PAGE 4
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2012
Text your FFA submissions to 785-289-8351 or at kansan.com
I am so hipster I walk up stairs three at a time. No one else is on my level.
Just saw a squirrel sprinting with a huge cookie in its mouth. What?
Wait, you mean coffee has another use aside from keeping me highly caffeinated? Mmm... Warmth.
Cut our kicker and take away a few turnovers and the K-State game is completely different.
Leave Crist in they said... He'll improve they said...
At least swimming and diving can beat Rice.
I don't care what the final score was.
Our fake pass and field goal made my life!
I would try and use the FFA to find my soulmate, but I don't think I could describe the type of girl I like in 160 characters.
Spring break!
I think Cassel and Crist got together and made a bet on who could turn the ball over more...
Sometimes the best part of fall break is sitting in your paijamas, playing Pokemon and watching bad movies on Notiflv
The Color Run was totally worth the pink earwax and blue boogers.
Gotta love getting drunk twice in one day.
So, interesting fact, "Avatar" has no special effects, it was all real. Ah, the things you learn at the Hawk.
That awkward moment when you have 7,000 followers on Tumblr and no friends in real life.
We're not even dating and this whole distance thing is stressing me out.
I just stroke an unbreakable travel mug with my bare hands! I am an Avenger!
Sitting at the bus stop at 7:35 a.m. during fall break makes me sad. I don't have class, but I have 9 hours of work ahead of me.
I'm worried that if I buy a pumpkin now I would have to wait for it to defrost before I do any decoration... It's winter in Kansas
Make an educated decision for Nov.6
The political system in the United States is considered a democracy. Political officials are determined by the votes of citizens. Therefore, it should come to no surprise that participating in the political system by voting is important.
EDITORIAL
Voting is one of the few ways citizens can voice their opinion on political topics and influence the direction of the country. It's a citizen's duty to help elect a president reflective of the population's beliefs.
This year major issues are being debated. Most of them
will affect students in some way. Some of the topics include the debt, the economy, taxes and social policies. Instead of voting based off of a gut feeling, the more attractive wife, or the best campaign slogan, do a little research a make an educated decision.
Students hear this sentiment all of the time in class: don't do it the night before, do your research ahead of time. Funny thing; it's true. Each campaign has put out an abundance of problems with the opposing candidate. The media has featured campus updates in
nearly every news broadcast, newspaper and radio show. If that's not how students get their news, social media websites also offer an abundance of ways to find out what's going on in the political campaigns.
One easy way to find out the opinions and attitudes of the candidates is to watch them debate. If you missed the first debate, there are still a few remaining opportunities to compare the candidates side-by-side. The vice-presidential candidates will debate foreign and domestic policy Thursday night at 8. The presidential candidates
will debate in a town meeting setting on Oct. 16 and in a formal setting discussing foreign policy on Oct. 22. All broadcasts are on ABC.
Another way to educate yourself is to follow the election campaigns everyday by reading the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post.
The point is, before citizens make their decision and cast their vote on Nov. 6, they should know more than whom Big Bird would vote for. They should compare their beliefs to the beliefs of the candidates.
Take the 26 days before the election, and get educated. Citizens should find out what the candidates will do about issues that matter to each citizen and to the country as a whole.
Students, citizens, taxpayers, it's time to take a stand for a candidate that believes what you do. Find out who that candidate is and make an informed decision on Nov. 6.
Angela Hawkins for the Kansan Editorial Board.
POLITICS
American Dream is wishful thinking
Since I first read "The Great Gatsby" in my junior year of high school, I've subscribed to Fitzgerald's condemnation of the excesses of the upper class and worshipped his championing of the little guy in pursuit of the dream. I mourned for Jay Gatsby and his tireless efforts to woo his beloved Daisy, only to fall short in an unjust twist of fate. But because he failed, I believed he enabled us all to "run faster, stretch out our arms farther". And I had every reason to believe that with this hard work, I could accomplish anything, because my parents are proud products of the American Dream.
After her father's death, my mom left Mexico at the age of 2 to start a new life in the United States of America. But life wasn't as easy as advertised. The whole family worked several jobs and received welfare and food stamps, but after buying the weekly groceries and paying rent on their rat-infested shack, there wasn't enough money left for cancer treatments and medical visits. So my poor grandmother died a poor woman's death and my mom became an orphan at the age of 15. But she was determined; mom finished high school on her own and even paid her way through Tulane University, where she met my dad.
Now I don't know how poor my dad was at the time, but my mom was living in a garage, and she still picked up the dinner tab when they first started dating. Dad did have parents, it's just that his father had a tendency to walk out on him and wasn't terribly fond of paying child support. But Dad had lofty dreams, and with his tireless work ethic and the aid of academic scholarships, he earned his master's degree and now serves as the president of his very own, highly profitable air cargo company.
Send letters to kansanopdesk@gmail.com,
Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the e-mail subject line.
We live in a nice, big suburban house with a picket fence and a basketball hoop in the driveway. And it'll have a "For Sale" sign out front in a matter of months. The cushy economic floor dropped out beneath us and we went into free fall until we were violently awakened from our American Dream.
LETTER GUIDELINES
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
I think the dream felt real while we were in it. The truth is, my parents had some help. Immigration laws were far more lenient in the 1960s. There's no way my mom would be naturalized under our current policies. It's doubtful that my dad would have even gone to college if he hadn't had such high ACT scores; and I know that neither parent could have afforded student loans at present rates. We just stopped being a nation that cared about one another. We have a presidential candidate who claims that 47 percent of the population won't help themselves, and he isn't concerned about them. And his running mate believes that only 70 percent of Americans want the American Dream, while the other 30 percent are satisfied with welfare. My family may be facing some trying times, but I think back to another Gatsby quote: "Remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."
I reread "The Great Gatsby" this past week only to find that the story had changed; Gatsby's dream was all a lie. Daisy was never as good as he had built her up to be, just like how we idealized the notion that anyone could get a job, own a house and start a family. But what happens when you somehow claw your way out of poverty and it still isn't enough? What happens when my mom has to get another job as a substitute teacher so she can go back and get her master's? What happens when we have to move into a smaller house? What happens when I earn a full scholarship, and yet we still can't afford proper health insurance?
Webber is a resthmian majoring in journalism and political science from Prairie Village. Follow him on Twitter @webgembz.
It's time to wake up.
CAMPUS CHIRPS BACK
Should Fall Break be week-long during Thanksgiving, or is the current format ok?
Follow us on twitter @UKD. Opinion, Tweet your opinions, and we just might publish them.
1
Length: 300 words
The submission should include the author's name, grade and hometown find our full list. policy online policy at kansas. com/letters.
Vikaas Shanker, managing editor vshanker@kansan.com
lan Cummings, editor editor@kansan.com
Length: 300 words
Dylan Lysen, opinion editor
dlysen@kansan.com
ELECTION
Romney trumps Obama in presidential debate
Traditionally, elections experience a certain amount of convergence as the first Tuesday in November begins to loom large. As the leaves begin to turn, the polls begin to tighten. Whether it's due to the fact that people aren't pressed with an imminent decision until September and October come around; or they haven't had the time to see the presidential candidates face off in debates, it's unclear. However, it's most likely a combination of the two; and this edition of the presidential election is no different. And in round one, the presidential debate on Oct. 3, Mitt Romney did everything he could to boost his campaign.
There are few presidential debates that last in the minds of American political historians. The Reagan-Carter debates during the 1980 election are an example of a debate that left a lasting impression on U.S. history. Reagan's, "there you go again, Mr. President," is a debate line that may last for as long as people care about the American presidential race. The Oct. 3 debate may be remembered as one of the most one-sided debates in U.S. political history; and one of the worst moderated in history. As 67 million people tuned in, Romney steamrolled a visibly tired and uninterested President Obama. There have been some ridiculously hilarious excuses for Obama's inept performance; according to Politico, former Vice President Gore said it was due to the altitude of Denver. However, that isn't the real reason why a CNN poll found that 67 percent of those polled felt the former
By Billy McCroybmccroy@kansan.com
governor of Massachusetts won or why a Gallup poll revealed 72 percent of those that they polled felt similarly.
level playing field, whether it was because the debate was hardly moderated or any other excuse, Obama crumbled under the pressure of a real debate about his administration's ineptitude.
It is because Mitt Romney was able to show how presidential he is. Throughout the entire debate, whenever Romney spoke, he was looking at Obama; and Obama could do little else but look down at his podium, as though he were scolded by a parent. Mitt Romney was finally able to show himself to the public, who have been told by various outlets what to expect from the Republican nominee since last year. And most importantly, it is because in the arena of ideas, liberal ideals are no match for true conservatism.
There are plenty of questions surrounding Obama's performance. Why didn't he attack Romney about 47 percent? The reason why Obama didn't bring up the 47 percent video is because he has his own videos from the past. His campaign people must know that Romney is prepared to strike back with videos; showing the future President Romney talk about his interest in redistributing American wealth or speaking to the then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev about how the U.S. would be more willing to listen to Putin after Obama's reelection. It isn't a story that will win Obama reelection, only the media think it is.
When conservatism isn't surrounded by radical beliefs and criticisms about being sexist, homophobic or racist, it is unbeatable. Romney was logical and used clear figures to calmly show how the differences between Obama and himself. And what is most upsetting is that people see these qualities as "slick" and a reason to find Romney untrustworthy. How is that reasonable? Romney's attacks on Obama were factual, supported and delivered in a calm, clear voice. It is high time that someone challenged Obama on a
The debate has certainly boosted Romney's campaign, as of Columbus Day he's leading Obama in several reputable polls. People on both sides are asking themselves if there is enough time for Romney to turn the tide; however, that's assuming that previous numbers were correct. While the President Obama puts himself on the back for creating 114,000 jobs in September, which magically lowered the unemployment rate to 7.8 percent, it is clear that this election is much closer than it looked just two to three weeks ago.
McCroy is a senior majoring in economics from Des Moines, Iowa.
You can follow him on Twitter
@Billy McCroy
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
No need for fear at night
I would like to respond to a FFA published on Oct. 2. "How do I tell girls they shouldn't be walking by themselves in the dark late at night without sounding like a psycho?" they wanted to know.
Well,ude,you don't sound like a psycho.What you're saying is what we have always been told.Don't walk alone at night. If you must,have your keys in your hands.Dont get distracted by your phone or stop to look for something in your purse.Be fully aware of your surroundings.Avoid alleys and unlit streets.I know.My mother,sisters,my friends
we all know.
But really, that's the problem. When they are taught that they should not walk alone at night because they may be harassed, you imply that is her responsibility to avoid that assault. Doesn't it make more sense to tell men that they should not harass women who walk alone at night? Instead of instilling in women a fear of darkness, why don't we instill in men an understanding that seeing a woman on her own after sunset does not grant you permission to assault her?
Candice Crafton is a junior from Wichita.
Believe it or not, adult women lead lives that often require
them to be outside of their home at night. Alone. We have a right to do this without fear of attack. We should not have to create schedules based on the inclinations of predators, and we should not have cursews based on the rotation of the Earth's axis.
So, if you see me or my friends walking alone at night, please don't tell us that we shouldn't. Instead, remind men that they should not assault.
@ SarahFoster
@UJK_Opinion CURRENT FORMAT! there is no way I'd be able to wait ALL the way till Thanksgiving for a break! This was fantastic!
@iocilyn_rae
@jocilyn_rae
@UDK_Dpinion week at Thanksgiving! Out-of-state kids can't really make a trip home for Fall-streak but longer at Thanksgiving would be great!
@r00byslippers
@UDK_Opinion I'm fine with the current format. If you've got a really busy week, it's nice to have a few days to just refuel.
Ross Newton, business manager
newton@kansan.com
Matalc Gibson, general manager and news adviser @daniam.com
Jon Schitts, sales and marketing adviser joshbitts@daniam.com
Elise Farrington, sales manager
earrington@kansan.com
CONTACT US
@osborn 2009
@UOSUN_2005
@UDK_Opinion it wouldn't matter either way because our professors would still assign exams/midterms/finals the whole week ...
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansai Editorial Board are Ian Cummings, Vikaa Shaker, Dylan Lynx, Ross Newton and Elise Farrington.
4
1