OPINION
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 13, 2008
7A
THE UNIVERSITY HALL MANSION
FROM THE EDITORIAL BOARD
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Four fatalities on K-10 south of Lawrence have brought back the continuing safety problems the city faces on its roads and highways.
This highway is not necessarily more dangerous than similar highways, most likely making these accidents an aberration. But what are not aberrations are the continuing alcohol-related accidents and increased congestion and expansion in the Lawrence area.
Building more roads won't curb accidents
Lawrence and the state must pursue a traffic safety strategy that recognizes that alcohol-related accidents are only a manifestation of roads that have been overextended and under policed, and with increased road development must come matching law enforcement funds.
Statistics confirm anecdotal information about Lawrence. Lawrence has more accidents per capita (3 per 100 people) than a larger city like Overland Park (2.77 per 100 people), based on 2007 Kansas Department of Transportation records.
Lawrence also has a higher rate of alcohol-related accidents. In 2007, 5.3 out of each 100 accidents in Lawrence were alcohol related, but in Overland Park 3.7 out 100 accidents were alcohol related. With a high density of college students, it is difficult to see Lawrence's problems with drunken driving going away simply by implementing more education.
But the Kansas Highway Patrol has had its budget cut by more
than $11 million from 2007 to 2006.
Lawrence appears to have an above average problem with alcohol-related accidents that education alone is not solving. It was irresponsible of the government to build roads it could not adequately police.
Estimates for 2008 and 2009 call for that to rebound a bit, but it seems unlikely because Gov. Kathleen Sebelius ordered a 3 percent budget cut statewide.
The government was happy to finance new road projects in hopes of attracting more development during the height of the housing bubble.
This brought increased traffic, more miles of road to patrol, but a smaller budget to do so. Kansas Highway Patrol is assuredly working as hard as it can to prevent accidents like those on K-10 last month, but with a reduced budget they have a disadvantage.
West Lawrence is an example of the bet that new roads would bring increased tax revenue and pay for their own enforcement down the road. K-10 between Lawrence and Topeka is one of these roads, built to offer access to the western part of the city, which has experienced massive expansion over the last two decades.
In the future, we should make sure we can enforce the rules of the roads we wanted and built.
- Alex Doherty for the editorial board
TYLER DOEHRING
FROM THE DRAWING BOARD
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Send letters to opinionokansan.com
Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the e-mail subject line.
Length: 300 words
LETTER GUIDELINES
The submission should include the author's name, grade and hometown.
Find our full letter to the editor policy online at kansan.com/letters.
CONTACT US
Matt Erickson, editor
864-4810 or merickson@kansan.com
Mark Dent, managing editor
864.4810 or mail to anon.com
Dani Hurst, managing editor 864-4810 or dhurst@kansan.com
Kelsey Hayes, managing editor 864-4810 or khayes@kansan.com
Lauren Keith, opinion editor
764.4034 or keith@hawaii.edu
Patrick De Oliveira, associate opinion editor
864-4924 or pdeoliveira@kansan.com
FROM THE DRAWING BOARD
Sick and tired of being sick and tired?
MICHAEL POPE & RYAN SNYDER
PROCRASTINATION
Pope: 'wheeze'
Pope: Every time winter rolls around, newspapers and magazines are quick to offer their own remedies for these maladies-dujour, so we won't go into that here. Instead, we must warn you of some potentially life-threatening diseases that go relatively unnoticed and can strike at any time during your college career.
Ryan: My colleague is absolutely right. With the bipolar weather of Kansas, this time of year is a breeding ground for illnesses. The common cold and flu are everywhere. Students are dropping like five-foot jumpers from the graceful hands of Matt Kleinmann.
Also called: Oh-shit-that-15-
page-paper-assigned-last-month-is-
due-tomorrow-itis
Symptoms: This is the most common disease among students, after chlamydia. Patients diagnosed with procrastination often exhibit feelings of anxiety because of the stress of academic constipation (the buildup of too much schoolwork in the colon), frequent and uncontrollable urination and, in extreme cases, complete denial
NICHOLAS SAMBALUK
that any assignments exist.
Symptoms: PMSD is triggered by a traumatic event such as failing an important midterm because of lack of attendance, preparation or both. Studies show that 50 percent of the 40 percent of students who fail a class suffer from PMSD unknowingly and never recover. If you think a friend — or even yourself — may be suffering from PMSD, check for these signs: excessive use of drugs or alcohol, hysterical weeping, night sweats, diarrhea and in rare cases complete indifference to life in general.
They can often be heard saying, "I'll get started after this episode of 'Private Practice.'"
Cures: Uh ... we'll get back to you after this episode of "Private Practice."
Cures: PMSD can be cured with hard work and dedication, or you can use the method approved by the healthcare industry for solving difficult problems. Throw money at it. Bribery is recommended. Cheating is double-recommended.
Symptoms: Male patients who have contracted Chubby Cancer often do not realize they have been infected until after waking up next to their horrible-looking decision from the previous drunken evening. The tumor can show up intermittently in the form of
CHUBBY CANCER
POST-MIDTERM STRESS DISORDER
persistent phone calls, but it is usually benign. However, after many weeks of remission, Chubby Cancer could return as a malignant, pregnant mass. In most cases, deaths occurring from this disease are self-inflicted.
Cures: Unfortunately, no cures have been discovered.
Pope: You're *cough*
ELECTILE DYSFUNCTION
Symptoms: Typically found among the most rabid John McCain supporters, patients can be observed polishing their rifles in a corner while crying into their whiskey and listening to Alan Jackson's "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" on repeat. If you come into contact with a person suffering from ED, you are advised to keep your distance, as they are feral and will bite.
Pope is a Kansas City senior in English. Snyder is a Leawood senior in English.
Cures: Those afflicted with ED should take two chill pills every four hours and realize that the world is not going to end because their candidate lost. It would also help to remind them that they have a few months of Bush to cling to.
Ryan: We hope this helps you to realize that there are plenty of other ways to die miserably than from the Kansas winter and the ailments it brings.
Why reality TV should never become reality
For those who have managed to escape the vortex that is Bravo, Christian Siriano, the season four winner of "Project Runway," judged KU's own third annual "Project Runway" competition. He was here, in the flesh, funky hair and all. And the experience was, to use one of Christian's many oft-repeated words, strange.
Tuesday night was an evening of cosmic significance for me and a ballroom-full of fellow Bravo watchers. On Tuesday, two worlds collided. A border was breached. I stood in an unmoving line for more than an hour to see reality TV become reality. I was scared.
Maybe it was my aching feet, the crowd or the woman with children who yelled at the guy behind me for cutting (after I had cut him), but I came to a sad realization: I like fake reality. Reality television should stay just that — television.
dispute among NBC Universal, the Weinstein Co. and the Lifetime channel over the rights to air the show threatens to delay it.
I've missed the guilty pleasure of "Project Runway" Season five started to feel repetitive, and the
Combining the two creates problems. While standing in line I wondered, are we waiting to see fellow students' creations or a celebrity who resembles a dark-plumed parakeet? That's the first anomaly
— the last thing "Project Runway" should inspire is a question (let alone thought).
The eccentric ego on the screen was actually quite personable, funny and good with an audience.
And then I saw Siriano — actually, it's impossible to write or think of said fierce person by his last name. And then I saw Christian.
ality. He played up his on-screen persona, critiquing audience-members' clothing and tossing out typical comments ("All I know is that I won, and I beat them, so who cares?"). But behind the act was a Christian who is like the rest of us, a multi-dimensional person and not just an easy-to-mimic character on "reality" TV.
In real life, I could see that he could control his dramatic person-
But as a viewer, I want a larger-than-life character to stay that way. Christian's word on TV may have been "fierce" but in the Union, it was "believable" (which he must have uttered at least 50 times).
From now on, I'm going to keep my goofy, over-dramatic reality TV safe from the real world.
When asked what he saw as the next big fashion trend, Christian joked, "In Kansas or in real life?"
But the truth is that Kansas is real life. And when I turn to "Project Runway," that's not what I'm looking for.
Blankenau is a Lincoln, Neb., sophomore in journalism.
To contribute to Free for All, visit Kansan.com or call 785-864-0500.
People on Mass Street: Your mama needs you. Go home. The party is over.
---
So much for staying classy Lawrence.
---
I love this school.
---
---
I don't discriminate between male and female.
---
I hate it when obviously dumb people wear Ivy league school
---
Are there any hotties out there who want to make a few bad decisions, which we may regret, with me?
Give the test
You are dirtier than a Christina Aguilera video.
To the cashier in the Underground who wished me a happy day: I had planned on it, now I'll be sure of it. Thank
Why are people discussing the looks of the Hanson brothers when clearly there are bigger fish to fry?
Who? Mike Jones!
I hate when people say "Rock Chalk Jayhawk, go KU", because "go" is not part of the chant. Please stop.
---
Why are all women just a big cup o' crazy?
---
The girl wearing the Cornish jersey in UBS on Saturday needs to come back in so I can formally propose to her.
I see you're gangster. I'm pretty gangster myself, G.
---
Wanna hook up?
Stop complaining about the incredibly loud orgasm in Watson
---
To the dude hanging on the light post: Don't show your small junk again.
Meep meep
I'm clever.
I love my man, but I need a random hookup. Any takers?
KU's lack of green today is disgraceful. Go green.
@KANSAN.COM
Want more? Check out Free for All online.