Opinion
Kansan
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Lindsey Henry, Editor Marc Harrell, Business manager Dave Morantz, Managing editor Colleen Eager, Retail sales manager Kristie Blasi, Managing editor Dan Simon, Sales and marketing adviser Tom Ebien, General manager, newsist Justin Knupp, Technology coordinator
4A
Monday, Feb. 2, 1998
ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL
Editorials
Spending limits discussion should include enforcement, intent, legality
The elections commission is considering a draft of the elections code that would limit each coalition's spending to $2,210.
We think this is a lousy idea.
We think it is fairly clear. The code, if adopted, would limit the free speech of anyone seeking a Student Senate seat. The Supreme Court, in Buckley vs. Valeo, has held that money equals speech and that to limit the exercise thereof is unconstitutional.
But in addition to the opinion of the Court, there are other reasons this is a bad idea.
Times have changed. In years past, campaign coalitions have been short-lived. They formed in March, worked toward electing candidates in April and then disbanded. With the emergence of Delta Force, which will be running a slate of candidates again this year, the notion of spending limits becomes thoroughly muddled. Delta Force changed
— in status only — from a campaign coalition to a registered student organization. Its purpose, however, has not. Would their activities since they
The elections commission should not enact a limit on what coalitions can spend
registered as a political organization in June last year — from the Delta Force bus to the innumerable posters they have printed — count against the allowable expenditure for this year's campaign? If so, have they kept records of what they have spent or been given?
Even if the rule was legal, and we think that it is not, it still would be impossible to enforce. That puts whomever opposes Delta Force at a disadvantage; Delta Force may be able to ignore an unenforceable limit while its opponent must obey it.
Campaign spending limits — and these are limits on what candidates can accept, not what individuals can give— have been enacted to stop individuals from buying favors from political leaders. But this is not a problem with Student Senate: Access is free and favors are mostly worthless.
For instance, if you gave Scott Sullivan $50 to run for student body president, he might agree to a personal meeting with you in his office. But if you didn't give Sullivan a dime, he still would be tickled pink to meet with you. At this level, access is worth exactly what it costs: nothing. Any favor you could extract from Sullivan — or any Student Senator — would be of similar value. Outside contributions are not even solicited — campaign funds come from the candidates themselves. Thus, the reasoning behind limits isn't even relevant.
It's not that we think campaigns should be cast-of-thousands, cost-of-millions productions. They should not. But if a student wants to spend his life savings on a six-month bender or running for office, we say, 'More power to you.'
The spending limit will be debated today at 4 p.m. in the English Room at the Kansas Union.
Andy Obermueller for the editorial board
Village Inn trying hard, could do more
Disabled citizens should be able to access restrooms without feeling uncomfortable. The restroom facilities at the Village Inn Pancake House, 821 Iowa St., don't meet with the revised American Disabilities Act. Dave Lidvall, president of Family Restaurants, Inc, which owns Village Inn, acknowledged that the Lawrence store has an inadequate solution and that change is an incremental process.
The Village Inn Pancake House has provided a more narrow airline wheelchair for disabled guests. "This wheelchair, while not a perfect solution, has been a temporary fix", Lidall said.
While the Village Inn did well in providing the wheelchair, it's far from a perfect solution. Disable people shouldn't be asked to leave the comfort of their own wheelchairs to access the restroom at a restaurant. That's as ridiculous as asking you to squeeze into a customer uniform before you enter the restaurant.
The Lawrence Village Inn is the only one owned by Family Restaurants that is not in compliance with the ADA, Lidvall said. To comply, the company must finance a renovation. The law requires businesses to set aside 20 percent of their total upgrading costs for compliance with the ADA. The Lawrence restaurant doesn't have space to enlarge the restrooms because of the proximity of surrounding buildings. But there are other solutions.
There are organizations such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the American Civil Liberties Union that have helped businesses meet ADA standards. They could help Family Restaurants do the same.
A permanent solution must be reached. Disabled patrons have a right to accessible restrooms. And restaurants have a responsibility to provide them.
Kansan staff
Ameshia Tubbs for the editorial board
Paul Eakins . . . . . . . . . Editorial
Andy Obermuerzel . . . . . . Editorial
Andrea Albright . . . . . . News
Jodie Chester . . . . . . News
Julie King . . . . . . News
Charity Jeffries . . . Online
Eric Weslander . . Sports
Harley Rattifl . . Associate sports
Ryan Koerner . . Campus
Mike Perryman . Campus
Bryan Volk . Features
Tim Harrington . Associate features
Steve Puppe . . Photo
Angle Kuhn . Design, graphics
Mitch Lucas . Illustrations
Corrie Moore . Wire
Gwen Olson . Special sections
Lachelie Roades . Neues clerk
News editors
Kristi Bislel Assistant retail, PR
Leigh Bottiger Campus
Brett Clifton Regional
Nicole Lauderdale National
Matt Fisher Marketing
Chris Haghirian Internet
Brian Allers Production
Ashley Bonner Production
Andee Tomlin Promotions
Dan Kim Creative
Rachel O'Neill Classified
Tyler Cook Zone
Steve Grant. Zone
Jamie Holman Zone
Brian LeFevre Zone
Matt York Zone
Advertising managers
"You don't really develop a conscience until you accumulate some assets."
-W. Michael Davis
Letteras Should be double-spaced typed and fewer than 200 words. Letters must include the author's signature, name, address and telephone number plus class and home-town if a University student. Faculty or staff must identify their positions.
How to submit letters and guest columns
Guest columns: Should be double-
spaced typed with fewer than 700 words. The
writer must be willing to be photographed for
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All letters and guest columns should be submitted to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall. The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length or reject all submissions. For any questions, call Paul Eakins (eakins@kansan.com) or Andy Obermuller (andyo@kansan.com) at 864-4810. If you have general questions or comments, e-mail the page staff (opinion@kansan.com) or call 864-4810.
Perspective
Dreaming of citizenship, not audience participation
A So I'm writing, the news of the president's state of the union address is still in the background. Something is wrong. They can't be talking about what I think they are—I
heard "miter," "Lewinsky," "special prosecutor," "sexual misconduct," or even "Jailbaitgate" for three minutes. I keep hearing words that sound like nonsense: "social security," "foreign trade," "worker's rights." I can't remember what these words mean.
Ryan
Devlin
ooinion@kansan.com
Hearing the media discuss pertinent issues is unusual these days. It's like hearing Jesse Helms say, "Homosexuals? I love 'em!" Or Keith Richards says, "Smack? Nah, it's not my thing. Give meTab."
As White House press secretary Mike McCurry said, welcome to the theater of the absurd.
The production of Jailbaitgate has been directed by Ken Starr and William Ginsburg, produced by the American News Media, and sponsored by the Republican Party, the people who brought you Watergate.
This kind of production makes Titanic look like an episode of Hangin' with Mr. Cooper.
Let's read the playbill:
Lucianne Goldberg, literary agent and former spy for the Nixon administration during the '72 campaign.
Linda Tripp. White House employee heldover from the Bush administration who supposedly holds a grudge against the Clintons (because they messed up the White House like junior-high hooligans, and because George Stephanopolous had dirty hair). Tripp and Goldberg allegedly have been trying for two years to come up with a book that would embarrass the Clintons.
Following the advice of Goldberg, Tripp illegally recorded conversations with Monica Lewinsky, who claims she had oral and phone sex with the president.
Kenneth "Someday I'll roll sevens" Starr , a
committed Republican and special prosecutor appointed to investigate the infamous Whitewater and deal. Starr has since used his appointment to attempt to bring any and every charge against the president
Bill Clinton, the full-time president of the several states, is accused of adultery and obstruction of justice. I agree with a professor of mine who said Bill Clinton's most major obstruction is his own limb system.
The minor players, like Congress and a representative of every major American media organization, make this a real made-for-TV melodrama (I almost typed "melrodrama." *Melrose Place* is lucky the Lewinsky Affair isn't in a competing time slot, otherwise Heather Locklear would have nothing to do but wait for a *T.J Hooker* reunion).
The Lewinsky Affair is a riveting drama, but not much more. How many of these ridiculous events do we have to sit through before we draw the line? We should make the distinction between politics and entertainment and behave more responsibly. As we watch, read or listen to the news, we need to realize our role is as voters and not as members of a movie audience. We should consume news as active participants in a democracy — whose duty it is to be informed not about the position of the president's zipper but rather his position on issues. Those who manage news organizations should behave with the integrity that their position demands, not as if they are movie executives creating marketable concepts like Dustin Hoffman in *Wag the Dog*. Newspaper writers should give the facts, not write John Grisham novels. TV producers should guarantee the news is presented accurately and fairly, not as if it is based on Grisham novels. Politicians' duty is to represent the needs of constituents, not act like a character in...you get the idea.
The real issue in this matter is not obstruction of justice, but the obstruction of what's really happening in Washington. Politics and its coverage should be based on facts, not on production value.
Now I know I'm dreaming.
Ryan Devlin is an Overland Park senior in English.
Feedback
Clinton is not above the law, but he does have a job to do
Just leave him alone and let him do his job. Without substantial evidence, the man is not guilty. Yet, with one word from the press, his staff and our country's confidence is shaken. Ladies and Gentlemen, we cannot afford this. Bill Clinton will still be Bill Clinton after his term has expired. We, as Americans, need him to fulfill the obligations of the office. This requires complete dedication of mind and body. His soul will have its reckoning.
The bottom line is that Bill Clinton is an intelligent man and performing the tasks at hand with success. You don't have to like him, but you should give him the respect for the accomplishments he's made while in office. The focal point of Clinton's actions as president are positive. Isn't it within the job performance that the judgment should rest? Don't get caught up in holding higher standards for your president than you do for yourself. He's just a man, doing a tremendously difficult job. I know it's easy to come up with a million reasons why he should fall under heavy scrutiny. But, that is not what we elected him for. We elected him because we believe that he will lead us in a progressive manner. To this point, I think he has done so.
Is Bill Clinton above the law? No. Should he be held accountable for his actions and stand
trial? Yes. Are his morals in question? Most definitely, but Iid still like to see some concrete evidence to back these allegations. Remember that there are allot of very powerful people who have strong interests in Clinton's failure. I'm not suggesting some conspiracy. However, controlled leaks and biased spins can be devastating politically, not only for Clinton, but the entire democratic process and the legitimacy of our institutions. We, as a country, do not need another Watergate. The first one did enough damage to our political participation to last at least until the end of the century. That's all I ask. Allow the man to fulfill the oath and obligations that we elected him to do. In do time, justice will be served. Please, not at our expense. We can't afford it.
Students should pick up trash, keep the campus clean
Jason Holsman Kansas City, Mo. senior
Well here I am walking through the streets of downtown Denver after the fans took to the streets to cheer and party the Broncos' big Super Bowl victory. Hoorah! Hoorah! But wait. I don't see the normal debris left after a night of drunken merriment. No broken beer bottles, no exploded fireworks, no burnt out Buicks. And as I turn around, there on the other side of the street, it strikes me full in the face: a bronze Jayhawk statue.
That's right, I'm not in downtown Denver, but standing on the sidewalk in front of Wescos at the University of Kansas. At every step are cigarette butts and the Kansan — its inserts scattered and a thousand foot prints marking up the pages. Wrappers, empty soda cans and crushed cups peering from the bushes, strewn across the grass.
This is not the day after some big game. It's everyday. Many students avoid the front of Wescoe embarrassed by the piggy. Would more ashtrays and trash cans alleviate the problem? Possibly, but there are as many or more butts and trash within inches of both receptacles as anywhere else.
What are the answers to this problem that no one seems to care about? How about getting up and walking the ten or fifteen feet to the ashtray or trash can and actually putting the trash inside the receptacle? Pack up your copy of the Kansan and its annoying inserts into your backpack to recycle later. You come to college to improve yourself and expand your mind, not to trash a campus. Visitors come here from around the state, the country, and the world. They've heard that the University is a wonderful place academically, and that it has a beautiful campus. Don't ruin that perception.
Put trash where it belongs! We want to see the beautiful campus the brochures told us about.
Tom Soetaert Shawnee senior
Buzz on the Boulevard
Do you think the University of Kansas needs a fall break?
A.J. Delaney,
Overland Park
sophomore
Michelle McClelland, Yokosuka, Japan senior
"Putting in an extra break gives people more down time and extra time to get away or catch up on studies."
Joel Shirey Olathe senior
"I think it would be a good idea to have fall break. The fall semester seems a lot more intense and a lot longer. Fall break would give us a chance to handle the semester."
"I don't think we should have it. I think it would be disruptive for the students. It takes me about a week to get back into it after Spring Break."
Amy Greer, Bar-
tilesville, Okla.
senior
"There is way too much of a time span before we have a break. All of my friends that go to other universities have them. Students get too tired during the fall."