Opinion THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2010
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Why do people say "thank you" when someone calls their boyfriend or girlfriend hot? It's not like they had anything to do with it.
--upon it the dts at zated women their
My dad gave me $20 and told me not to use it on booze Then I just had to.
Damn it. Even my horoscope thinks I'm an alcoholic.
--a serious miscalculation.
Wait right here. I have to go to an ATM.
I was the third wheel on a man date. FML.
--a serious miscalculation.
I was complimented on my pepper spray. Thanks for making me a guy magnet,
I wish I could be a flight attendant.
Tonight we're going to party like it's 1999!
--a serious miscalculation.
You harassed me for more than a year and tried to make me feel bad about myself. Now, I'm about to graduate college and you're about to upgrade your jobs to McD'!
Now that's what's up!
I use colons and semicolons to make myself appear more intelligent
I use "umms" and "uhh"
to make myself appear less
intelligent.
Silly Tigers, you can't beat the Jayhawks.
Oprah is a prostitute.
--a serious miscalculation.
The ice cream man just drove by my house ringing his bell. Too soon?
--a serious miscalculation.
What do Emily Osment, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato have in common? They're all turning 18 this year!
--a serious miscalculation.
I'm eating Jello with a straw. I'm just that awesome.
My mom just posted on my wall telling me to stop editing pictures and to study. Thanks,
The controversies surrounding last year's election should have made reform a top priority for Student Senate. A year later not one amendment has passed, and the elections code remains unchanged from last year.
EDITORIAL BOARD
--a serious miscalculation.
Controversial Student Senate election code requires reform
Though some of the concerns voiced by those senators who opposed the bill were well founded, it's unfortunate that the Senate was unable to reach a compromise before campaigning started on March 1.
With election campaigns officially underway, Student Senate's failure to pass a bill with amendments to the elections code was a costly mistake.
Student Senate voted down the bill after an intense debate on Feb 18, marking the last chance any proposed changes had of becoming effectual before this year's elections.
I was pissed when you didn't show up. Thanks, douchebag.
--a serious miscalculation.
Implementing changes now would prove impractical and potentially damaging with campaigns already underway.
Though procedural uncertainties may have complicated Student Senate's ability to pass a bill, senators have had adequate time to resolve those issues.
That the most recent bill went to vote less than two weeks before campaigning began on Feb. 18 was
"Student Senate's indecisiveness on procedural issues is a source of distrust among the student body."
The dispute about who has the authority to implement changes to the elections code—the elections commission or Student Senate—should have been resolved much earlier. Student Senate's indecisiveness on procedural issues is a source of distrust among the student body
Last year's controversial election sparked heated criticism of Student Senate and underscored the inefficiencies of the elections code. Vicepresident May Davis inappropriate contact with members of the elections commission led to unforeseen complications and a contentious election.
Then-chancellor Robert Hemenway's decision to intervene in last year's election by overturning the elections commission's decision to remove Davis from the ballot provides further indication of the flaws
in the elections code.
Without reform, the elections code and elections commission lack the capacity to handle the most serious issues. For Student Senate to maintain its integrity, Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little never have to interfere with elections as Hemenway did. Guaranteeing this requires substantial reform to the elections code.
For reform to be possible and effective, the non-partisan elections commission and both coalitions need to make it a top priority after the elections in April. Immediate reform is needed for Student Senate to regain the trust of the students it represents. Though it may be too late for elections reform this year, there is no excuse to not pass a bill before the 2011 elections.
Michael Holtz for The Kansan Editorial Board
EDITORIAL CARTOON
Editorial cartoons are considered personal views of their creators.
AROOJ KHALID
POLITICS
Great debate on partisan politics
Liberal "extremes" are getting in the way of forging solutions to our myriad national problems, at least according to Blanche Lincoln.
In her syrup Southern drawl, the Arkansas senator pleaded to President Obama to "push back on the people in our own party." Lincoln's petition was made at Obama's Feb. 3 question-and-answer session with Senate Democrats.
It appears as if bland political platitudes are alive and well, but Bayh has a point. Even before Democrats lost their 60th seat, the U.S. Senate was the place where legislation went to die. In extraordinary circumstances, it's where laws are sometimes passed, provided they've been sufficiently watered down to suit special interests.
"There is too much partisanship," Bayh lamented, "and not enough progress. Too much narrow ideology and not enough practical problem-solving."
Evan Bayh, a Democratic senator from Indiana, echoed Lincoln sentiments when he announced his decision on Feb. 15 not to seek reelection this fall.
What is it, precisely, that ails the U.S. Senate—and the political system at large? The high priests of the conventional wisdom have a diagnosis: rabid and unprecedented partisanship.
The Observer
Perhaps this is nothing more than a reflection of our nation's woeful ignorance of history, but it's
And no member of Congress has been caned by another since South Carolina Rep. Preston Brooks nearly killed Massachusetts Sen. Charles Sumner in 1856.
Of late, no members in good standing of the American political elite have followed in the footsteps of Vice President Aaron Burr and Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton by duking it out in a duel.
exceedingly difficult to believe that the partisan rancor animating the public debate is unparalleled in its scale.
BY LUKE BRINKER
Granted, it does say something that we've been reduced to pointing out that our politicians aren't making attempts on each other's lives. So how significant a problem does partisanship pose? There's no denying that Republican intrasigence has helped scuttle action on a variety of fronts - health care, climate change, financial regulatory reform, and just about anything else Obama announces he supports. But many Republicans—and no small number of Democrats—content that if Democrats would just become a lit-
the more moderate, Congress could conduct the people's business.
That so-called moderates have no voice is news to those who have been following the policymaking process. Last year's stimulus was pared down not because economists deemed that the right approach, but in order to pick up a few Republican votes. The public option fell by the wayside to appease the likes of Lincoln and Bayh.
A more plausible explanation for all the gridlock is the corrosive influence of money in politics. When Bayh announced his opposition to the administration's proposed reforms to the student lending industry, he wasn't reflecting the center of American political opinion. The more than $600,000 in contributions he's received from the financial services industry probably didn't hurt.
Who benefited from the scraping of the public option? Health insurers like WellPoint and pharmaceutical companies like Cubist were pleased. Bayh's wife sat on their boards of directors.
When asked about his future career options, he refused to rule out becoming a lobbyist.
At any rate, Bayh may not be done seeking to influence the political process.
Brinker is a freshman from Topeka in history and political science.
CAMPUS LIFE
Safety is important issue, even for men
Women need to stay safe at night. I don't think anyone disagrees. But the importance of men also taking precautions to stay safe is too often overlooked.
In Lawrence, 72 percent of all robbery victims are men, a recent analysis of crime data found. Furthermore, nearly 60 percent of robberies occurred between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m.
This indicates that, in addition to an increasing number of incidents, victims are more likely to be college students and very likely to be male.
I recently addressed the need for men to help make women feel secure at night. Men, however, also need to look out for their own security.
The data analysis found that robberies in Lawrence had increased 20 percent in 2009 from previous years and that people younger than 25 accounted for almost half of all robbery victims.
At first I was puzzled as to why males would be at greater risk. It seems a bit counter-intuitive. I thought women would be easier targets, as attackers would be more like'y to believe they could physically overpower a woman. Also, I figured purses could be more easily taken than a wallet.
This is a perfect storm that puts male students at risk.
Hawk Life
A little thinking, though, sheds some light on why this may be.
First, because of a greater amount of safety education directed to them, women are probably more likely than men to walk in groups. This is likely to deter would-be robbers who don't want numerous witnesses.
Second, women are more likely to have some kind of defense against attack, such as pepper spray or a "rape whistle."
Third, potential robbers may feel that men are less likely to report
BY JONATHAN SHORMAN
Although these reasons may or may not be correct,the reality still remains.Men need to become more safety-conscious.
Men can be cavalier about safety, but some common sense will help keep everyone in one piece.
Many of the same tips that women have been taught should apply just as easily to men. Walk in groups if possible; stay in lighted areas; keep your head up and stay aware of surroundings.
Finally, just don't carry anything you don't want stolen.
There is no good reason to have excessive amounts of cash on you. Ever. Limiting the amount of cash you carry will reduce the negative consequences to you if you are robbed. Suspending a credit card is much easier than retrieving hundreds of dollars in cash.
Doing just a few simple things will keep all of us safer and reduce your chance of being the victim of a crime.
Shorman is a sophomore from McPherson in journalism.
For more information about crime statistics in Lawrence, read the story on page 1A.
Poverty isn't a choice
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Chet Compton, in his article "Fairness means equality of opportunity," points to a focus on "equalization of outcomes," and "redistribution of wealth," as the primary problem in politics today. Presumably, he is referring to government programs such as Medicaid and WIC (Women, Infants, Children), which help low-income families gain access to food, health care, and housing. The goal of Mr. Compton, apparently, is to end these programs and instead "focus on attitudes, behaviors, and priorities." This, he says, is the way to be truly fair.
But, if a child is chronically ill because his parents can't afford to take him to a doctor, is that fairness? If he is malnourished because his parents have low-paying jobs, is that equal opportunity? If he is homeless because his parents have been laid off, is that justice? When he misses too much school and gets poor grades, is it because of his bad
attitude? When he drops out of school to get a job, in order to help his family pay the rent and buy food, was this because of his misguided priorities? When he grows up uneducated and poor, is it due to his lack of effort?
Poverty is a cycle that requires outside intervention beyond just changing an individual's attitude. As the Constitution states, the government was created to "promote the general welfare," and this includes helping the thousands of children whose parents, perhaps through their own mistakes, perhaps because of circumstances they couldn't control, can't afford to care for them properly. Without health care, decent nutrition, and adequate shelter, a child has almost no chances for success, even with good educational opportunities. Providing him these things is not "equalizing outcomes," it is the very definition of equalizing opportunity.
— Rebekah Freeman is a junior from Winfield.
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of The Kansan Editorial Board are Stephen Montemayer, Brianne Pnnen瑟伦, Jennifer Toutine, Loreen Cunningham, Vicky Lu, Emily McCoy, Kate Larezane, Michael Holtz, Catlin Thornbrough, Stefanne Penn, James Castle and Andrew Hammond.