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OPINION
TUESDAY OCTOBER 21,4
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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FROM THE EDITORIAL BOARD
In addition, students who are forced to break rules to consume alcohol they can obtain legally may not see the harm in buying alcohol for students who are minors. They are already breaking rules and smuggling booze like a criminal, so there is little incentive to follow the rest of the rules about alcohol.
Why can't of-age adults drink at KU?
Drinking in bars is seen as an alternative to the ban, but there are problems with that.
The University is, officially, a dry campus. Alcohol is not allowed anywhere.
The ban encourages students to spend money away from campus, depriving on-campus facilities of potential revenue.
But students drink anyway. Considering that banning alcohol has been ineffective, the University should consider changing its policy to allow alcohol on campus for students who are 21 or older.
For students who are already
21, banning alcohol makes no sense. These students are considered responsible adults everywhere else but on this campus. This is tantamount to saving that
students' ability to responsibly consume alcohol is dependent on where they are geographically.
The Athletics Department would also benefit from a wet
OUR
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Obviously, alcohol does not stop a college from reaching for excellence.
unless somebody calls in with a complaint, campus officials will take no action concerning alcohol use on campus. Princeton has no policy restricting
campus. One of the reasons NASCAR is popular is because drinking is allowed in the infield. The Athletics Department is missing out by keeping beer out of Allen Fieldhouse. It might even pay for some of those practice field trees.
The University should change its policy concerning alcohol. It is sending money away from the college and the Athletics Department, encouraging students to handle their booze irresponsibly and increasing the risk of drunken driving.
Other colleges have policies that allow alcohol. For example, the official policy at Yale is that
The policy is not working. Other colleges have realized that regulation and control of alcohol on campus is more effective than a dry campus policy, and it's time our University did, too.
alcohol use on campus by anyone over the age of 21. Neither does Cornell.
—Sam Lamb, special to the editorial board
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
dent section. On that we agree Here's where we differ.
So, which is it?
Who does the student section remind you of?
My friend says you all sound like a bunch of jorts-wearing Mizzou fans. I say you sound like future drop-outs who will, one day, likely try to be a degree out of K-State after washing up on the sidewalks of Aggieville 10 or 12 years from now.
My friend and I are having a disagreement that we hope the current University of Kansas students can settle for us.
As alumni who have graduated from the University and dedicated much of our time cheering for the Jayhawks, we are humiliated to hear that trashy "rip his f***ing head off" cheer coming from the KU stu-
— Julie Dunlap is a 1997 graduate living in Lawrence.
Nader would end the war in Iraq, adopt a single-payer health plan, cut the wasteful military budget, enact a living wage of $10 per hour, promote solar power first and crackdown on corporate crime.
How Nader is different than the other two
have not done, and I would encourage them to look into the Nader/Gonzalez ticket as a viable alternative.
In response to Dan Thompson's column on Ralph Nader (Oct. 20), people can look to see what is still on the table since the Democrats took over in 2006. Endless war, threats to Iran, nuclear and coal power, corporate welfare and inadequate health care reform.
For those who argue that Nader's campaign does not have a purpose, it does. He actually represents change, instead of just hoping for it.
I would argue there is still little difference between the Republicans and Democrats in this election except minor tactical policy changes. Look at the larger picture and people can see what the Democrats
James Baker is a freshman from Coppell, Texas.
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How over-regulation has ruined Wall Street
You may be surprised to learn that, as early as 2001, officials in the Bush administration have been doing just that.
Been following the stock market recently? It's a little shaky. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down about 40 percent from its all time high of over 14,000 just a year ago, and chances are your or your parents' 401k plan is in the tank, too.
In 2006, Republicans introduced legislation, cosponsored by Sen. John McCain, that would have re-regulated Fannie and Freddie and limited the amount of subprime mortgages issued. Had this legislation passed, we may have avoided this mess altogether, but it was blocked by Democrats who were wholly devoted to their contrived notion of affordable housing.
The now corrupt housing giants have been contributing to lawmakers' campaigns, Republicans and Democrats alike, and one Fannie executive used to be in bed — literally — with Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), chair of the House Financial Services Committee.
You've probably heard of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and how they are the source of the problem.
"Affordable housing" is Democrat code for a $200,000 house of cards.
What happened? Who is to blame? According to both presidential candidates, the culprit is greed and corruption on Wall Street.
Then, in 1977, President Jimmy Carter expanded regulation over Fannie and Freddie to give disadvantaged minorities a better chance for home ownership. It was a laudable goal, but it was poorly implemented.
But they successfully served a good purpose for many years. Fannie was established as part of the New Deal to create a market in home loans, Freddie was established to provide competition for Fannie. They made buying a home possible for many Americans.
Corruption played a part, but this crisis is much too serious for such a trite explanation.
In 1995, President Bill Clinton further expanded regulation over Fannie and Freddie, ordering them to increase the number of subprime loans to half of their total portfolio. Home prices sky rocketed far beyond the rate of inflation, causing a severely unstable bubble in the housing market. We are now witnessing the consequences.
How delightfully vague.
For a moment, let's pretend that government over-regulation didn't cause the problem, and let's ask why the government didn't recognize the problem and try to fix it.
In just three short years, Sen.
Last week a man called "Joe the Plumber" confronted Obama on this issue. Obama responded by telling the man that he didn't want to punish his success — he just wanted to take his money and spread it around. We used to call that socialism.
Barack Obama managed to rack up about $12,200 in donations from Fannie and Freddie, according to NPR. This is the second most in the Senate. Contrast this with McCain who has taken just more than $16,000 since 2005, according to the Los Angeles Times.
More troubling, though, is Obama's economic plan. In a time of crisis, he would raise taxes on a crucial sector of the economy: small businesses.
This is true, basically because hot dog vendors are included in their statistics. But it is the more successful small businesses, those making more than the $250,000 mark, which provide for more than 50 percent of the total revenue, and provide millions upon millions of jobs. Raise their taxes and you hurt production and stifle job growth.
Supporters of his plan will tell you that the majority of small businesses, those that earn less than $250,000 a year, will not see an increase.
And that, my friends, is why I am a proud Republican.
Poole is a Wichita senior in political science and psychology.
My personal economy might need a bailout
I mean, come on people, if I go bankrupt, what would that mean for the economy? It would completely collapse if I couldn't afford the occasional medium cappuccino and delicious muffin from the Underground. Without that $3, the University might not immediately be able to replace a light bulb in a restroom somewhere in Summerfield.
Do you know what I hate? I hate it when I spend more money than I actually have, and then the government doesn't want to pay me back for it.
I want to cringe at.
I showed off a secret dark side, one born of years living in a red state, with people who think the word "tax" being part of the English language amounts to Communism, as I read about the EESA, or, as I call it, the Give A Man A Fish Act of The Last Year The People Who Sponsored This Hold Elected Office.
At what point will there be a real solution to our economic problems in this country? The federal government has a responsibility to deal with problems like the subprime mortgage crisis that got Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in trouble and other economic issues, but simply throwing money at major firms isn't going to solve anything in the long run. When will business practices be more regulated to prevent messes like we're in now? Will it be soon enough to make a noticeable difference?
Truly, it would be chaos.
The spat of corporate bailouts has been driving me crazy. It isn't just how I feel about them. To tell the truth, I don't have some all-encompassing opinion of corporate bailouts. Some I accept, and some
When news of the federal government's buyout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac broke, I groaned, shrugged and was hopeful that somebody could set them straight.
see that my U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda voted against it. It only came back to life in both chambers of Congress after a number of earmarks were added to sway a few wayward politicians from both parties. That's right, the quick fix was passed by mixing it up with another serious fiscal issue the Legislature has been wrangling with.
When the insurance giant AIG was placed in a similar situation, it elicited a somewhat similar response. I added a "This is just getting silly" after the shrug this time.
Then there came the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. That was the moment that I changed my reaction, altering it to a pronounced rolling of the eyes, and a "Seriously now!"
The initial proposal ended up failing in the House of Representatives. I was pleased to
Call me a glass-is-half-empty type, but it's going to take something big to convince me.
Cohen is a Topeka senior in political science.
To contribute to Free for All, call 785-864-0500.
Genocide, Global Warming,
Sarah Palin. And we're really worried about "Rip his fucking head off"?
like it.
--should be jealous.
Fellow students, please do away with doing away with "Rip his fucking head off!" It's funny, we're in college, go back to Missouri if you don't
--should be jealous.
Women of Kansas, when you are tired of being treated like objects by those assholes that you meet, the good guys will
How many points is hitting a girl riding on a bike while texting worth?
--should be jealous.
I saw two frat brothers grinding on each other in the Boom Boom Room. I think they were trying to be ironic, but they just came off as homo-
--should be jealous.
Chase Daniels Heisman hopeful, more like Heisman hopeless
--should be jealous.
My boyfriend threw up all over himself last night and I cleaned it up. I think I deserve
--should be jealous.
--should be jealous.
No, you deserve a new boyfriend.
I'm drunk. Shit.
--should be jealous.
I just wanted to say that I am in Dallas right now standing outside of Chuck Norris' house, so everybody at KU
Since when do we have cowboy hats on national championship banners? They might as well just put "Sponsored
by TBS."
KU got wrongfully screwed. The referee should be fined and fired.
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Dear Free for All, life after Lisa is not so bad after all.
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What a wonderful morning
There's a whoopie cushion buying condoms at Wal-Mart.
There's going to be a midnight showing of "High School Musical 3" on Oct.24.
I think the taste of spermicide is disgusting.
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I gave fellatio while watching Family Guy. Life does not get better
I have to admit that I have a huge crush on the guy who delivers the off-campus news papers to McCollum. Saying "hi" to him is the highlight of my 3-7 a.m. shift
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