+
+
opinion
Told myself I'd get work done this morning. Slept in the library for 2 hours.
Dreams do come true.
Sometimes you want to experience the 'dark side' of partying.
Do you think Bill Self has a Venmo setup with the Douglas county jail?
The 5 minutes directly after I wake up from a nap are the most confusing minutes of my day because I have to remember how the entire world
works.
You can't ride with the devil, and expect god to pay for the gas.
The words 'home cooked' just brought me to tears.
KANSAN.COM/OPINION | MONDAY, FEB. 27, 2017
This guy's cute, I wanna ruin his life.
I check my email as much as I check my social media, it's in the routine of flipping between them.
You know the history curriculum is lacking when you see a house in Stull, KS with a confederate flag in the front yard and an American flag in the backyard.
Ahhh yes. Let's add some alcohol to campus right after we add guns. Great idea, Onward.
I know it's early, but I can't wait until volleyball season.
Anyone else seeing this shark tent??
I used to be addicted to the Hockey-Pokey, but I turned myself around!
"You can be someone's first and last." "that's...sad"
Speeding tickets make being late to appointments so much better.
To send in an FFA, text 785-289-8351
READ MORE AT KANSAN.COM
@KANSANNEWS
/THEKANSAN
KANSAN.NEWS
@UNIVERSITY
DAILYKANSAN
Illustration by Erica Gonzales/KANSAN
Liston: Private prisons should be abolished
RYAN LISTON @rliston235
Paying companies to lock up criminals presents a dangerous conflict of interest, yet the federal and state governments often pay companies per prisoner to do just that. While companies seek to maximize profits, prisons should be set up to rehabilitate criminals (although prisons often focus on punishing inmates instead).
On Feb. 23, Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded a memo from the Obama administration. The memo was written by then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates and aimed to reduce and eventually eliminate the usage of private prisons. It was written after a report by the Justice Department found that private prisons 'incurred more safety and security incidents per capita than' federally run prisons with similar inmate populations.
Violence, improper housing and poor health services in private prisons were among the major findings that the report exposed. Living conditions such as these should not be tolerated because they do not foster a rehabilitative atmosphere.
Being surrounded by violence and mistreatment will only serve to make inmates more susceptible to returning to prison. Yet for private prisons, high recidivism is good. In a 2012 pitch to investors, the Corrections Corporation of America said that high recidivism keeps private prisons operating and should encourage people to invest in the private prison system, according to CBN News. Having stakes in high recidivism means that private prison corporations do not have an incentive to rehabilitate their inmates.
In Kansas, the CCA runs the Leavenworth Detention Center. During last August's court case regarding drug smuggling and contraband distribution in the Leavenworth Detention Center, it
was revealed that the CCA made video recordings of confidential meetings between lawyers and their clients and recorded the audio of phone calls between attorneys and their clients, according to KCUR. The CCA then turned these recordings over to the prosecutors. These actions show a blatant disregard for the privacy rights of the inmates and
improper housing and poor health services in private prisons were among the major findings that the report exposed."
staff in the private prisons.
Although the Bureau of Prisons tries to ensure that private prisons are meeting certain standards, the nature of for-profit companies inhibits the BOP's ability to regulate and allows these companies to exploit the system. Housing prisoners should not be a business venture. The goal of all prisons should be to rehabilitate criminals, not to make a profit off of them. The prison system as a whole needs to be reformed. It often unfairly targets minorities and poor individuals. That reform would be expedited if private prisons were abolished.
Ryan Liston is a sophomore from Laurence studying journalism and political science.
McCarthy: Tax reform still needed in KS
▶ KEVIN MCCARTHY
@kevindmccarthy
Three votes. That's how close the Kansas Legislature was to ending Governor Brownback's disastrous tax experiment. On Wednesday, the House voted 85-40 to override the veto of HB 2178 while the Senate voted 24-16 in favor of the override. The Senate needed 27 votes to override the Brownback's veto.
While this is a little disheartening for Kansans, like
myself, who were hoping that this bill would pass, it is still encouraging. If you would have told me a few years ago that the legislature would be three votes short of reversing Brownback's tax cuts, I would have said you were crazy.
The reality is most of the legislature is now against Governor Brownback on this issue. They have heard their constituents loud and clear. This abysmal tax policy must end.
In previous columns, I have talked at length about the negative impact of the Brownback tax policy. Therefore, I think that it's important to discuss the positive impact of repealing the unaffordable tax cuts.
HB 2178 has received widespread bipartisan support. The major parts of the
tax bill include the elimination of the LLC loophole for 330,000 small businesses, restores a third income tax bracket for higher-income taxpayers, and ends the "march to zero."
They have heard their constituents loud and clear. This abysmal tax policy must end."
This legislation represents a major shift in the legislature from just a few years ago. Part of the reason for this is the influx of new lawmakers from the 2016 election. Moderate Republicans and Democrats have formed a powerful coalition in the 2017 legislative session.
While these changes to the tax code would not solve all our state's problems, it would be a major step in the right direction. Contrary to what the Governor and his administration have been saying, Kansas has a revenue problem, not a spending problem.
As much as it hurts, the only way to solve a revenue problem is by increasing taxes.
The Kansas economy is in dire straits right now but it is not too late to do something about it. We must continue to put pressure on the legislature and Governor Brownback.
The last few weeks have been vital in the fight to end the tax experiment, but we cannot let up. Anything short of comprehensive tax reform
is unacceptable. We have tried it the Governor's way and it has not worked.
For the tax reform to be passed, the legislation might have to be altered, but provisions such as repealing the LLC loophole, ending the "march to zero," and restoring a third tax bracket for higher-income must remain intact.
I am feeling hopeful after this week and I think that we will see major tax reform coming out of the statehouse sooner rather than later.
Kevin McCarthy is a senior from Lenexa studying political science, history and public policy.
Edited by Casey Brown
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
LETTER GUIDELINES. Send letters to editor@ kansan.com. Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the email subject line.
Length: 300 words
TER TO THE EDITOR
The submission should include the author's name, year, major and hometown. Find our full letter to the editor policy online at kansan.com/letters.
CONTACT US
Lara Korte
Editor-in-chief
lkore@kansan.com
Tucker Paine Business Manager tpaine@kansan.com
THE KANSAN EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Lara Korte, Christian Hardy, Tucker Paine and Vince Munoz.
+