Opinion
rHE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
ED BOARD: REVIVE OLD PREGAME TRADITIONS
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2009
COMING MONDAY
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FREE FOR ALL
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Naismith Hall is not a drug-free zone!
I really want to steal the Wal-Mart floor waxer and ride it around Wal-Mart.
To the guy who used to live here; I miss your pizza rolls and Kool-Aid. Please come back
I'm walking home from class and I saw one guy wearing a Pokemon sweater, one guy dribbling a basketball, and one guy with his shirt off. Coincidence? I think not.
After missing an easy question in biology, my friend says to me, "We should just stick to partying; we should just stick to what we know."
--was too embarrassed.
These damn meatballs are keeping me awake.
--was too embarrassed.
Seriously, Lawrence drivers stop sucking and start following the speed limit.
--was too embarrassed.
--was too embarrassed.
If you lost your iPod on Wednesday and you had class in Budig, I left it at Budig lost and found.
I just pwned the seventh floor of Ellsworth in a game of foosball
To the guy who just saw me fall like an idiot on McCollum stairs: Thanks for getting my shoe and not laughing at me. I would've said something but I was too embarrassed.
Some of you girls need to give better signals.
--he voices genuine concern for some of the lifestyles hip-hop tends to promote to these young Americans.
Like what? You want us to wear a sign that says "Ask me?"
--he voices genuine concern for some of the lifestyles hip-hop tends to promote to these young Americans.
Couldn't hurt. If nothing else you'll meet some new guys that think the sign's for them. Just pointing out, some girls "signals" are pretty weak.
--he voices genuine concern for some of the lifestyles hip-hop tends to promote to these young Americans.
I love footie paiamas!
Stop staring! It is a khaki uniform I HAVE to wear on Wednesdays!
--he voices genuine concern for some of the lifestyles hip-hop tends to promote to these young Americans.
--he voices genuine concern for some of the lifestyles hip-hop tends to promote to these young Americans.
I really should finish my lab report, but I think it's time for
--he voices genuine concern for some of the lifestyles hip-hop tends to promote to these young Americans.
Dude! The Penguin from "Batman" goes to KU. I saw him walking back from Es.
--he voices genuine concern for some of the lifestyles hip-hop tends to promote to these young Americans.
I really like your green coat.
MUSIC
BENCOLDHAM
Hip-hop has a friend in the White House
I know, the man is everywhere these days, and rightly so. Still, as we are all aware, the election of Barack Obama as our 44th president is an especially momentous accomplishment, not only for Obama but for our country as well. While Americans celebrate the inauguration of their first African-American president, hip-hop artist' reactions don't differ much from the near-national consensus. Barack has said he likes hip-hop in multiple interviews, naming hip-hop moguls Jay-Z and Kanye West as some of his favorite artists.
Because of this, hip-hop heads have embraced President Obama as one of their own. As a result, since Obama became the president-elect on Nov. 4, 2008, there has been an overwhelming sense of pride emanating from the entire hip-hop community. Rappers have felt the inspiration and hope that Barack has provided for millions of Americans, and it has certainly begun to come through in their music. Artists are already proudly referring to Obama as their president in songs and verses, most notably on Young Jeezy's recent single, "My President."
Barack Obama does seem to have a great deal of love for hip-hop and its roots, but the love only goes so far. While praising hip-hop for creating a channel of expression for young people,
"Honestly, I love the art of hip-hop." Obama stated in an interview with BET in 2008. "I don't always love the message of hip-hop." He went on to speak of meetings he has had with prominent hip-hop artists such as Jay-Z and Kanye and speaking with them about harnessing their influential powers to send a resonating, more positive message to their younger fans.
"The potential for them to deliver a message of extraordinary power that gets people thinking is tremendous," Obama said. "The thing about hip-hop today is it's smart. It's insightful. The way they can communicate a complex message in a very short space is remarkable. A lot of these kids aren't going to be reading the New York Times; that's not how they're getting their information."
The president is absolutely right. Hip-hop must act as a vehicle for change within its own culture for it to progress as one. If
BEN'S BEATDOWNS
Hot Track to Download:
"Forgot About Me" by Scarface featuring Lil Wayne and Bun B (Listen for Bun B's Obama reference)
Classic Cut: "Mo Money,
Mo Murda 'Homicide'" by AZ featuring Nas
this requirement is not met by its contemporary representatives, it will ultimately mean the demise of hip-hop.
However, if hip-hop begins to listen to our new president, it could spark the beginning of a revolution in hip-hop regarding its role and influence in our society as a whole. Hip-hop has made a new friend in Barack Obama for now, but for the friendship to remain intact, hip-hop must do its part to adhere to the values he and his staff have deemed essential to our prosperity. I'll leave you with a quote from the man himself: "What I always says is: Hip-hop is not just a mirror of what is, it should also be a reflection of what can be." Peace.
Coldham is a Chicago senior in Journalism and English.
PAGE 7A
EDITORIAL CARTOON
Chris Sharron for The Daily Kent Stater/UWIRE
ECONOMY
Budget crisis needs bipartisan solution
As the current legislative session begins, Kansas lawmakers are
Kansas lawmakers are deadlocked on the issue of the state budget. With the state facing a $186 million deficit, Republicans want to cut $300 million from the budget. This would not only eliminate the deficit, but would also provide a cushion if state revenues fall because of the current recession
Gov. Kahlleen Sebelius supports using funds from the upcoming federal stimulus plan to erase the current deficit. Such a plan is irresponsible, as it is crafted solely for political gain. While federal aid could erase the current deficit, it would only increase future deficits, starting in fiscal year 2011. Eventually, cuts are going to have to be made. To use federal aid as a temporary solution is only an attempt to pass unpopular cuts off to future politicians.
State legislators, both Republican and Democrat, agree expenditures must be slashed and the budget balanced. They cannot, however, reach an agreement on how to accomplish this. Democrats want to target specific agencies and departments to make the necessary cuts. Republicans favor making cuts across the board. At this point, neither side is willing to compromise. Democrats are opposed to across-the-board cuts, as they imply cuts in funding for education. Republicans counter that across the board cuts are the only way to slash the desired $300 million.
Perhaps, in this case, both sides are right. The Democrats' plan to target specific agencies and departments should be utilized. Huge bureaucracies should be targeted for expenditure cuts. While this plan may be attributed to Dermocrats, it should be a dream come true for Republicans, as the Republican Party typically favors limited government and strives to eliminate big government bureaucracy.
Unfortunately, because of the magnitude of the state's budget crisis, targeting government bureaucracy will not be enough to balance the state's budget.
THE CONSERVATIVE CONSCIENCE
MATTHEW O'NEILL
This will only be accomplished with expenditure cuts across the board.
The major resistance to across the-board cuts is due, at least in part, to the threat it poses to funding for public education. No one with an intelligent opinion, on either side of the political spectrum, wants to see funding for education slashed dramatically. In fact, education is probably one of the best investments the state makes. Because education is the state's largest expenditure, accounting for approximately 45 percent of the total budget according to the Governor's Budget Report, it will naturally be an area targeted to cut spending.
As a public school graduate, I understand the importance of properly funding it. Therefore, I am hesitant to support cuts to such funding. However, the Legislative Research Department estimates that only 60 percent of education funding makes it into the classroom.
That means that of the approximately $6 billion the state spends on education in the fiscal year 2009, $2.4 billion of that will cover administrative, and other non-classroom, costs. State legislators would be better served to ensure that more money marked for education makes it into the classroom.
During the next several weeks, there will inevitably be many different plans put forward attempting to balance the state budget. A resolution in the best interest of the state will require a bipartisan effort, first targeting governmental bureaucracies followed by across-the-board cuts. The state budget must be balanced, even if it means making difficult, and unpopular, cuts.
O'Neill is a Topeka junior in economics and history.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Time for an organic revolution
With unemployment, food scares, and demands on food banks all up, the time is now for an organic revolution. President Obama and Congress are currently considering a massive financial stimulus package to rescue our economy. Absent from the discussion has been any reference to supporting a sustainable and organic food system.
Our economy and national security depend on re-localiz-
ing our food system, shifting away from chemically dependent industrial agriculture, and assuring that the food system supports living wages for farmers, farm workers and other workers in the supply chain.
Redirecting the billions of dollars in farm subsidies away from corporate farms and industrial biofuels toward a just and organic food system is a solid long-term investment in America's future.
Patrick Suzeau is a professor in the department of music and dance
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD Members of the Kauai Editorial Board are Brenna Hawley, Tara Smith, Mary Sorick, Keely Hayes and Ross Stewart.