MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011
PAGE 5
opinion
FREE FOR ALL
Send your FFA submissions to freeforall@kansan.com
A girl in class is chilling with her hands down her pants. See I told you guys aren't the only ones
White chocolate milk — wrap your head around that one.
Yesterday the FFA was so funny I cut it out and sent it to my boyfriend in Afghanistan. Good job people.
Sometimes my ability to get places early makes me kinda creepy.
Ninety-six percent on the paper I wrote in 10 minutes before class? College has taught me it pays to procrastinate.
Yes, I have been texting all my FFAs to the wrong number.
To the boy who walked past me as I farted outside of Wescoe, I thought I was alone and ate too many Craisins that day. I'm sorry.
To the freshman who cussed me out for crossing the street on campus when they were trying to go 20 mph over the speed limit, welcome to college.
Seriously though, bathroom stall walls need to be equipped with white boards — easier space for knowledge and easier clean up.
I legitimately just heard "MMMBop" on the radio. Thank you 90s.
My welcome-to-city-life moment — out of 15 riders on the bus, I'm the only one whose first language is English. That is legit cool.
That awkward moment when you walk out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel and there's a bunch of families touring your hall, staring.
Text I got from the girl I'm dating, "My doctor told me that the sex has been too rough. No more double dipping."
You know you're a little Harry Potter obsessed when you call your roommate a squib.
Kansas football is like a boy they get your hopes up at the beginning of the game, and then soon crushes them.
I guess putting ice down someone's shirt isn't acceptable here.
I'd have to say, the baby blues are pretty legit.
I know half of the student section left at half time, but that doesn't mean the team gets to stop playing.
There's nothing like sitting in the student section of a football game with an enthusiastic drunk two rows behind you.
Your smoking can make me skinny too. When I smell it I throw up.
Keep financial industry out of politics
POLITICS
"The banks ... frankly own this place."
This was Sen. Dick Durbin's (D-III.) assessment of Congress in April 2009. Durbin's comment came when Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress by healthy margins. Even as the nation found itself mired in the depths of a Wall Street-precipitated financial crisis, industry lobbyists continued to hold sway with lawmakers of both parties.
Congress then passed the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul, which President Barack Obama signed into law last year. The legislation grants consumer protections, protects investors, calls for more transparency and accountability, and attempts to end bailouts for businesses considered too big to fail. However, Wall Street escaped the financial regulatory process mostly unscathed. The law didn't break up "Too Big to Fail" corporations. CEO of JP Morgan Chase and Obama contributor Jamie Dimon's endorsement of the measure shows how little the law changes business for financial behemoths.
Unsurprisingly, lobbyists are hard at work to weaken tougher elements of
the law, such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Keenly aware of the importance of making savvy investments, the financial industry has given generously to both Democrats and Republicans.
Obama bested Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in financial sector contributions in 2008. Now former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) leads Obama in industry contributions for next year's elections. Wall Street will make sure to hedge its bets in the political battleground.
Obama's proposal to close tax loopholes that allow wealthy investors to pay a low 15 percent capital gains rate has alienated many of his onetime financial backers in the financial industry. But it's
hardly fatal to the industry. Aided by the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, financial institutions can continue to wield clout with key political players. Obama's "Buffet Rule," which requires the wealthiest citizens to pay at least the same tax rates as the middle class, may not please Wall Street. But the administration's effort to undercut New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's crackdown on abusive mortgage practices shows that Obama is far from an enemy of finance.
The Wall Street-Washington connection extends beyond contributions. Government officials and financial figures move freely through a revolving door of jobs in D.C., and the industry. In 1999, President Bill Clinton signed legislation allowing commercial and investment banks to merge, paving the path for the formation of Citigroup. Within days, Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, a former Goldman Sachs CEO and key backer of the law, left his job for a senior Citigroup position.
This year, Peter Orszag, Obama's former Office of Management and Budget director, secured the plum position
of vice chairman of global banking at Citigroup. According to Ron Suskind's book "Confidence Men," Orszag was one of the administration officials advising against a tough approach to the banks in 2009.
Who loses out in this system? When centrist deficit demagogues in both parties take "shared sacrifice" to mean deep cuts in spending on social and health programs, while at the same time shunning a tax on financial transaction and higher taxes on the rich, it's clear whose voices really count.
What can be done to fix this? Bringing accountability on the financial sector is impossible if policymakers continue to rely on the industry's money for re-election. That's why TV host Dylan Ratigan's petition for a constitutional amendment to ban political contributions is a welcome development. The petition, at getmoneyout.com, campaigns for public funding for elections and freeing politicians from financial plutocrat's influence.
— Luke Brinker is a senior from Topeka majoring in history. Follow him on Twitter @LukeBrinker
CARTOON
WE'RE BLOCKING TRAFFIC IN THE NATION'S FINANCIAL HUB SO WE CAN SLOW DOWN COMMERCE AND THUS CALL ATTENTION TO OUR VARIOUS CAUSES
NICHOLAS SAMBALUK
COLUMNIST AND EDITORIAL WRITERS WANTED!
The Kansan is looking for talented writers who can convey their own opinions and explain the editorial board's stance on University issues. If you feel that you can convince people through your writing and would like to get your work published, please contact opinion editor Mandy Matney at mmatney@kansan.com or editorial editor Vikaas Shanker at vshanker@kansan.com by Oct.11.
CAMPUS CHIRPS BACK
What was the best band of the 1990s?
@UDK. OpinionTupac, duh "I'm not saying I gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world."
kvleswift51
Follow us on Twitter @UDK_Opinion.
Tweet us your opinions, and we just might publish them.
nathanielabeita
@UK_ Opinion it was clearly blink-182. No explanation is needed.
dshel65
@UDK. Opinion Nirvana by far. They introduced a new kind of music to the world. Just imagine where we'd be if they were still around.
dbrocato12
@UOK. Opinion Obviously Cumbawamba.
The lyrical styling and incredible guitar solos are unmatched by any other band of the 90's.
ThatHawkwardGuy
@UDK. Opinion The best band of the '90s? It's gotta be between Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, or Green Day. #difficultchoices
maduuhson
@JDK OpinionSpice Girls obviously!
They taught us to say what we really want.
Baldwin023
@UDK_Opinion Obviously Hootie & the
Bush. #onlywannabewithyou
JonGoscha
@DUR Opinion #SpiceGirls #haha
JustKidding #ThatJtsJustTooStupid
Zhareefer
Awkward face plant into unsuspecting boyfriend's lap.
winning
@UKK_Opinion Sugar Ray, no doubt. who didn't have "Every Morning" as their anthem?
Sometimes I think that my neighbors' apartment defies the laws of physics like a clown car, judging by the revolving door of what must be 30 people who live there.
To the guy on the unicycle, you are my hero! Marry me?
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My friend just thanked me for letting her use my body. We have a very odd relationship.
Kelly Stroda, editor
864-841 or kratode.@iansan.com
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Vikaas Shanker, editorial editor
854-4924 or vshanker@kansan.com
I'm sitting next to someone on the bus who is clipping their toenails.
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Hansen Animal Board are Kelly Strode,
Jeel Petterson, Jonathan Shannon, Wesaa Shamber, Mandy
Matney and Steffen Penn.