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KANSAN.COM | MONDAY, MARCH 13, 2017
My kink is unlimited breadsticks.
To myself with two midterms today; you shall survive!
I just want to make memes for a living is that too much to ask?
do you every think about how arbitrary things are going to be a thousand years from now?
i gave up fast food for lent and i'm DYING right now. it's only been like a week
"Sorry I'm late, I had to stop and pet a dog." -Me
You look tired -- like a good tired, a pretty tired -- but really tired
Pandora got a redesign and my life will never be the same
Apparently, my sneezes are like snowflakes
everyday I wake up and thank the lord I am no longer a teenager
You know that feeling when you climb into bed after a long day of working and an hour later some drunk jackass wakes you up because his bro texted his girlfriend and now he has to tell the whole apartment complex?
When I first heard the average college student changes their major 4 times, I swore that wouldn't be me. fast-forward to now, where I just changed my major based on a
coin flip
anyone have a plug for anesthesia meds
has a pre test hype playlist featuring chief keef, asap rocky, and juicy j
I think fat dick all the time
BIFM 1 is so great because it's so bad, there was a little bit of effort put into BIFM 2.0
McCarthy: Potential U.N. job a cop-out
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A baby is not as exciting as extra garlic sauces
Just ask yourself. Is it really appropriate for you to wear a neon yellow tank top? @ Baylor
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- KEVIN MCCARTHY
  @kevindmccarthy
On Wednesday, Kansas Public Radio reported that Gov.
Brownback is going to be named U.S. ambassador to the United Nations agencies for food and agriculture. The governor's office has not confirmed or denied this report but it has been the subject of much speculation in Topeka over the past week. Suddenly, legislators are wondering how this could affect the remainder of the 2017 session.
If Brownback does take the ambassadorship, he will leave behind a massive budget crisis, another school funding dilemma, and a citizenry that is desperate for a government to solve these pressing issues.
If Brownback leaves for Rome, another uncertainty would be how Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer would interact with the legislature. Colyer has begun reaching out to lawmakers more in recent months amidst rumors of Brownback's departure, but many are skeptical of whether or not the tone will change if he takes over as governor. Colyer has a played a big role in crafting Brownback's budget, which is built around more spending cuts as well as alcohol and cigarette tax increases.
As we have learned, this type of budget is not a longterm solution. Lawmakers have realized this and they showed it by voting down the Governor's tax proposal 37-1 on Tuesday.
There are still many unknowns with this situation. Brownback has not officially announced that he is taking the ambassadorship but it would not be surprising if he did. If he stays in Kansas
and finishes his term, he will be face a legislature that is determined to overturn his disastrous tax policy. Additionally, he has the lowest approval ratings of all 50 governors in the country.
If I were Brownback, a cushy job in Rome sounds much better to me than being berated day in and day out by the media and legislators.
However, if Brownback
if he stays in Kansas and finishes his term, he will be facing a legislature that is determined to overturn his disastrous tax policy."
does leave early it will secure his legacy as an unsuccessful quitter. It will also be an indictment of how badly his signature tax cuts have failed.
Brownback leaving in the middle of a budget crisis that he and his administration created is the metaphorical equivalent of driving a car off a cliff but jumping out just before it goes off. It may be the best thing for him
personally but it is cowardly and irresponsible.
The Governor's departure would not come as a surprise since he has put himself, his ideology and his legacy ahead of the interests of Kansans for most of his two terms.
Kevin McCarthy is a senior from Lenexa studying political science, history and public policy.
Liston: Fighting bigotry requires conversation
▶ RYAN LISTON
@rliston235
Same-sex marriage legalization throughout the country, the expansion of protections to transgender people under Title IX and the election of the first black president were just a few developments over the past few years that indicated an increase in tolerance throughout the nation. The election of President Donald Trump,
While these ideas still fall outside of the mainstream, the presence of them is significant and concerning. Trump's election did not cause a resurgence in racism, misogyny, xenophobia and other prejudiced beliefs, but it did embolden people who hold those beliefs.
however, seemed to reveal a prevalence of beliefs like male dominance and white nationalism. These are beliefs that appeared to be fizzling out of American society prior to the campaign.
Some people have responded to the normalization of these prejudiced beliefs by altering Trump's campaign slogan "Make America Great Again" into "Make Racists Afraid Again." They have also done this by saying that
we should shut down people who make racist, sexist or other prejudiced comments. I believe, however, that we need to work to change these people's views by engaging them in a dialogue. Shutting them down does not fix the problem, it just obscures and exacerbates it.
"We should also not ignore the existence of these problems by simply silencing people who hold such beliefs."
While we should never tolerate prejudice or bigotry, we should also not ignore the
existence of these problems by simply silencing people who hold such beliefs. Although some prejudiced people will hold firmly to their beliefs, others may be able to be persuaded through discussion, education and exposure to diversity.
Before the campaign, these prejudiced ideas were becoming less socially acceptable and more widely criticized. Yet, when a person running for the most powerful office in the world stokes fear about people from Mexico and the Middle East, and brags about sexually assaulting women with essentially no consequences, citizens who share these sentiments are likely to feel empowered. Since these prejudiced beliefs were hidden from the public eye, combatting Trump's campaign was unsuccessful.
We cannot afford to block out prejudice. We must deal with the issue directly by advocating for tolerance and acceptance in ways that appeal to logic and emotions. We need to humanize groups of underrepresented people and show prejudiced people that race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity and other demographic factors do not determine a person's worth or characteristics.
Ryan Liston is a sophomore from Lawrence studying Journalism and Political Science.
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