Opinion The University Daily Kansan
United States First Amendment Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech,or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2010
t
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Follow Opinion on Twitter. @kansanopinion
PAGE 5A
---
To contribute to Free For All, visit Kansan.com or call (785) 864-0500.
---
Saw a car with the license plate "manlove" for the second time today
Put the fun back between your legs, go bicycling!
---
IT'S A TRAP!
---
I watched all three "Lord of The Rings" today. Day well spent!
---
---
Dear girls, I like shopping, hate sports and can cook really well.
What the f*ck is up with you people and f*cking double rainbows?
---
Your mom feels dummer for looking that up.
---
---
I haven't done laundry since May, and now I don't wear deodorant any more. A winning combination.
---
Having an 8 a.m. class is still no excuse for disgusting morning breath. PUKE.
---
---
Let's blow this joint!
I'm pretty sure girls burn Easy Mac in the dorms just to see firefighters
---
I've been trying for over two years now to get in the FFA. No luck so WHAT DID I DO TO PISS YOU OFF, FFA!?
---
I will be selling cigarettes for a dollar in the afternoon on Wescoe Beach.
---
My girlfriend is hot and loves video games. I bet you wish you were me right now, don't you gen?
---
---
I like to give homemade presents, so which kid would you like?
---
Getting sunburnt on saturday was well worth it! Rock Chalk!
---
To the guy doing the keg stand while the cop was 10 feet away, I want to jump your
---
ECONOMICS
Learning from our history in times of economic uncertainties
There have been many instances where a child is curious about a hot stove
hances where a child is curious about a hot stove and touches it. In pain, the child learns immediately to never touch the hot stove again.
As college students, we (should) learn that procrastinating is never a great idea. We should constantly be learning from mistakes we've made in the past, and move on with our lives.
I believe we must also learn from past mistakes and refrain from making the same mistakes pertaining to our economy.
There was a depression in 1920-1921 that isn't mentioned in history very much. Unemployment rates went up, and the economy was not looking too good. But when I think of the Roaring 20s, I think of economic prosperity and low unemployment rates.
Something had to have happened to transition the economy from a depression to instant stability. The answer lies with the policies and decisions of Former President Harding.
Realizing that there was a depression, he simply limited government spending and cut taxes. Author Thomas E. Woods Jr. writes in an article that by 1922, "unemployment was back down to 6.7 percent and it was only 2.4
Seth's Scoop
BY SETH ROBINSON
BY SETH ROBINSON
srobinson@kansan.com
rent by 1923"
percent by 1923."
The Great Depression happened under Hoover's presidency. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment was at 8.9 percent at the end of 1930. Hoover began laying the foundation for Roosevelt's New Deal by increasing government spending and intervention.
The New Deal was a massive government spending mechanism put in place to fix the effects of the Great Depression. Roosevelt believed that increased spending was the best way to stabilize the economy.
Instead, the unemployment rate was at a staggering 24.9 percent by the end of 1933. Americans rioted in the streets because a lot of people couldn't even afford food. It became such a problem for police that tear gas was even used in some instances.
relevance to today. I believe that President Obama's stimulus packages are precisely what the New Deal was. History is the best way to know what does and doesn't work. Massive government spending did not, and will not, help the economy.
The New Deal and actions of President Roosevelt have much
Last Wednesday, President Obama gave a speech to the city of Cleveland about the shape of our economy. After reading his text, I was shocked at how many distortions were in it. One of his distortions was that "job growth between 2000 and 2008 was slower than it had been in any economic expansion since World War II."
Just like Harding, Bush cut taxes and didn't increase government spending as much as President Obama has. The unemployment rate during this time never went above 7 percent. Jobs were actually being created.
With increased government spending, there is less money for the private sector to spend. Consequently, this increases the prices of movies, food at the underground, or even buying underwear. We need our government officials to stop touching the stove!
CARTOON
Robinson is a senior from Houston in civil engineering.
THE LARIAT/UWIRE
US underestimates power of the Iranian people to push for change
With Iran creeping closer and closer to nuclear arms capability, discussions have focused on how the global community is going to halt progress, or at least delay the inevitable.
The United States estimates that Iran could achieve its goal within a year, and diplomats and politicians from each country have made ominous pronouncements about how far we'll go to thwart Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's efforts and maintain the status quo of the Middle Eastern nuclear balance.
Perhaps, though, we are forgetting about another deterrent force: the Iranian people themselves. Sure, we can count on the United States and Israel to be unhappy about the way things are going in Iran. But what about the citizens who will face economic sanctions and the even harsher punitive actions of the United Nations, the United States or Israel, which are looming?
Iranians didn't sign on to Ahmadinejad's brand of crazy they have just as much interest in nonproliferation as do the United States, Israel and any other nation that views the increase in presence of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East as a destabilizing force. When Ahmadinejad was a relative newcomer on the political scene, the fact that he wasn't a cleric was a major draw for most voters who were sick of the religious elite's corruption. Last year's election, however, and the massive protests of Ahmadinejad's fiercely contested win, made it clear that the country as a whole doesn't hold his aggressive views. What's more, they don't seem to appreciate
his inflammatory rhetoric on the international stage, which puts the nation's security at risk.
This is the nation of people who ousted the Shah and surely dealt Ahmadinejad's ego a blow during the 2009 demonstrations in support of the opposing candidate, Mir-Hossein Mousavi. Clearly, they have skills to mobilize support. The question is whether or not conditions exist within Iran that could foster the rise of an effective counterforce to Ahmadinejad's nuclear vendetta.
On a purely practical level, there is room within the state's strict control for communication and organization. Funnily enough, Kanye West's home turf, Twitter, was a vital tool for reaching would-be protesters during last year's election demonstrations in Iran. Reformist websites and blogs helped mobilize those who might not have heard of the nature or scale of the protests. This is not to say that a mass revolution is necessary to delay Iran's nuclear efforts, just that other opinions and interests have an audience within the country.
There are also signs of tension among Ahmadinejad and other top government officials. Some high-level bureaucrats refused to attend his swearing-in after the 2009 election, and many of his appointments for his Cabinet have been rejected by the Mailis, the Iranian parliament. Despite the frightened fervor over Iran's quest for nuclear capacity and Ahmadinejad's outrageous and provocative remarks on the issue, it is still the case that the president does not solely control nuclear policy. The person directly in charge of Iran's nuclear program
is Ayatollah Khamenei, who often supports Ahmadinejad in many ways and sees nuclear energy as an alternative when oil runs out; however, he also issued a fatwa against nuclear weapons.
Ahmadinejad's uncompromising and radical stance has enabled opposition leaders and reformists to gain legitimacy. Iranian voters have learned from his time in office to support more moderate candidates who won't continue to alienate Iran on the international playing field.
These relatively promising conditions have encouraged the U.S. State Department in its efforts to support alternatives to Ahmadinejad, but our continued interference in Iran's domestic political scene is unwelcomed, even by the opposition forces we want to support. Mousavi and other politicians opposing Ahmadinejad have expressed frustration with U.S. involvement. They argue that Ahmadinejad and his supporters are able to discredit them by associating their movements with the United States and blame the problems of Iran on outside forces interfering domestically.
No one wants to deal with the unsettling possibility of Iran achieving nuclear capacity, especially not the Iranians who will have to deal with the consequences. While the United States may see opportunities to alter the current course of events, we would be well advised to step back and allow Iranians some leeway to counter their unpredictable president. We shouldn't underestimate the power of the Iranian people themselves.
-From Uwire. Elise Garofalo for The Hoya at Georgetown University
HUMOR
Parties require bigger and more original themes
W when I was a sophomore in high school. I was elected the
Under Observation
class vice president. I ran on a whim, figuring such a position would look good on a college resume but not actually require much in the way of work. I was right, though I spent much of my unremarkable term worrying our president would be assassinated for his controversial views on diet soda in the vending machines, thereby thrusting me into a position of slightly-more-than-zero responsibility.
One of the main (only) things we did in student council was determine the themes of the school dances. This was a perfect opportunity for us to show our creativity and give our students a unique experience. Naturally, this opportunity was squandered. All of my brilliant theme ideas were shot down in favor of trite, overdone stuff like "One Night in Paris." "A Diamond is Forever" and "Meet Me at the Motel 8". I suspect our nation's myopic focus on standardized testing is the cause for such creative indifference.
In college, themes are still in demand. Sometimes, a house party requires something special to add some zest to the usual weekend get-together.
If you're looking to embrace creativity and give your next party a top-notch theme, maybe these suggestions will help.
Viva la Industrial Revolution!: Ever wish the party could just keep going, nonstop? Well, with this theme, partygoers will be required to party for up to 16 hours without a break! Come dressed as a 19th century factory worker, but don't worry about the soot – it'll be pumped into the house throughout the evening (and morning and afternoon). Best of all, you can bring your kids! What they'll lose in bone mass, they'll make up for in memories.
Temperance: Movin' It!: Don't
BY ALEX NICHOLS
worry. This theme won't preclude you from serving alcohol, which, as we all know, is absolutely required for anybody to ever enjoy themselves at all. The fun starts when actors from the local historical society come dressed in petticoats to protest the presence of said alcohol and glare judgmentally at you for drinking it. Kick back, relax, and enjoy the old-timey activism!
Actual Trash: The "White Trash" theme has been particularly popular in the last few years. Well, with this theme, partygoers come dressed as their favorite piece of literal trash. Whether you choose the classic crumpled-up ball of paper, the beloved cigarette butt or the vastly underrated improperly-disposed laptop battery, you're sure to have a truly trashy time. Also, this theme makes decorating a snap: just empty a few trash cans around the house or apartment and you've got an instant landfill that will get people "wasted" in no time.
Good Riddance: Most nostalgia-themed parties focus around things we remember fondly. This theme celebrates all the things we don't miss at all. Come dressed as your least favorite character or celebrity from back in the day and get down (as in, "depressed") to the awful music of whichever era you were raised in. Now excuse me while I put the finishing touches on my Captain Planet costume and pick up some Creed CDs from the discount bin.
Nichols is a senior from Stilwell in creative writing.
"I guess Bush just had better 'handlers' than Obama has. In fact, I think one of Obama's biggest problems is that he doesn't seem to have any handlers at all. He is out there flailing around incoherently with nobody in the staff seasoned enough to talk some sense into him every once in a while."
"Everyone wants faster solutions to relationship issues, yet no one realizes that you have to deal with everything as it comes. You deal with the small issues immediately so they don't develop into large ones. But...in this day and age, so many people don't seem to want to take the time to make things work-Hopefully, that's not true for our generation."
Chatterbox
Responses to the news of the week on Kansan.com
- "elbee" in response to "Technology makes cheating easier on Sept. 8.
"Foot diseases/fungi are almost universally caused by wearing shoes. Bacteria and fungi like to live in places that are warm and humid, and on your feet in shoes rank right behind your mouth and intestines for harboring bacteria. If no shoes were worn then your feet would be dry and cool, a terrible place for bacteria or fungus. Also there are likely far more disgusting things lurking in your shoes than on the ground. Have you smelled your shoes lately? Last time I checked the ground doesn't smell nearly as bad, because its not covered in sweat, bacteria, fungi, and other things."
— "danjo ." in response to "That's disgusting: Walking bare-foot" on Sept. 9.
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Send letters to kansanopdesk@gmail.com. write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the e-mail subject line.
Length: 300 words
The submission should include the author's name, grade and hometown.
Find our full letter to the editor policy online at kansan.com/letters.
CONTACT US
Alex Garrison, editor
864-4810 or agarrison@kansan.com
Nick Gerik, managing editor 864-4810 or ngerik@kansan.com
Erin Brown, managing editor 864-4810 or ebrown@kansan.com
David Cawthon, kansan.com managing editor
864-4810 or dcwthon@kansan.com
Emily McCoy, Kansan TV assignment editor 864-4810 or emccovi@kansan.com
Shauna Blackmon, associate opinion editor
864-4924 or sblackmon@kansan.com
Jonathan Shorman, opinion editor
864-4924 or jsorman@kansan.com
Joe Garvey, business manager
864-4358 or jgarvey@kansan.com
Amy O'Brien, sales manager
864-4477 or aobrien@kansan.com
Malcolm Gibson, general manager and news adviser
Jon Schlitl, sales and marketing adviser 864-7666 or jschitlk@kansan.com
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
---
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Member of the Kansai Editorial Board are
Nick Gerik, Nick Brown, David Cawthon, Shirman Shortan and Shaun Blackmon.