University Daily Kansan, August 27, 1982
Opinion
Page 4
J J
Excuses aren't needed
Tailback Kerwin Bell will be sitting on the bench during the first three games of the coming football season, and he will lose one year of eligibility, because the NCAA says he violated the rules.
On the heels of Tuesday's announcement that Bell did not have the required 2.0 high school grade point average to play at KU—and thus was ineligible as a freshmen—comes a ruling by the Big Eight that KU must forfeit four 1980 conference games in which Bell placed.
Bell's eligibility problems can be traced to school work done the summer after his graduation from high school in order to bring his grades up high enough to be eligible for a football scholarship.
However, the NCAA says that including grades based on the summer work in his high school transcript was illegal, and that the determination of
eligibility must be based solely on work completed in eight semesters of high school.
Athletic Director Jim Lessig, who was not at KU when the violation occurred, and Head Coach Don Fambrough both maintain that neither Bell nor the University knew the star player had broken any rules.
This statement in itself points out a problem of negligence within the KU athletic department.
Recruiters and other University officials—people who are paid to know the NCAA regulations and ensure that recruits and their high schools also know them—should make it a point to find out about a recruit's academic progress throughout high school, not just whether his final grades bring him up to the minimum 2.0.
Excuses about having no reason to suspect a violation are not adequate.
Dentist's anesthetics prompt reflections on weighty issues
"It is very vulgar to talk like a dentist when one isn't a dentist. It produces a false impression."
Oscar Wilde As I sat waiting for the inevitable to happen, the dentist at least I thought he was approached and asked whether I wanted Novacaine. Generically known as procaine hydrochloride, the drug is used in dentistry as an anesthetic to numb that area of the mouth about to be pulverized by drills and other tools associated with interstate highway construction.
Instinctively sensing that there would be a great deal of pain with or without the painkiller in this particular circumstance, I went for the lesser of two evils and chose the drug.
It simply is not human nature to enjoy visits to it professional who performs vicious acts upon
HAL KLOPPER
certain parts of the body and then asks, "Will this be cash, check or charge?" But some things in life, such as pain, must be endured in order to perform a task, a relic of George Washington's dental work.
At this point, the reader may wonder just how important a visit to the dentist's office could be. But, as I lay in that supine position under the scrutiny of my dentist and his assistant, many important social issues suddenly became apparent to me.
These thoughts began just after the nitrous oxide began filtering through my system.
Nitrous oxide is another numbing drug that can be referred to as the "apathetic anesthetic." Although somewhat painful road work may be taking place in the mouth, the patient just doesn't care. This gas, inhaled through the nose, mumps the鼻部. Humour has the power toound entrances to voting precincts just before election time, but this has not been verified.
For the first time in all of my numerous dental visits, I was quite untrusting of my dentist and
what he was about to do. I briefly pictured him as a businessman and saw myself as his paperwork. Doesn't everybody make an occasional mistake balancing the checkbook? He did, and I rarely misunderstand my inner mouth for a stack of hard bills and staple my tongue to my cheek?
And then, I felt ashamed. This man is professional, I said to myself. Has the American public become this wary of various public jobs or was my nitrous oxide just turned up too high?
On more than one occasion, the dentist asked his assistant for the suction tube, whereupon I noticed that my saliva flow was stronger than usual. Initially, I felt guilty and embarrassed, but actually did not matter because my dentist was paid so that I could salve my without guilt.
At one point in the procedure, my dentist asked his assistant whether she had prepared for him a certain dental tool, a question to which she replied, "I forgot." My eyes, obviously reflecting great fear, shot up and told her never to say those words again while working on a patient. She was silent for the rest of the procedure. Eyes can talk.
So, what is there to learn from this mishmash of an adventure? Basically, there are six lessons here for the Kansan reader:
1) annalning a mixture of nitrous oxide could prove to be quite different than inhaling a gas.
2) the same.
3) annalning a mixture of nitrous oxide could prove to be quite different than inhaling a gas.
2) Human beings will go to great lengths to avoid pain.
3) Sometimes it is all right to salivate freely, especially when one knows that it is helping to relieve pain.
4) Man needs to be more trusting of his fellow man, particularly where professional institutions are involved.
5) Government may or may not be included in lesson four.
6) On occasion, there is nothing terribly wrong with being treated like a stack of paperwork. It makes one appreciate being treated like a human.
This is an opinion page, and it is my opinion that everyone should visit the dentist to gain a new outlook on life. Be sure to ask for the nitrous oxide.
Severance tax issue isn't dead vet
Last April most people thought the severance tax issue dead when the Kansas Senate defeated a bill.
But the issue is far from dead, as evidenced by the recent gubernatorial primary elections.
One of the Republican candidates for governor, former House Speaker Wendell Lady, sponsored a 3.5 percent tax on the gross value of natural gas and a 2.5 percent tax on natural gas liquids.
Lady's stance was unpopular, even among his fellow Republicans. And he was defeated soundly by anti-severance tax candidate Sam Hardage of Wichita.
If property taxes are not to be raised and the quality of services maintained, a severance tax must be implemented.
As the election battle draws closer, the lines are clearly drawn Democrates, under the leadership of Gov John Carli, generally opposed to Rick Santorum. The state are expressly demanding with such a tax.
But party platforms aside, the question still remains: Does Kansas need a severance tax in order to avoid raising local property taxes or, worse yet, financial bankruptcy?
the state, as evidenced by the financial cuts on the University of Kansas campus, is hurting. Deficits totaling several million dollars will face the Legislature in this fall, and new funds won't be
Property taxes, which are already oppressively high in some eastern Kansas counties, continue to rise. Another means must be found to reduce the trampling of the people it was designed to serve.
wo other feasible method has been devised by the republican-led Senate to raise needed funds
When the bill was defeated last April, it should raise an estimated $73 million during its first year and about $100 million each year afterwards. The estimates were projected last spring by aides of Rep. Fred Weaver, D-Baxter and crude oil prices were substantially lower.
These revenues would be raised by a 3.5 percent tax on crudo oil and 2.5 percent on gasoline.
The proposed severance tax would exempt royalty owners and also would provide a
TOM HUTTON
graduated tax scale for wells that are low producers.
once the miniturn pad, all wells producing one barrel of oil a day would be exempt from the tax. A well producing two barrels a day would be exempt from the tax if it were more than 2,000 feet deep, and a three-barrel a day well would be exempt if it were 3,000 feet deep. Gas wells producing 60,000 cubic feet of gas or less per day would be exempt.
Under the proposed bill, 5 percent of the severance tax proceeds would be rebated to oil and gas-producing counties. If also provides that 20 percent of the revenue must be placed in a trust fund that can be dipped into when oil and gas-producing declines and severance tax revenues drop.
The bill stated that 75 percent of the proceeds from a severance tax would be used to provide property tax relief by helping to fund public schools.
It is obvious that the oil producers were not ignored when the plan was developed. And judging from the votes last spring by state senators and representatives, there is no agreement in either statehouse on how to solve the state's financial欠账. Financial problems have resulted of two ways - reusing taxes or cutting services. Neither of these are pleasing proposals.
One of the co-sponsors of the 1982 severance tax bill was Rep. Jessie Branson, D/Lawrence, a strong supporter of state education.
arsonson sponsored the bill, she said Wednesday, because of her desire to improve education and to free funds for other uses.
"I sponsored the bill to keep down property taxes and also to help fund an increase in state aid to education." Branson said. "I feel it's important to work toward a level of equalization for the best possible education in our public schools."
Branson also said the severance tax, if passed, eventually would channel money to higher education, social services and programs for the handicapped.
The tax is likely to be a volatile issue during the 1983 session, Branson said, particularly if Gov. Carlin is re-elected.
"If Gov. Carlin remains governor, a great deal more effort will go into the severance tax," Branson said. "There will be new House members and a new speaker. Whether it can succeed will depend on the inclination of those people."
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