a
Friday, October 14, 1994
OPINION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Universal health care would limit freedoms
ZACKARY STARBIRD
Adopting universal coverage may force our government to ban actions that pose health risks
that pose health risks.
The 103rd Congress closed last weekend, and official debate on health care closed with it. Despite the Congressional recess, the nagging social ills that beg for restructuring our health care distribution system continue unabated.
To many, the arguments in favor of some form of socialized medicine are so strong that opposing it seems inconceivable or at least heartless. Why should we not have universal health care after all? Unlike so many other aspects of life, an individual often has little control over his health or his health care expenses.
Sarah Student cannot prevent her fellow student, unknowingly infected with Hepatitis A, from attending class. Sarah did not choose to, but
Doesn't the pure randomness of fate in distributing illness and injury to individuals bespeak the need for some form of socialized medicine?
to look a lot more like expensive and unnecessary privileges. At that point you or your fellow citizens may decide that we should ban those activities. Alternatively, we should at least require separate "contributions" from individuals engaging in those high-risk, voluntary behaviors. If we do that, though, who will decide whether an activity is high-risk or voluntary? Mountain climbing may be voluntary, but how voluntary is working in a coal mine for many residents of the Appalachians?
Neither Sarah nor Henry chose to incur the serious medical expenses attendant to their respective maladies. Nevertheless, under the present system, they may be stuck with the bills, even though the calamities weren't their fault. This is a very real, very serious problem with our present health care distribution system.
Up to this point you might have agreed that people should have the right to smoke or the right to go mountain climbing.
Now, however, you will be forced to subsidize the lung disease and the cancer that results from smoking. Now, you must pay for my repeated mountain climbing injuries. Didn't you realize mountain climbing is the most dangerous sport?
By adopting any form of universal health care, we will pit certain segments of U.S. citizens against one another. Certain freedoms we now enjoy would be significantly impaired or banned outright. This is not idle
Maybe so, but it doesn't need to be through mandatory universal coverage. Let us imagine that the U.S. government paid for everyone's health care expenses. Suddenly, an ordinary citizen like you, Harold Healthy, and you, Molly Most-Healthy, will have assumed some unexpected burdens.
Suddenly, these "rights" have begun
chatter. Lest we forget, the U.S. government virtually banned three-wheeling long before universal health care reached the forefront of U.S. political debate.
---
unfortunately did, catch Hepatitis A.
Henry Hemophiliac did not ask Faultless Blood Bank for AIDS-tainted blood.
It is no stretch of the imagination to recognize that "dangerous" sports, especially those without a vocal lobby, may be banned under a universal health care system. The nation may have a duty to assist its Sarals and Henrys. If we overstep that reasonable goal, however, and adopt mandatory universal coverage, we will threaten the freedoms that have stamped the United States with its distinctive character for so long.
Should not all of us share the costs with these unfortunate, blameless individuals?
VIEWPOINT
Public school system elicits private administrative help
Zackary Starbird is a third-year Topeka law student.
Several studies conducted last year said that a significant number of students in public schools lacked a basic understanding of writing, reading and math skills. Nobody understands the severity of this problem better than the Hartford community whose school system is plagued by high dropout rates and low test scores. But unlike
Report on Education, Clinton then chairman of the leadership and management committee made it clear that effective management plays a vital role in reforming the school system.
HARTFORD SCHOOL BOARD Community embraced change when it recently voted to become the nation's first city with privately managed schools.
the rest of the country, Hartford has decided to embrace change.
By a 6-3 school board vote, Hartford recently became the nation's first city to turn over the management of all of its public schools to a private company. The company promised to implement effective management skills as well as to increase the students' scores on standardized tests.
This idea to improve school performance from the top down is the same ideology espoused by Clinton. In the Governors' 1991
Most public schools lack the qualified administrators needed to lead schools into the new era of reform. Clinton's task force found that public
Festival will educate and unite Lawrence residents
By hiring Education Alternatives to run its $171.1 million public school system, Hartford has taken a bold but necessary step to reform its education system. A step that the rest of the nation could learn from.
schools spend about one-tenth as much as private industry does in developing its personnel. Many administrators, compared to their private counterparts, are underqualified to carry out administrative tasks.
LANCE HAMBY FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD.
This Saturday from 10 to 7 p.m., downtown Lawrence will once again play host to the Celebration of Cultures festival.
The purpose of the festival is to bring the people of Lawrence together in an attempt to better educate everyone about the various ethnic groups that are a strong part of this community.
By accomplishing this, organizers hope to alleviate hate and prejudice in the community.
However, education is only one aspect of the festival.
If students choose not to attend Saturday they are missing out on not only a good time, but more importantly a chance to find out about other cultures and the people who make up the community.
Other parts include arts and crafts, international entertainment and foods from around the world.
Events like this are too rare in this community.
KANSAN STAFF
DONELLA HEARNE FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
STEPHEN MARTINO
Editor
CHRISTOPH FUHRMANS
Managing editor
JEN CARR Business manager
TOM EBLEN General manager, news adviser
CAMERON DEATH Retail sales manager
CATHERINE ELLSWORTH Systems coordinator
JEANNE HINES Sales and marketing adviser
Editors
News ... Sara Bennett
Editorial ... Donna Hearne
Campus ... Mark Martin
Biometrics ... Brian Jones
Photo ... Daron Bennett
... Melissa Locey
Features ... Tracel Cirol
Planning Editor ... Susan White
Design ... Noah Musser
Assistant to the editor .. Robbie Johnson
Editors
Business Staff
Campus mgr ... Todd Winters
Regional mgr ... Laura Guth
National mgr ... Mark Mastro
Coop mgr ... Emily Gibson
Special Sections mgr ... Jen Perrier
Production mgrs ... Holly Boren
... Regan Overy
Marketing director ... Alan Stiglic
Creative director ... John Cartton
Classified mgr ... Heather Niahou
Letters should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 200 words. They must include the writer's signature, name, address and telephone number. Writers affiliated with the University of California at Berkeley are encouraged to do so.
Guest collumn should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 700 words. The writer will be photogranched.
Kansas reserves the right to reject or edit letters, guest columns and cartoons. They can be mailed or brought to the Kansas newsroom, 111 Staffer-Flint Hall.
SADDAM HUSSEIN: IGNORING THE LESSONS OF TIME
Matt Hood / KANSAN
'Alternative' is cousin to high school cliques
I am not a very alternative person. I wear Converse All-Stars and I have a Primus shirt. That's about as alternative as I get, but I don't dwell on it.
However, I started feeling guilty about my conformity-laden tread through life while I was at the Bottleneck. There was a ska show that night. I was standing in front with a friend of mine, who happens to be more alternative-looking than me. He was talking to some highly-alternative girls. They had shaved heads, combat boots, black clothes, etc. And they smoked. They had fashioned themselves in the trendy nonconformity that is alternative culture. They had no means of even acknowledging me because I was camouflaged by the fatigued complacency of the nonalternative society.
These girls were looking for someone to go tear down advertisements for an upcoming ska show at the Botteneck. But..."We don't want any fluff here," one of them said. She seemed to think that a person has to earn her attention and listen to her music. I mean, God forbid somebody without combat boots might actually enjoy ska music. She just didn't want anyone different listening to her music. Next thing you know they'll
GUEST COLUMNIST
JACK BIRMINGHAM
want their own drinking fountains.
I don't mean to compare alternativeism to any sort of racial segregation. It's not that serious. It's just that this trend, elitist propaganda has about as little reason and intelligence as racism does. They want to be the most alternative people in all of Grungeville and don't want to be associated with someone who doesn't project that image.
It's a direct parallel to the popular crowd which ruled my high school. Those girls at the Bottleneck were trying to come off as bad-ass nonconformists, and all I really saw were a couple of girls doing anything they could to be accepted by the "in" crowd. They were flaunting their membership to their snotty, aristocratic society and waving their cigarettes around like status symbols, just like the typical, popular high school girl.
This alternative movement is essentially a grungier version of high school cliques. The word "alternative" can no longer even be considered an adjective that's used to describe something different or new. It is now nothing more than a label used to identify popular culture. It appears to take on the ideals of nonconformity, thereby changing the definition of nonconformity to alternativism.
I hope the entire population of Johnson County high schools start going to ska shows. I'd just like to see how the trendy alternates, like the girls at the Bottleneck, react.
We would see if they'd upgrade their hypocrisy and stop listening to ska and find something else to serve their elitist cause. This would prove that the music didn't really matter to them nearly as much as the pretentious image.
All I have left to say to people who think that way is this: go back to high school.
Jack Birmingham is an Overland Park freshman in Journalism.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Wildcat fans lack class after win
KU is 1-3 against KState for my college career. And my parents, who both happen to be KState alumnus, are never going to let me forget about it. Ever. And neither are any of my seven brothers and sisters. But Friday, as I walked across campus, realized something: I'm still proud to be a Jayhawk.
Growing up in a K-State, dyed-in-the-purple household meant growing up knowing that the Jayhawks were just awful So, of course, ever since I came here four years ago, there has always been the good-natured ribbing and name calling whenever I go home. Until Thursday night, I was never ashamed to tell people that I had grown up a Wildcat.
Now I am.
I have been a member of the Marching Jayhawks for all four of my years here, and Thursday night was more like being in a Vietnam war zone than being in a stadium amidst a good-natured rivalry. I found out halfway through the game that a friend of mine had been physically assaulted by a K-State fan while she was waiting in the stadium. The drummeline had to face tantalisms chants of "Rock Chalk Chickenhawk. F—KU," while dodging everything from balled up Powerbars to pieces of PVC pipe and rocks while waiting to begin a presentation.
After the game, as everyone knows, the K-State fans stormed the field and pulled down our north end goal post, adding insult to injury. For the next 15 to 20 minutes, the band dodged everything from Power-bar missiles to bottles of purple dye to "Wet Willie" water. A majority of the band members were hit by something thrown at them by Wildcat fans.
There is such a thing as winning with class and dignity, and whether there is a rivalry or not, the fans should always remember that they represent their school. KU lost Thursday night, but we did it with class, dignity and pride. K-State may have won the game, but in my book, I'd rather lose the game and treat a rival with class than win and be complete jerks.
So the next time KU plays K-State, I will be proud to be numbered among the Jahawk fans. I will be watching and waving the wheat, singing the Alma Mater and Rock Chalk chant. Because, as Thursday night proved, we have the best fans.
At least in this state.
Amanda Jo Harkins senior
MIXED MEDIA
By Jack Ohman
1994 Tribune Media Services, Inc All Rights Reserved.