4 Tuesday, October 23, 1990 / University Daily Kansan Opinion THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN Narrow Margin Hayden's crusade for education is not the best, but he offers more than Robin Joan or a prayer Mike Hayden is higher education's best bet in the governor's chair. The Republican governor is not a crusader for education. He was a follower, not a leader, at the national education summit in Virginia last year. He supported the first two years of the Margin of Excellence but deferred support for the third. He supported the Legislature when it reversed itself by cutting the newly approved Board of Regents base budget during the frenzied end of the legislative session. But compared to his opponents, Mike Hayden offers the best hope for Kansas education in the '90s. The fundamental challenge to education during the next four years will be securing adequate financing from the state. Hayden repeatedly has committed himself to paying for the third year of the Margin during the next session of the Legislature. He suggests generating Margin money by raising the tobacco tax, a revenue source advocated by Margin supporters during the 1990 Legislature. Although arguably unfair and certainly less desirable than general-fund financing, the tobacco tax represents a politically sound option. Neither of the other gubernatorial candidates has demonstrated an adequate commitment to the Margin. Democrat Joan Finney says she supports Margin financing, but a Finney spokesperson admits that it is not at the top of her agenda. Finney's political ability to shepherd higher education financing through the Legislature is questionable. She has condemned Hayden's proposal to levy a tax for the Margin but proposes a more-feeble solution: diverting money from the lottery. That approach is likely to plunk the Margin into a political melee. Money money now feeds the state's Economic Development Initiatives Fund, which has avid defenders in the Legislature. By plundering lottery riches, Robin Joe threatens needlessly to pit攻宜—growth against supporters of education. Universities would wither during the stalemate. The voters' only other choice is independent candidate Christina Campbell-Cline, who also has lanced onto the lottery to become the state's governor to pray about the state's budget crisis. With these three candidates, prayer may be important for higher education during the four years. But money will be more important and Hayden is most likely to supply it. Brett Brenner and Derek Schmidt for the editorial board Change necessary Attorney general should stay away from trouble The state's attorney general race pits an effective but ethically questionable incumbent against a newcomer whose greatest appeal may be that he isn't the incumbent. Bob Stephan, a Republican seeking his fourth term as attorney general, lists significant accomplishments that, if taken alone, undoubtedly would make him the better candidate. He doubled the number of antidrug enforcement officers, toughened drunken driving punishments and initiated a lawsuit against Colorado demanding that Kansas receive more water from the Arkansas River. Stephan also began a Consumer Protection Agency and was named one of the nation's 10 best attorney generals by ADWEEK Magazine. His Democratic opponent, Bert Cantwell, has local, state and federal law enforcement experience. A former Wyndotte sheriff, superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol and a U.S. Marshal, Cantwell considers last year's 11 percent increase in all violent crimes reported in Kansas to be a product of Stephan's tenure. Federal Bureau of Investigation crime statistics indicate that, compared to 1988, murder and manslaughter reported to police last year increased 62 percent and rape increased 18 percent. Cantwell proposes an 11-point crime prevention program that would emphasize local enforcement. He calls for a committee of local law enforcement leaders to advise the attorney general about local law needs. Another point is a proposal that the attorney general not appoint Kansas Bureau of Investigations officials, a practice that encourages partisan favors rather than professional excellence. Instead, a group of police chiefs and sheriffs would select the KBI director. Evaluating the candidates' past professional records suggests that either would do well and that Stephan already has done so. He indicates that Stephan would change course now. That course, however, has seen Stephan stammer at numerous embarrassing allegations of questionable behavior. Cantwell has exploited those allegations during the campaign. That others did so before Cantwell suggests that the accusations have disrupted and will continue to disrupt the effectiveness of a Stephan-led attorney general's office. In one such disruption in 1988, Stephan assigned his staff to defend him in two lawsuits filed by Marcia Stingley, a former employee. The sexual harassment and breach of contract suits, on which the state spent more than $64,000 on his defense, were eventually settled out of court. Soon after that, Stephen bought a luxury car, seemingly oblivious to the financial crunch that awaited him. The next March, Stephan filed for bankruptcy because he couldn't afford to pay the settlement against him, much less make payments on the car. Misdissems were never proven in the case, but a public official who directs the state's law enforcement agencies must stay away from trouble himself, something Stephan hasn't done the past four years. Cantwell offers Kansans a welcome new direction in the attorney general's office. Rich Cornell and Jill Harrington for the editorial board LETTERS to the EDITOR editorial stressing the importance of continued enhancement of accessibility at the University. Not only the Rehabilitation Act, but also the Kansas Accessibility Standards, require new construction and major renovation projects in public buildings to meet accessibility codes. Accessibility important The University has made great strides in accessibility and with new facilities such as the Dole Center to offer more accessible learning but improvements in the future. But Independence, Inc., salutes Sally Gibbs and the editorial board for the until all services and programs on campus are completely accessible, a point worth remembering is that program accessibility can be temporarily accomplished by making sure recruiting fairs and other curricular and extra-curricular activities are scheduled in accessible locations. Rav Pettv Hay Petty executive director, Lawrence independent Living Resource Center Ideas on homosexuality skewed Why did Matt Jackson just say up front in his Oct. 17 column that he believed homosexuality to be a sin? Although I thoroughly disagree with his theological stance, I would never presume to argue against his expression of his faith. What troubles me is that he tries to use non-theological ideas to justify his faith. As a matter of fact, instead of just arguing his theological position he begins by saying that he will never be in heaven, and he rebuttal to the hermeneux lifestyle Dennis Dailey Guest columnist "There is really no need for that, Jackson, if your feelings about homosexuality as sin are based in theological dogma. Fact or science seldom has any significant impact on matters of dogma. But he persists! Clearly, Jackson has never spent much time on a farm or wandering in nature, where one is continuously able to observe animals and communicate with each other. He uses this argument to support his notion about homosexuality being "unnatural." Then he moves to anal sex for the same purpose, which he believes destroys and exploits a person's body. Apparently Jackson is unaware of the use, by a significant proportion of heterosexual couples, of anal sex play as a part of their sexual expression. Nor does he understand that not all gay men prefer anal sex play, nor is anal sex play particularly popular amongst lesbians in their sexual interactions. Next comes the red herring about gays and AIDS. Jackson is apparently not aware that exposure to the HIV virus in the male homosexual population is on the decrease, while it is on the increase in intravenous drug users and heroin susceptibles in the United States. Most are unaware that HIV, worldwide, is largely a heterosexually transmitted disease. True, gay males do have more sexual partners, on average, than do lesbians or straight males and females. But the heterosexual population surely does not win any prizes for its fidelity or monogamy, especially straight men. Nor does he seem aware of all those gay and lesbian couples who are in strong, monogamous relationships, many of which last as long as or longer than the average woman. He never noticed the divorce statistics? Next time, Jackson, just state up front that your issue with homosexuality is theological, leave out all of the recourse to erroneously interpreted data, and seek a close "best" friend for them. With Jesus Christ," the prophet of love and tolerance, gentleness and kindness, acceptance and peace. Finally, we get to the issue of preference as opposed to orientation. I would hope that Jackson is personally aware that he did not consciously select heterosexuality as his erotic orientation as a child. Same goes for those whose erotic orientation is toward the same sex. All Jackson or anyone else has a choice about is in the expression of erotic orientation, that be catholyx or hypersexual or hypersexual. The second choice he has chosen to be "closed-minded about homosexuality" but he did not choose his erotic orientation. Dennis Dailey is a professor of social welfare. Reader deplores homophobia, closed minds I have attended the University of Kansas for a little more than a year. I have always enjoyed reading the Kansan and its editorials of the writers, although I may not have always agreed with them. However, after reading Matt Jackson's column, "Homosexuality not natural or mainstream," in Wednesday's Kansan, I felt for the first time that Jackson had another person's opinion on a topic that that person apparently knew nothing about. Thus, I am writing this response to Jackson and anyone else who may hold the same views that homosexuality in our community. Second, Jackson's statistics about AIDS cases, which state that gay men are responsible for 73 percent of all cases, are from 1986 and therefore outdated. June 1990 statistics show that gay males are responsible for only 68 percent of all AIDS cases and that they are responsible for 31 percent. The other 3 percent of the cases were not determined (HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, First of all, it is a well-known fact that gay males are not the only people who perform anal sex. For instance, they may do it in performance this type of erotic sex. United States Government, June 1990) Jackson also said that "if handling a certain chemical were responsible for 73 percent of all cases of a certain cancer that had no cure and cost billions in medical treatment, that chemical would be immediately banned and extinguished from our planet." Well, I believe cigarette smoking and the use of other tobacco products are doing just that. So why haven't we totally banned and extinguished them from our planet? So yes, Jackson, I will call you homophobic and closed-minded. And by the way, who asked you to give your daughter a glass of Draven? I give your daughter a glass of Draven? Next, Jackson seemed to be bothered by the number of sexual partners that gay men have during a lifetime. I don't think that the number of sexual partners anyone has is an issue here. It is not anyone's business how many people someone else has shut with don't think it was anyone who was gay or lesbian. People who are gay or lesbian care way too much about the well-being of other human beings, even if they are closed-minded or let something of that nature happen. Home Remedies KANSAN STAFF Jackson, you said you believed homosexuals "are caught up in a way of life that is scary and oppressive." Well, the only reason I might be scared or oppressed would be because a lot of close-mided individuals like yourself are ignorant of topics such as violence. So if you have not allowed me to be totally open and to express my sexuality openly in public. So I feel sorry for you, Jackson, because you were not informed of the truth about homosexuality before you wrote your column. But I am afraid that I will be a tool for a gay, lesbian and heterosexual, when I say that I do not hate you. On the contrary, it would satisfy me just to know that you have now been informed about homosexuality. All I want to do is not be a favor. Before you decide to write another column, please get all the facts right. Curtis Beatty is a Coffeyville sophomore majoring in journalism. 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