4A the university daily kansan
opinion
reality check
tuesday, december 2, 2003
KANSAS SENTENCING
Jennifer Wade for The University Daily Kansan
Free for All
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That is a pretty new snazzy Kansan box outside of Wescoe. I about hit it.
You know, I don't really like finals, so I am just not going to go.
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Why did we have a Thanksgiving break? Because all I seemed to do was study for the two tests and paper I have due this week.
The Free For All is really not that good this year. You used to print the comments from when people were stoned, but not anymore. You used to print the things from when people were drunk and you don't do that. You should because that is a service to our country and to KU.
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perspective
Living wage leftist, not the answer for workers
Leftist politics are what columnist George Will calls a "sentiment competition," which is "less about changing society than striking poses." Nowhere is this more evident than the living wage campaign.
After all, who doesn't want workers to be able to support their families? What more could one ask of a movement purporting to fight poverty and advance social justice? A lot, really. Like facts and analysis.
COMMENTARY
In Lawrence, a living wage means an income high enough to support a family of three on one paycheck that's 30 percent above the poverty level. According to a Cato Institute study, fewer than one in five low-wage workers actually have families to support. Thus, the premise of the living wage movement supporting a small percentage of working families is faulty from the get-go.
Arrah Nielsen opinion@kansan.com
The living wage is merely a hiked-up minimum wage, usually 50 to 100 percent higher. The minimum wage has existed since 1938, and has since been raised 19 times. It is quite possible to study the impact minimum wage increases have on low-wage workers. More than 80 studies have demonstrated a link between minimum wage
increases and consequent job loss. This job loss falls disproportionately on the poorest and least-skilled workers.
This is not surprising. Increase the price of anything and it will inevitably lead to fewer purchases. Is it better for low-wage workers to have modest incomes or not to have jobs at all?
Another factor living wage propsnents overlook is that the marketplace automatically adjusts to the supply of money. It is widely documented that prices go up even in anticipation of a minimum wage increase. Increasing the minimum wage to 10 bucks an hour — or 100 for that matter — will merely drive up the cost of everything else (rent, food, etc.) without raising the standard
I read Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich. The author, an undercover journalist, traveled around the country taking various entry-level jobs for one month at a time to make the unsurprising discovery that it is difficult to earn enough to support even one person. Ehrenreich concluded that a living wage is needed.
of living for low-wage workers one bit.
Ehrenreich's synopsis is flawed for a number of reasons. For starters, she never worked at any job long enough to acquire skills or earn a raise. According to a Cato Institute study, "the average income of minimum wage employees of all ages increased 30 percent within one year of employment." Also, she presumes that workers are supposed to be able to support themselves on entry-level jobs, when they're not. Entry-level jobs are entry level. They are intended to be a road to someplace else, not a finishing point.
Living wage proponents assume that poverty is a permanent state for lowwage workers, but it is not. As W. Michael Cox and Richard Alm revealed in their book Myths of Rich and Poor," only 5 percent of U.S. households in the bottom fifth of the
income distribution in 1975 were still there in 1991."
It's simple: Workers who are unable or unwilling to acquire the skills and education necessary to move beyond low-wage work face problems that cannot be remedied by increasing the minimum wage.
Everything written about the living wage in the Kansan is for it. So I wonder, if the Kansan is staffed with sc many living wage proponents, why don't they pay me a living wage? After all, I do nearly as much work as professional columnists such as Dave Barry or Kathleen Parker who submit columns only every other week or so. How can they claim to support social justice and pay me a salary that scarcely covers my water bill and a bottle of cheap wine - the boxed variety?
The main accomplishment of living wage ordinances is to give leftist doodlers the illusion that they are champions of the poor, and to lure stupid people to vote for the Democratic Party. The root problem of low wage workers is not stingy employers, but lack of skills.
Nielsen is an Andover senior in anthropology.
editorial board
Lack of Middle East curriculum leaves students in dark on culture
There is one area of the world guaranteed to be on the front page everyday; the Middle East.
The current war in Iraq and the conflict between Israel and Palestine only scratch the surface of events in the Middle East that make headlines in newspapers all over the world.
With the prevailing influence of the Middle East on current events and global culture, the need for Middle East education at the University of Kansas is essential. Though a fair number of courses on the Middle East are listed in the Course Catalog, a majority of these classes are rarely offered.
After surveying the history, political science, anthropology, sociology and economics departments, department chairs pointed to lack of personnel as well as funds as the problem. Repeatedly, each person said his or her department was not big enough to cover every region of the world. Most departments are committed to the University's federally funded area studies programs, such as Latin America and East Asia.
"A curriculum without offerings in the Middle East leaves students ignorant and perpetuates the problem of uninformed world citizens."
In addition, academic departments usually hire according to topic expertise rather than regions of the world. For example, the political science department might look for someone who specializes in elections rather than Israel and Palestine.
Money is a predictable excuse at the University. Every department, program, office and student is short on cash.
While every reason given is understandable, none is excusable. The lack of faculty and funds might
prevent the University from creating a major, but other options might not break the bank. A basic class on the Middle East would offer students interested in the area a foundation for further reading and research. A lecture series could be organized at minimal cost and would offer students current news and views on the area. A film festival would take even less effort, yet it would provide students an opportunity to learn about Middle Eastern culture.
In order for students to be competitive after graduation, we must have a comprehensive education that includes knowledge of other cultures and a basic understanding of contemporary world issues. A curriculum without offerings in the Middle East leaves students ignorant and perpetuates the problem of uninformed world citizens.
Anna D. Gregory for the editorial board
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