Volume 124 Issue 74
kansan.com
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
OBAMAWATOMIE
HANNAH WISE/KANSAN
President Obama waves to the audience after finishing his remarks Tuesday afternoon in Osawatomie. The President struck a populist tone in a speech that received wide-spread media attention. Hundreds of people stood in line for the chance to see the speech in person.
PRAIRIE POPULISM
Inequality distorts democracy. Obama says in Kansas address
JONATHAN SHORMAN
jshorman@kansan.com
OSAWATOMIE - President Barack Obama brought a message of economic populism here Tuesday, delivering a speech that was well-received by an audience who endured bone-cold conditions to get in.
Obama, invoking Teddy Roosevelt, called for fair economic policies. The president reiterated that the wealthiest Americans should pay their "fair share" and that this involved raising tax rates on the richest.
He also had tough words for Republicans about efforts to obstruct the mission of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, which was created last year when Congress passed a financial reform bill.
"I want you to hear me Kansas! I will veto any effort to delay, defund or dismantle the new rules we put in place." Obama said.
At times, Obama's language was similar to the vocabulary of the Occupy Movement. With a row of American and Kansas flags behind him and a crowded high school gymnasium in front of him, the president framed fairness in the context of the wealthiest one percent of Americans, citing statistics that show a typical CEO now earns 110 times the wages of a typical worker.
"Inequality also distorts our democracy," Obama said. "It runs the risk of selling out our democracy to the highest bidder."
At its very worst, inequality creates a future where children born into poverty are less capable of climbing into the middle class. Obama said, but that a different vision of the future was possible.
"The world is shifting to an innovation economy and no one does innovation better than America," Obama said.
importance of education, noting that the unemployment rate for college graduates is about half the national average.
The president emphasized the
"We should be a country where everyone has a chance to go and doesn't rack up $100,000 of debt," Obama said, in a line that drew a standing ovation.
Along with education, research and investment in infrastructure is important to creating a better America, Obama said.
The speech, which lasted a little under an hour, was wellattended, with hundreds packing into the Osawatomie High School gym. Dozens of television cameras peppered the back of the gym, and journalists stood along the right side, notebooks and cameras in hand.
HANNAH WISE/KANSAN
Matt Visser, a junior from Leavenworth, came with Weber. Visser, who held notes that he took during the speech, said that he expected to hear about broad policies that Obama could put into place, but that he really enjoyed the president's message of fair play.
Several University students were also in attendance. Chris Weber, a senior from Princeton, Kan., came to Osawatamie on Sunday for tickets before coming back Tuesday for the speech. He was not disappointed.
The audience, appearing comprised primarily of supporters, gave the president several standing ovations and numerous applause lines. Obama was not heckled during the speech.
"He had a lot of good stuff to say, there were a few jabs at the Republican though; it was good," Weber said.
Visser is a supporter of Obama, but had not volunteered for the campaign.
"I probably will this coming year, though", he said.
Edited by Jason Bennett
President Obama greets members of the audience after speaking in Osawatomie Tuesday afternoon. The President's speech invoked Teddy Roosevelt, who gave a famous speech in the same city a little over a 100 years ago.
Local history looms large in speech
LADAM STRUNK
OSAWATOMIE — For being in the middle of a largely conservative county in a largely red state, President Barack Obama received a strong and positive response during the speech he gave Tuesday in Osawatomie.
Whether wearing overalls or overcoats, the crowd of 600 that packed Osawatomie High School gymnasium applauded and cheered the president's speech championing the middle class and the necessity of a fair tax system.
astrunk@kansan.com
The President's populist tone harkened back to a similar speech given by the Lordored Roosevelt gave 100 years ago in the town. The speech, known as the "New Nationalism" speech called for a progressive income tax as well as
"I believe that this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, when everyone does their fair share, and when everyone plays by the same rules," he said. "Those aren't Democratic or Republican values; 1 percent values or 99 percent values. They're American values, and we have to reclaim them."
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said that the "New Nationalism" speech was the motivation behind the Presidents Osawatomie visit.
well as increased regulation over industries.
"It had everything to do with theodore Roosevelt," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said to The Kansan. "Teddy Roosevelt gave a profoundly important speech here in 1910. What is amazing is if you read that speech, I have it here, is you could deliver most of it today."
Obama alluded to the speech numerous times, saying that as in 1910 and today the middle class had reached a turning point.
"Ir. 1910, Teddy Roosevelt came here, to Osawatomie, and laid out his vision for what he called a New Nationalism. "Our country," he said, "...means nothing unless it means the triumph of a real democracy...of an economic system under which each man shall be guaranteed the opportunity to show the best that there is in him."
SEE OBAMA ON PAGE 3
OBITUARY
Student dies over weekend
IAN CUMMINGS icummings@kansan.com
Ryan Zwienier, a 19-year-old freshman from Lawrence, died
day after a long battle with depression, according to an obituary provided by the Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home.
Chancellor Bernadette Grav
Zwiener
Little issued a statement Tuesday about Zwijner.
"On behalf of the entire University community, I offer the deepest condolences to the family and friends of Ryan Zwiener, Gray-Little's statement read in part. "Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time."
Zwiener was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed camping, hiking and fishing, according to the obituary. He worked as a meat department clerk at Hy-Vee on 4000 West 6th Street. Zwiener graduated from Lawrence Free State High School in 2010, where he was on the school's wrestling
and cross country teams. He was also a member of the National Honor Society and the Lawrence Athletic Club.
Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Lawrence First Church of the Nazarene, 1470 North 1000 Road. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Lawrence First Church of the Nazarene.
The family asks that any memorial contributions be made to the Ryan Zwierman Memorial Fund, for the establishment of a fund for teen suicide prevention, in care of the funeral home, 601 Indiana, Lawrence, KS, 66044.
"It is the hope of the family that, by acknowledging Ryan's battle with depression, others with similar issues and their families can be spared the tragedy of losing a loved one unnecessarily," the obituary read in part.
Survivors include his parents, Raymond and Lisa Hegeman Zwiener and a sister, Mandy Zwiener, of Lawrence.
Edited by Jonathan Shorman
LAWRENCE
LUKE RANKER
franker@kansan.com
Drinking citations continue in force
Fake ID 101 task forces patrolled area bars and restaurants for the fourth weekend this semester Thursday and Saturday nights.
Jen Jordan, director of prevention at Douglas County Citizens Committee on Alcoholism, said she was disappointed in the number of citations for underage drinking.
"I'm frustrated that it stayed the same," Jordan said. On Thursday the task force cited 29 people for drinking underage and 30 people on Saturday night.
Jordan said that bars allowing minors to drink are only cited if the IDs used are obviously fake.
"It's ridiculous what kind of IDs our bars let in," Jordan said. She said that in the past she had seen confiscated fakes that read "For Novelty Use Only" on the back as well as IDs that were several months expired.
On Thursday tasks force officers cited the Phoggy Dog Bar & Grill. 2228 Iowa Street, for allowing a drinking game. Jordan said the bar had a beer pong competition for a prize!
"It's against the law for licensed bars to allow competitive drinking games," Jordan said. She said bars should be aware of that because the stipulation is part of their liquor licenses. Jordan said that that DCCCA had provided a free educational class for bar owners is August, but not all local bars had attended.
Jordan said she wasn't sure if another task force would patrol this semester because agents were still calculating how much money is left in the budget.
Edited by Rachol Schultz
DG CO FAKE ID 101
TASK FORCE
Thursday and Saturday
All four agencies participated:
ABC, LPD, KUPSO & DGSO
Thursday and Saturday combined Operation Summary
59 Criminal Citations were issued for 80 Charges: Possession of Alcohol by a Minor (39) Possession/Use of a Fake/Other's ID/DL (37) Furnishing Alcohol/CMB to a Minor (3) Interference with the Duties of an Officer/Obstruction (1)
9 venues received ABC administrative citations for allowing minors to possess alcohol:
The Bottleneck (1 count)
El Mezcal Restaurant (14 counts)
The Wheel (4 counts)
Cadillac Ranch (2 count)
Abe & Jakes Landing (7 counts)
El Mezcal Mexican Restaurant (5 counts)
Tonic (4 counts)
Barrel House (1 count)
The Hawk (1 count)
1 ABC Administrative Citation Issued for Allowing a Drinking Game Phoogv Dog Bar & Grill (1 count)
SOURCE: DCCCA, INC.
CLASSIFIEDS 11 CRYPTOQUIPS 4 SPOR
CROSSWORD 4 OPINION 5 SUDOKU
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2011 The University Daily Kansan
Don't forget
There is a Women's Basketball game Thursday night at 7 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse.
Today's Weather
Forcasts done by University students. For a more detailed forecast, see page 2A.
Bundle up.
HI: 38
L0: 19