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Opinion
Monday, September 11, 2000
For comments, contact Ben Embry or Emily Hughey at 864-4924 or e-mail opinion@kansan.com
Perspective Raise hell: vote for Ralph Nader
I am voting for Ralph Nader. How did I decide this? Did I draw a straw out of a hat? Did I slaughter my cat and read her entailrs to prophey? Did I do a poll? Did I ask General Electric "who you sugest"? No. I did research. I purposely ignored the media's monetary blases, even National Public Radio's. Allow me to explain my reasoning.
First, in Kansas and some other states, all of our electoral votes go to one person. In fourteen of the past fifteen elections these votes have gone Republican. A vote for Gore is still a vote for Bush.
Second, if you look at the candidates for the "two" major parties, you will see that they disagree, to any measurable degree, on
only a few issues. The difference in tax plans is negligible. (One-fifth of the population doesn't make enough to pay taxes.) They both like the military. Clinton-Gore spent more money on the military than Reagan did. They both approve of the death penalty. They both support unemployment and sweatshop-creating "free trade." They are both bought and sold by corporations. This is contrary to the rhetoric, but look at their funding.
Galen
Turner
guest columnist
opinion@kansan.com
They disagree on issues they can nay-say each other on: school vouchers, gun control and party affiliation.
To be fair, I must admit that Gore has been attempting to sound more Nader-like. Unfortunately, his past is full of ignored promises. Though the Sierra Club supports him, they also made a list of all the environmental issues he let drop. Go read it.
The Republicrats' rumor mills have been at full steam to discredit Nader. Many of their products recently arrived in the "Perspective" column in this paper.
Nader is not for "the exclusion of the rest of the world." That is ridiculous and ill informed. Nader has a long history of dealing with other countries. He believes we should look after ourselves, then use our international relations to raise the standard of living in other countries. This is opposed to the World Trade Organization, who will sell everyone out for a cheap buck.
A president is his cabinet. Nader knows this. He has been delegating tasks for 40 years. His cabinet would be well chosen. All this talk of "lack of experience" is empty rhetoric. Nader was gaining experience when Bush and Gore were 15 years old. Nader has been dealing with the facets of the government for his entire career. He helped create The Freedom of Information Act, one of the most powerful weapons for democracy, and the Clean Air Act, not to mention auto and air safety regulations.
The biggest reason for voting for a third party, especially Nader, is this: It raises hell. It lets politicians know we are not happy. Less than 40 percent of the eligible voters will vote, the lowest turnout in American history. The media calls it a "satisfied" public. Bull! Try talking to people. They are unhappy. Looking at the issues shows that "liberals" and "conservatives" often agree with each other but not Washington
Does anyone want corporations to be able to buy our rights? Having Nader, or even Pat Buchanan, in the debates will raise issues. Debating and arguing are the only ways to allow the people to see what the candidates believe. Bush does not want to debate. He has no real platform. Gore needs his answers written out. They soon revert to their contradicting.
My point is this: Voting for a third party has many benefits. It shakes the political status quo. If Nader gets 5 percent nationwide, the Green party gets $15 million in federal funding for the next election.
Bush is a puppet of big business. Gore is a man attempting to be a puppet. I'm voting for a candidate whom I believe in. Telling people they can't make a difference unless they vote for the same group of people who has betrayed them many times before is not only a twist in logic that will break your neck, but simply incorrect. We are the people. We have the power.
Turner is a Lawrence senior in history and religion.
Clay McCuistion / KANSAN
Kansan.com poll
t week's question
Last week's question Should third-party candidates be allowed in the presidential debates?
Bring it on Democracy depends on open and free exchange of ideas.
Yes, but the current system should remain in place.
No. Only major-party candidates should be allowed in the debates. Period.
Next week's question:
Are you happy with Flanigans new dress code? Log onto www.kansan.com to cast your vote on this issue.
Perspective
Power suits alienate politicians from voters
Equal representation — a notion that the framers of the Constitution envisioned for the nation that at the time was composed of only 13 states. More than 200 years ago it was decided that Europe was too aristocratic, pandering excessively to the upper class, to the nobles. So the vision was that the United States was to be different. It was to set a precedent. Yet the first thing that one notices about the members of Congress or other Capitol Hill staffers is their appearance, their way of dress. This
appearance is not one that emanates representation. In fact, it gives a somewhat condescending impression.
I was an intern for the U.S. Senate this summer, so I had the opportunity to observe our country's leaders from the front seat. I knew that members of Congress always dressed in power suits, that they had to give off the notion that they were people that possessed power as well, and therefore had the ability to wield it into whatever they
I was reading Time the other day, and a short article caught my attention. It explained how members of the government in other countries have changed dress code in recent years, allowing for more variety of dress. For instance, last week in Bermuda it was made acceptable for members of Parliament to wear Bermuda shorts when they are in session. Safari suits and Nehru jackets were also deemed acceptable for men, as were pantsuits for women. In 1994, Nelson Mandela passed reforms that introduced traditionally African items to parliament in
wanted. But I did not realize that it was an actual principle that members of the U.S. House have to adhere to, by law.
Rupali Limaye columnist opinion@pkansan.com
South Africa. And in Great Britain, the speaker of the House of Commons, Betty Boothroyd, has decided not to wear the traditional powdered wig. But the point that most surprised me was the fact that members of the U.S. House who are male must wear coats and ties; it is mandatory.
I assumed when I was in the House this summer that members dressed up in coats and ties because they wanted to, not because they had to. The fact that there is a law that members must wear coats and ties undermines the whole idea of equal representation.
Members of Congress are complaining that the majority of the citizens are apathetic. The U.S. had the lowest voter turnout in a presidential election in 1966 since the 1920s. The fact is, people feel as though they can't relate to members in Congress, so what is the point of getting out and voting in the election?
Dress code is an important reason as to why the mass public felt as though it can't relate to members of Congress. Members walk in and pose for the press in expensive suits, expensive jewelry and other accessories that aren't easily attainable for the average citizen.
I believe that the United States should allow members of Congress to wear what they want. Their constituents would then be able to relate better, because their representative would at least look like a common, everyday person. Because these members wear "expensive" suits, they give off an impression of an exclusive environment. The bottom line is that the government need not seem so exclusive. Maybe then citizens wouldn't seem so apathetic.
Congress members are supposed to represent the people of the United States, yet the majority of those who live here can't look like members of Congress. It seems to be an obvious instance in which the politicians have only themselves to blame.
Limaye is an Olathe senior in advertising and political science.
Editorial
Prevention key to hall fire safety
Many KU residence halls are not equipped with sprinkler systems.
After all, three students died and 62 others were injured last year in the aftermath of a residence hall fire at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. Lawmakers bounced back with a new law requiring sprinkler systems in every university and college in New Jersey. In another incident, one student died in a fraternity-house fire at Millinik University in Illinois. The death compelled the state to adopt similar legislation.
For the 2,150 students housed in the University of Kansas residence halls not equipped with sprinkler systems, life is unfair and unsafe.
There is a disturbing trend here. A fire at a campus residence causes student fatalities, and a new law is presented to make things better. Unfortunately, laws are enacted only after an unnecessary and preventable tragedy.
Beginning this semester, every open greek house on campus has a newly-installed sprinkler system — a requirement resulting from legislation passed by the city in 1993. Houses that could not comply with this regulation were not allowed to open for residence.
It's a good start, but there are still students crammed into residence halls — many with mediocre fire-safety measures. Only the newly renovated residence halls, Templel and Lewis, have sprinkler systems installed; however, these residence halls house only 560 students, which is approximately 21 percent of residence hall residents. Of the remaining six residence halls without sprinklers, five permit smoking in the rooms.
Sprinkler systems won't be added to the old residence halls until each undergoes a massive renovation. This will take years to complete, but it will save precious dollars. In the meantime, the 2,160 students who live in residence halls without sprinkler systems live in a potential fire trap. The Greek system has set an example for the University to follow. If the University won't take timely action, the state needs to flex some legislative muscle and make the residence halls safe for their residents.
Amanda Sears for the editorial board
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Free for all is the telephone public forum for the University Daily Kansan. Callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. The Kansan reserves the right to edit submissions, and not all of them will be published. Slainderous statements will not be printed. View additional comments at www.kansan.com.
Preventative measures based upon facts are not quite the same as discrimination, and the fact is that Abercrombie-wearing frat guys will likely leave their guns at home.
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For all the men who call Free for All, KU women do not appreciate being depicted as mere penis receptacles.
When will the UDK ... name the football players being investigated involved in the sexual assault case? The papers in Kansas City and Garden City have already named them. Support a woman's right to know.
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I think probably the scariest thing ever is an elephant with a shark on top, stomping around eating everything.
KU's math department is made of people who don't care about students or the education they receive ... That's really sad.
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No matter where you are, no matter how bad you're doing, tell yourself the world is a happy place, and all will be well.
Thank you, Kansan, for giving us the Free for All. It's just what we need: more frat boy half-witicisms. I don't get enough of those on the bathroom wall. What an asinine idea.
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I am sick and tired of there being an article everyday about how the football team needs our support, when they start winning we'll start supporting.
I wish that female soccer player would have gone straight to the police, so we wouldn't have to hear other females comments on how the athletic department handled the situation.
Don't think we don't know what's going on. Student Senate involvement is mentioned virtually in every article this week in the Kansan. Not a coincidence.
As a nontraditional student, I'd like to thank all the staff at KU for supporting nontraditional students.
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