CYD told to find meaning, challenge
James Logan, former dean of the KU law school and 1968 candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senator, Saturday urged members of the college generation to look for meaning and challenge in politics. Logan spoke to Collegiate Young Democrats (CYD) attending an Issues Seminar at the Kansas Union.
"For the sake of change, I'm glad educated young people are interested in issues, but unfortunately most of the interest is intellectual. In practice, politics also requires common sense and practicality." Logan said.
Bob Brock, 2nd Congressional District Chairman, joined Logan in urging young people to continue their work with politics and issues for the rest of their lives. "This generation is the best prepared of any in history." Brock said, "but it is tragic how many are interested and involved for a short time and then fall by the wayside."
Cold war fears which perpetuate a need for absolute security undermine the United States' real source of greatness, Brock said. He said he foresaw a new United States with new leadership which would demand respect not from the end of a gun but from admiration and repect for a willingness to cooperate. A reordering of priorities is necessary, he said, to reduce the 85 per cent of American spending which is now appropriated for war and related military items.
Frank Gaines, (D-Augusta) of the Kansas House of Representatives, and chairman of the 1968 Governor's Commission on Tax Reform, spoke and answered questions on tax reform. The Commission evaluated the tax structure, studied amounts the state had collected and found that per capita expenditures at the state and local levels were less than the national average, but that the amounts collected were more. He labeled tax reform as the number one issue in the state.
Gaines said unnecessary or unfair exemptions, if collected, could raise Kansas revenue without increasing the percentage of state income taxes. Special interest groups, he charged, had kept their products exempt by making contributions to the political parties.
14 KANSAN Apr.20 1970
Logan's speech at the luncheon stressed the need for candidates and party workers willing to stand for principles instead of only seeking votes. He said candidates are paralyzed by the need to appeal to a broad spectrum of voters and react by speaking in platitudes, seeking agreeing audiences or by forming their views from results of polls.
After the luncheon, Paul Wilson, KU professor of law, enumerated a few of the state's problems of prison reform.
"It doesn't cost anything to pass laws," he said, "but many are not implemented because implementation does cost money. There is nothing wrong with the penal system that substantial investment would not cure."
One of the most distressing problems, he said, was that penal institutions are understaffed as a result of lack of legislative funds. Highly trained social workers and psychiatrists are not hired because the money is not available.
Two groups were formed after Wilson's speech. One discussion group centered on party reform and was led by John Wright, KU associate professor of human development, and Louis Douglas, professor of political science at Kansas State University.
Wright emphasized that the party must carry out its own reforms to end abuses by party bosses. He suggested abolishment of the unit rule, encouragement
of maximum participation and selection of delegates nearer to convention times. Douglas added representation of minorities and said Kansas was vulnerable on all four points.
Discussion then turned to a criticism of the last Democratic convention which was held in Chicago. Both speakers agreed the 2600 delegates was much too
large a group, especially because the number swelled to 6,000 due to alternate delegates and observers. Leadership in such a group is limited and too many delegates become unthinking followers.
The last seminar concerned consumer protection and was lead by Richard Morse and William Fasse, both professors of
home economics at Kansas State University, and Art Travers, KU professor of law.
Morse said that consumer programs are like "motherhood and the flag, everyone is for it." Although the political parties should be lobbyists for consumers, political realities have never been tapped as a source of support by politicians, Morse said.
At Honors Night this year, an Outstanding Woman Teacher and an Outstanding Senior Woman of the University of Kansas will be announced. If you would like to nominate women for this award and have not previously done so through a living group, please fill out the ballot below and bring it to the AWS office, 220 Strong Hall by Wednesday, April 22, 1970.
1. How many women teachers have you had while at the University of Kansas?___ If you wish to do so, please nominate one of these women for the Outstanding Woman Teacher of 1970.
Nominee
2. Every SENIOR woman may nominate 3 students on the basis of their leadership, scholarship, and contribution to the University.
1. ___.
2. ___
Your Student ID # ___
School ___
Classification ___
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