OPINION
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2004
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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EDITORIAL BOARD
www.kansan.com
Coverage of ban led readers astray
That pesky smoking, ban just keeps causing problems.
"Liquor revenue increases, Smoking ban doesn't hurt sales," published in the Kansan on Friday. Nov. 12, addressed the recently passed smoking ban in Lawrence. The article stated that despite the ban on smoking in public businesses, revenue is not down. Specifically, it the article reported that tax dollars collected from sales of liquor in restaurants and bars was up 0.9 percent.
However, the story did not end there. As diligent readers discovered upon finding the second half of the story buried on the corner of page five, per capita sales actually decreased. Both the population of Lawrence and the number of bars increased during the time cited in the 0.9 percent increase.
According to the Kansas Licensed Beverage Association, an increase in sales of 8 percent would have been on par for Lawrence before the smoking ban.
What does this mean? There are two issues here. First, the smoking ban seems to be having a stronger impact on businesses than its supporters initially would have thought.
As bars sell less alcohol to customers, they are forced to raise prices. Bars end up selling fewer drinks for the same amount of money, which eventually leads to more customers staying home. While this results in a decrease in the business the bar ultimately does, the numbers are temporarily
The editorial board does not disagree with the smoking ban. In fact, many of us are still supporters. However, it is important for voters to know what is happening as a result of the ban. The lack of fair attention paid to this issue is unacceptable, and must stop.
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CORRECTION
The Hereford House, Sixth and Wakarusa streets, is not closing. It was incorrectly stated that it the restaurant was closing in yesterday's opinion column "Snuff Out Compromise Proposal."Hereford House is experiencing problems and could close in February if business does not improve.
inflated by the increased prices and taxes collected. In effect this problem has been hiding itself.
When media outlets such as the Kansan publish articles with headlines claiming the smoking ban does not hurt sales, how is the public supposed to understand the real happenings of this issue? It is the job of the media to provide disinterested and fair reporting of the issues, which has not happened up to now.
It is important to note that for all businesses affected by the smoking ban, an 8 percent increase in sales would have been necessary simply to keep sales level. Although the pure dollar amount of liquor sales increased, the overall business did not.
The second issue here is the media's coverage of this subject. Many voters were conflicted when voting on this issue. While nonsmokers in Kansas far outnumber smokers, many voters were hesitant to vote for the Lawrence ban. It's main opposition came from the very businesses that are losing business since its implementation. They cited that they would lose business, just as it appears that they now are.
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Free forAll
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CARINO'S VIEW
How come I see all these people on campus, especially Wescoe Beach, that they talk for Christ and then yell at people when Christ says to love one another?
global wealth, the top 20 percent of American taxpayers, a mere 72 million people, own 50 percent of the country's wealth, or 12.5 percent of the world's total wealth.
Guess what, *Free for All!* It's snowing and I'm so happy! (singing) Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
--global wealth, the top 20 percent of American taxpayers, a mere 72 million people, own 50 percent of the country's wealth, or 12.5 percent of the world's total wealth.
Freezing outside, it's snowing and I just saw a girl in flip-flops. Flip-flops in the middle of winter. For Christ's sake!
I love snow. I'm from Texas and it's about the only good thing about Kansas.
You ever wonder why freshmen gain 15 extra pounds when they come to college and eat at Es? Why that is? I have an idea. Maybe E's is the same quality of food at McDonald's? Yeah, you think about that when you bite into one of those burgs.
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I just thought I'd let y'all know that attached is spelled a-t-t-c-a-h-e-d. There is no t before the c, so you should do spell check and stuff.
Did you know that when it's snowing at night, you're supposed to flash the snow off, your headlights? Yeah, me neither. I should really read "Driving in the snow for dummies."
global wealth, the top 20 percent of American taxpayers, a mere 72 million people, own 50 percent of the country's wealth, or 12.5 percent of the world's total wealth.
global wealth, the top 20 percent of American taxpayers, a mere 72 million people, own 50 percent of the country's wealth, or 12.5 percent of the world's total wealth.
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This is for all the architecture students that were throwing snowballs outside of Marvin Hall at the sorority girls: Rock on, rock on.
Why is it that when I always walk up Daisy Hill, the wind is always blowing in my face? Nature sucks! Just kidding, I love you, nature.
OK, this goes to all the girls on campus wearing Ugg boots; number one, they're called Ugg boots because they're ugly and number two, you look absolutely ridiculous wearing sweatpants and big, clunky Ugg boots. Come on, guys.
I just saw a commercial that said Wanda Sykes was named by some magazine to be one of the 25 funniest people in America. I think I have 25 friends who are funnier than Wanda Sykes, and I don't have many funny friends.
Our lecture just said 202 "ums" in 30 minutes. Yeah, I got tired of counting.
It seems like all the quotes printed on the Free for All are from freshmen because they whine so much. Stop frickin' whining!
I think I want a shirt that says, "Don't pet me, I'm working."
I wonder if I'll get marked down on my English paper for quoting a guy named Dick Meister?
So, a guy in the Ellsworth parking lot just waited 10 minutes so he could have my spot and watched me clean out my car.
global wealth, the top 20 percent of American taxpayers, a mere 72 million people, own 50 percent of the country's wealth, or 12.5 percent of the world's total wealth.
global wealth, the top 20 percent of American taxpayers, a mere 72 million people, own 50 percent of the country's wealth, or 12.5 percent of the world's total wealth.
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I so so so very tired of class. My home work makes me want to cry.
Carino/ KRT Campus
Conservative tsunami rampant
So we've had about a month to digest the consequences of the November election. Conservatism is spreading its "mandate" across the canvas of American politics.
COMMENTARY
But I would like to deliver a message to a particular category of KU students
— those who have or will become conservatives as a result of the 2004 campaign and election. I want to offer a brief historical journey through the ideologies you have adopted, should you choose to ride the conservative tsunami ripping across our country.
SEAN PAUZAUSKIE
opinion@hansan.com
Your first stop: Jan. 22, 1973. On that day, Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion, became federal law. Your president now wants you to embrace his so-called "culture of life," a catch phrase he borrowed from Pope Paul II. But before you throw down, bomb a clinic or disown a friend for having an abortion, think about the U.S. Constitution.
Ask yourself this: Do you think that outlawing abortion takes away a woman's jurisdiction over her own body, even if you think abortion sends her straight to hell? Does a woman have the right to choose her own moral and spiritual fate?
In America, we value freedom over equality, but one historical trend still stands against your blameless conservatism: the wealthy can find ways to make money and keep it only as long as people are happy and the economy is good. But with rising poverty levels, vast public gaps in health insurance, and disestablished public education (Bush has already kicked 2 million kids out of their after-school programs), nothing can protect us from a rising crime rate and the decav of the American economy.
Let's make a pit stop for guns. Your conservatism did nothing to stop semi-automatic assault rifles, like Uzis, from trickling back onto the streets. Enough said.
Next stop: May 23, 2003. The second major Bush tax cut, which gave half the $90 billion gains to the top one percent of taxpayers, became federal law on that day. The United States comprises five percent of the world's population and possesses 25 percent of the world's wealth. If that seems unjust, consider another fact. Within that 25 percent of
Moving on: Oct. 26, 2001. Since our founding fathers wrote the Constitution, Americans have believed that people possessed certain inalienable rights —
not because they were American citizens, but because they were human beings. During the aftermath of World War II and the formation of the United Nations, the United States made sure this idea was pressed into international law. But on Sept. 11, 2001, that changed. During the following month, your conservatism, now permeating the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services, decided that background checks may be enforced on U.S. citizens with funny Arab names. On this October date, the USA PATRIOT Act (how ironic is the title?) became law, stripping the U.S. of its historical conviction that people deserve the right to privacy because they are people, not simply citizens of a particular nation.
Our final stop on this brief tour: Dec. 2004. You will wake up feeling you are different from your peers. You are becoming a true college conservative. But do not do so because Arnold Schwarzenegger or Rudolph Guiliani, the charismatic, centrist members of your party, impressed you at the Republican National Convention. Do not do so because the wave is so powerful that it seems inevitable. Do not do so because Fox News delivers its conservative agenda to you 24 hours a day. Do not do so because it is cool to be different from your inexplicably optimistic Democratic peers.
Do so at your own risk.
Pauzauskie is a Topeka senior in English and cell biology.
Week offers AIDS info, answers
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the estimated number of AIDS diagnoses in the United States at the end of 2002 was 886,575. Of that estimate, 18 percent of adult and adolescent cases occurred in females.
Another 9,300 of these cases were estimated in children younger than 15. Most of the child cases were caused by a mother with an HIV infection. It is important we remember this group of innocent children because yesterday was World AIDS Day.
This year's World AIDS Day campaign focused primarily on women and HIV. The objectives included raising awareness and addressing the issues women and girls face when dealing with HIV and AIDS.
According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, young women and girls are more at risk to contract HIV than men and boys. Studies show women and girls can be about 2.5 times more likely to contract HIV than males.
This exposure to HIV is mostly because of lack of information about AIDS, inadequate access to HIV prevention services, inability to have safe sex and a shortage of female-controlled prevention methods for HIV. Also,
The only method of reducing the risk of contracting the HIV virus is by regular condom use during vaginal, anal, and oral sex. Correct and consistent condom use can significantly reduce the risk of HIV in men and women.
In the United States alone, AIDS has been the cause of death of approximately 493,000 people, and between 800,000 and 900,000 are living as HIV positive.
women and girls are at a greater risk than men and boys for sexual violence, which can further spread HIV, according to the Web site www.cdc.gov/hiv/stats.htm.
How many people living in Kansas do you think have AIDS or are HIV positive? According to the Kansas Department of Health & Environment (KDHE), the estimated number of people residing in Kansas at the end of 2002 who tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, was 1,113.
Of those, 161 were female (14.4 percent) and cases are disproportionately high among all African Americans, although 68 percent of cases occurred among caucasians.
There are surely people at the University living with HIV too, whether they are aware of their status
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or not. The American College Health Association estimates that nationally two in 500 college students are HIV positive. What about you? Are you positive that you are negative?
Come to any of the World AIDS Day events this week sponsored by the Peer Health Educators and Student Health Services to find out about testing, pick up a Safer Sex Kit, or ask questions.
There is help out there. You can also contact any of these services if you need testing or if you have any questions concerning HIV/AIDS.
Student Health Services at Watkins Memorial Health Center, 864-9570
Douglas County AIDS Project,
843-0040
Lawrence & Douglas County Health Department, 843-0721
Planned Parenthood, 832-0281
Jennie Unruh andJessica Hobbs are Coffeyville freshmen in pre-nursing. They are involved with the Peer Health Educators through Student Health Services at Watkins Memorial Health Center.
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