamp buys.
For less than it costs to buy a candy bar, an envelope can be deposited in one city and, within days, be delivered to a house in another city hundreds of miles away.
Anyone who has ever traveled from one city to another knows the details involved in such an excursion. Finding a ride to and from the airport, not to mention the hassles of arranging the flight time; or reading a road map and preparing a car for a trip are all details that must be taken care of.
But not so with sending a letter. Just put it in an envelope, scribble down the address where the letter needs to go, stick on the stamp and most of the time, the envelope will get where it's going.
The 2-cent increase for first-class mail within the United States and to Canada and Mexico is the first increase since Nov.1,1981.
People may grumble a bit when forced to find another 2 cents to send off a letter or a bill. A few pennies here and there can add up to a sizeable sum. The postal service needs to be mindful that people will opt for choices other than the postal service if the cost does not seem worth the services provided.
A few improvements in the system would make the U.S. Postal Service a more attractive option for companies and business people responsible for getting large amounts of mail from one place to another.
But putting big users of the U.S. Postal Service aside, the ease with which most of us are able to get our mail delivered makes it worth a couple more cents.
'Do unto others now Golden Rule
The death penalty could be called "the ultimate response to the ultimate crimes."
Back in 1964 it was supported by 45 percent of the American people. By 1833, almost 72 percent favored it. Now, according to a Media Research survey, 84 percent of us do. We are finally coming to our senses.
The notion that the state exclusively has the right to take a human life, aside from immediate self-defense, has been an integral part of the Western tradition since biblical days. Genesis 9:6 says that "whoseover sheds the blood of men, by men shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image."
The Mosaic Code also recognized death as punishment for murder, kidnapping and other crimes.
Jesus later repealed much of the law, including "an eye for an eye," but he was condemning personal vindictiveness. He was not, as some would have it, attacking legal sanctions.
We were taught to love our enemies and return good for evil. But we cannot forgive the murders, nor do we use forgiveness with condemnation.
Secular arguments supporting capital punishment are derivatives of the natural rights theory. The right to life is the most basic right. Murder, of course, is a violation of that right. Therefore, the execution of murderers is not wrong since the murderer has forfeited his own right to life by virtue of his crime.
Further, the state has the duty to protect all of its citizens. As Marlene W. Lehitten, who was a professor at the University of Utah in 1977, noted that the state legislature gave up their right to private justice through personal revenge in exchange for state protection.
The state's duty, therefore, is to extract an appropriate level of retribution for the victims or their survivors, she said. Failure to do so undermines public confidence in the system. And in a republican
form of government, confidence in the system is all that unites us.
The recent outpouring of support for Bernard Goetz, who recently shot four youths in a New York subway, is indicative of the extent of the public's lack of confidence in the criminal justice system.
Much of the controversy in recent years has centered around the deterrence factor. There seems to be no hard evidence supporting either side's position in this debate. We cannot say with
complete certainty that one well-publicized execution will prevent 10 potential murders. We also cannot say that it will not.
What can be said, however, is that capital punishment is the ultimate incapacitator. No convicted murderer would be able to kill again if we reinstated the death peanalty. Prison guards, whose entire careers are are spent locked up with the murderers we refuse to execute, would not die at the hand of a convicted murderer who has nothing to look forward to but death.
Check forgers, counterfeiters, and other "less guilty" criminals would not be murdered behind prison walls by convicted murders. Guiltless families, safe in hiding, have escaped murderers, or by murders turned loose after receiving a "life" sentence.
As humans we are imperfect. Our knowledge is limited. We do not understand the roots of crime. We possess no magic formula by which we may rehabilitate the murderer. If we did, then executions would be inexusable. But until we have such a formula, all we can do is protect ourselves and our society.
Trying for true representation
When the results from the Student Senate elections were being tabulated last semester, a body of students was awake far into two consecutive nights counting the ballots — by hand. Late nights are nothing new at a university, but that just seems like another example of the asininity in our election system of student senators.
I think our Student Senate should resemble some type of representative democratic process. And the Student Senate elections should, in turn, resemble those of the U.S. House of Representatives.
They should, but they don't.
should be doing? Probably not. The point of view expressed is almost soley that of the senators.
I would like to ask students a question: If you had to, could you name everyone you voted for in the past election? Your answer would probably be no but you could probably name the coalition they ran with.
On this campus, the people elected do not really represent anyone. Sure they were elected by the student body, but who are their constituents? Do these senators ever report back to anyone on what has happened in a meeting, when our representatives in it request them to hold constituent meetings. Do student senators ever ask the average student what he thinks the senate
If U.S. congressmen were elected under KU's system, it is possible that no one from Kansas would be representing us in Washington. This
PHILLIP SCHOETTLIN
Guest Columnist
may seem like an exaggeration, but if a prominent doctor from New York was running against a country doctor from Goodland, the results would not be good for the Kansan.
Now I have another question for the students of this University: Would you rather elect the senators by what they study or where they live? Here is what I mean: You are a first semester freshman who lives in a residence hall. Would you rather be represented in the senate by someone who lives in your residence hall or by someone who lives off campus on the other side of Lawrence? Whom do you know better?
I think that we should elect our student officials by living groups. That way, a senator truly represents someone.
Here is my proposal for the election process:
1. Each living group receives one representative no matter how small.
2. For every 100 persons in an organized living group, and this is just a rough percentage, one senator is allotted.
3 Off-campus students receive one representative for every 100 off-campus students.
4. The only people selected campuswide are the president and vice president; other officers are elected from within the governing body, and a replacement is selected from among their absence. These officers have no vote in Senate matters.
This would alleviate a lot of problems. Coalitions that include senatorial candidates would be extinct.
Elections by living group seem to be the best way to properly represent all students. Each fraternity and sorority would get one representative, as would each scholarship hall. And as for the large
residence halls, they would be represented according to the number of residents in the halls.
Under my proposed system, an Off-campus Student Association (OCSA) would have to be formed. It might initially cost money, but in the long-run it would promote unity among students. As in every other living group, the OCSA would elect a governing body that the off-campus student senators would report to and get recommendations from.
The cost of running an election, from the standpoint of the Senate, might increase because of the number of ballots that would need to be printed. But if voting machines or computer cards were used, the ballots could be counted quickly and more accurately.
I think that as long as the present system is being used, the majority of KU students will not be represented in Senate. An elimination of coalitions in senatorial races is a must. The present system does not elect a person — it elects a committee. How undemocratic. There must be a change.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Phillip Schoetler, Lee's Summit Junior, is a student in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Worth considering
To the editor:
The solar clock tower that is proposed to be built near Wescoe Hall deserves our consideration. It accepts the essential reality of our need to know the time. Driven by sunlight, it would demonstrate the potential of new technological options. A clock that symbolizes our efforts to understand these options would be an appropriate element of this University.
Some people suggest moving the clock tower. Replacing one of the flags on Fraser Hall with a diagonally crowned clock won't work, a tower to the west of Wescoe Hall would impede that splendid southern view, and a tower placed north of Stauffer-Flint Hall would be screened by trees. The proposed site provides the best visibility.
No one would expect the tower to fuse High Hall and Wescoe Hall into one stylistic unit, nor would they expect the tower to hide Wescoe Hall. The primary concern here is compatibility. Certainly, several aspects of the design could be modified to harmonize further the tower with
Wescoe Hall, but the basic design is congruous and, in my mind, beautiful.
Delome Godsey Junction City senior
Thanks, Floyd
To the editor:
Last Thursday in the letters to the editor section of the University Daily Kansan, several young men authored a letter blasting the Allen Field House staff for favoritism. We would like to correct some of the gross errors put forth in that letter.
To begin with, as the first group of fans in line, we will testify that there were some people in the student section when we entered. But the number of students totaled eight to 10, a far cry from the "two-thirds full" as stated in the Thursday letter. And we add that the student security people did relied and gave up the seats they were saving.
we would like to point out that the students who had found their way into the section before the doors were open had been inadvertently left on pass lists of the pep band, etc. They were not singled out for favoritism in
Craig Thompson
a blatant move by the field house staff.
In closing, if these young men had been waiting in line for 20 hours as they stated, and there were only four of us that were there long, they would have known that Floyd Temple, assistant athletic director, and his staff went out of their way to accommodate the fans, all fans, before the game. And we wish to say thanks, Floyd.
Topeka graduate student
Craig Thompson
Lawrence graduate student
Sarah A. Duckers
Salina law student
Dennis L. Cohen
Salina law student
Stating his position
This letter is in direct response to Jordan Stump's letter in the Feb. 12 issue of the University Daily Kansas. Devs Ms. Stump:
To the editor:
ity." In trying to understand this statement, you should have realized that a single quotation printed in the Kansan would not sufficiently summarize my position on equality.
I agree with only one of your observations, that being that "Some people just aren't very smart." I am proud to identify myself as the individual who said that "It's not the government's job to legislate equal-
My position is as follows: I firmly believe that equality is an attitudinal, not a legislative, problem that we all must face. I also believe that we have the right to expect government to protect us from transgressions against the rights and liberties guaranteed in the Constitution. However, a written document supported by our congressman and signed by our president will not instantaneously eliminate the ingrained attitudes that have developed from years and years of experience.
Do you personally believe that passage of the bill to raise the drinking age to 21 will result in the immediate cessation of alcohol consumption by those under 21? If so, I agree with your first observation.
And maybe while we're legislating equality, we could legislate intelligence, honesty, wealth for all and all sorts of other good things.
Douglas Neumann
Topeka senior