4a
Opinion
Monday, January 29, 2001
Perspective
For comments, contact Chris Borniger or Nathan Willis at 864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com
Graves exudes timidity, relies on task forces
K U students mildly interested in the governance of the state in which they reside should take a
they. Residence should take a look at what its governor, Bill Graves, did and did not propose in his State of the State Address Jan. 8. The speech was primarily a work of bungled statesmanship characterized by bad sense and timidity.
The speech's emphasis was initially interesting, which rested on the successful growth and wider cast of government programs. That "Kansans benefit more than at any time in our state's history" from its state-sponsored programs and services received mention before Graves even contemplated private sector success es in economic growth, civic organizations and charities
Through much of his speech to the joint session of the legislature, Graves appeared to consider an increase in funding as an end in itself, boasting that, during his six years in office, funding for (insert program here) has been increased by (insert amount here).
Nice, but have we noticed improvements in the problems the programs addressed? No such evidence was
Andrew
Marino
columnist
opinion@kansan.com
given. Even worse, Graves didn't seem to think there was any reason he should produce any.
The food sales tax program has been expanded by a factor of five in terms of people getting it, and by a factor of 10 in terms of money, while tax credits to low-income Kansans have gone from zero people to 125,000 people receiving $21 million.
Of course, Graves also supported renewing the Kansas Lottery, notorious for transferring wealth from the poor (notorious investors in games of chance) to the state. The lottery remains repugnant on philosophical grounds as well, twisting the traditional mission of government to encourage good habits in citizens and to look out for their best interests whenever possible. It hardly makes sense to give generous handouts to low-income Kansans with one hand and then steal with another.
The governor also seems to have developed the irritating little habit of requiring a "task force" for every facet of policy
— the Vision 21st Century Task Force, Early Childhood Task Force, Task Force on Agriculture, Task Force on Water, and Task Force on K-12 Education — all make an appearance in the speech followed by a full endorsement of whatever it said. Graves devoted a sizable portion of the talk to education. He called on the legislature to "demonstrate the leadership our constituents expect" and recognize "the obligation of vision and leadership," by reviewing resources and "being willing to consider all options to financially implement" the best educational program.
This, in code, was a call to raise taxes and begs the question of why one of the most popular leaders in state history felt the need to code his language at all, if he really believed (and he said he did more than once) that Kansans would support a tangible, rather than theoretical, tax hike.
The governor refused to question the highly questionable wisdom of tacitly blessing the education monopoly. But that would take guts. No, that duty has fallen upon House Speaker Kent Glasscock, with one eye on the 2002 race to replace Graves.
Such weaseling seems unlikely to spur any bold or manly action by a legislature sensitive to growing constituent anxiety about short-term economic fortunes.
Glasscock will introduce a proposal to study a program that would give willing parents a voucher that they could use to send their child to a private school of their choice. Will the bill, merely proposing to study competition in education, garner the squeamish governor's support?
We'll probably have to wait for some task force to recommend it to him first.
Marino is a Prairie Village senior in political science and English.
TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES
Kansan.com poll
Last week's question: Do you think the protests at George W. Bush's inauguration were appropriate?
Yes. Bush's victory was illegitimate.
Yes. People should always have the right to protest.
No. Security concerns trumped
the interests of protesters
No. Bush's victory was legitimate.
Next week's question: Do you approve of KJHK's format shift to include more popular music? Log on to www.kansan.com to cast your vote.
Security concerns trumped the interests of protestors.
This poll is not scientific. Numbers do not add up to 100 percent because of rounding. Total votes: 146
Perspective
National anti-abortion rally unifies activists
hope for life, a hope for justice and a right to life for every human being.
A to me for every human being.
That was the theme of 2001's March for Life last Monday in Washington, which marked the 28th anniversary of the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade. To have hundreds of thousands of people united together to "Defend Life," as rally posters noted, made for a momentous day.
There was no fundamental division or disagreement among the protesters because inside every passionate heart they all knew abortion was wrong. This sentiment evoked, without a doubt, a fervor among all 105 KU students who traveled to participate and also within every other person protesting on that sunny afternoon.
The state of Kansas was represented well. The University of Kansas,
Tim Lang
guest columnist
olioner at kansan.com
Two other Republican Kansas representatives spoke at the rally, Rep. Jim Ryun and Rep. Todd Tiahrr. We, as Kansans, ought to be proud of our leaders in Washington.
Kansas State University and Benedictine College had huge groups at the rally, along with many churches and organizations from around the state. Because we had front row spots next to the stage, the cheer from Kansans was overwhelming as Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) delivered a phenomenal speech against abortion.
One of the most emotional moments happened when Brownback interrupted the rally with
Religious leaders from around the country also attended. Priests, rabbis, nuns and pastors of many denominations were there, united to fight the obvious injustice and evil at hand. Perhaps we should listen to the wisest of our country.
breaking news. He informed the crowd of President George W. Bush's executive order to cease federal funding to international family planning groups that offer abortion services or abortion counseling. Instead, the same amount of $435 million would be invested in health and family-oriented services abroad
A priority for Bush, this decision came exactly eight years after President Bill Clinton restored federal funding for overseas abortions.
I am overjoyed to know that our new president is stepping forward to preserve the right to life for the innocent unborn and denying women the choice to take a human life. Bush's message to us at the rally was inspiring and positive.
At each annual march, the president is invited to participate, but Bush was the first since his father to do so. This announcement reaffirmed everyone's hope in their fight for the rights of a human being in the earliest stage of life.
"We share a great goal: to work toward a day when every child is welcomed in life and protected in law," he said. "We know this will not come easily or all at once. But the goal leads us onward, to build a culture of life, affirming that every person at every stage and season of life is created equal in God's image."
At the heart of the abortion debate is the issue of humanity and sanctity. If it is not human, then why does it have a unique set of 46 human chromosomes? If it is not living, then why does its heart beat at 21 days in the womb? The reality of every abortion is the cruelest story anyone could share. There is no justification for murder.
As the popular chant of the march goes: "Pro-
choice is a lie — babies never choose to die." As I took in the importance of this event, another
chant became particularly poignant to me: "Hey,
hey, ho, Roe v. Wade has got to go."
Lang is a Topeka junior in religious studies and psychology.
Editorial
University should keep resolutions
The University shouldn't let these three things slide in the new year.
This is the time of year when New Year's resolutions begin to fail. People backslide on their personal resolutions without much consequence — maybe a few more pounds here or there. But as an institution, the University of Kansas cannot afford to backslide in meeting the demands that face it. Here are three resolutions the University should keep.
First, the enrollment process needs to catch up with the rest of the world and get online services. It is grueling to wait in a long line at the crack of dawn, only to discover that most classes are full and that the only possible schedule is more messed up than an unsolved Rubik's cube.
Enrollment can take place in the comforts of a bedroom or office using the Internet, which also takes away the hassle of having to settle for a schedule that is less than satisfactory. Institutions of all sizes across the nation are switching to this procedure, including Johnson County Community College.
After enrollment, it's class time, but arriving on time may present several challenges because of unsafe sidewalks and roads. With the absence of bike lanes, bikers must stick to the sidewalks or streets, meaning they could either collide with pedestrians or buses, whose drivers seem to think that they have the right of way.
Another obstacle arrives when winter comes and the maintenance crew can't canvet the snow or salt the ice in time for morning classes. Cars sometimes fisthail, colliding with curbs and trees, and pedestrians spend more time on the ground than on their feet.
Last, some deceptit classrooms interrupt the learning process. It is difficult to pay attention when forced to sit on the floor through lectures because of broken desks in Dyche Hall, or to work in a lab in Lindley Hall next to a cardboard boxes, or to write a paper in Haworth Hall on a table that smells like mildew.
We aren't asking for ski lifts to replace stairs or for the football team to win a national championship. These three wishes are merely simple resolutions that are long overdue.
Michelle Malashock for the editorial board
free all for 8640500 8640500
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. The Kansan reserves the right to edit submissions, and not all of them will be published. Slanderous statements will not be printed. For more comments, go to www.kansan.com.
KJHK fans: Popping their music won't kill you. Why don't you focus on diversity rather than polarization?
If God dropped acid, would he see people?
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Trying is the first step toward failure.
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OK, so this is for anybody that ever gets pissed off about anything in the Free For All: Buck up and deal.
If Jennifer Lopez's love don't cost a thing, why is she dating Puffy instead of a hobo?
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I work the front desk at Hashinger, and as of right now, I'm looking in the elevator, and there's human feces in there. I was wondering if that is normal and if there's ... Who do I call to get that cleaned up? That's what I want to know.
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Why do all the lab rats at Robinson get all the quality exercise machines?
I would like to congratulate the KU Info line because we called them with a rather bizarre question. It was "do chickens have nipples and do they milk?" And in less than 30 seconds, they had an answer for us, so that's a surprise.
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Say, to the person who pooled in the hash elevator, will you please clean up your mess? Thank you.
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To those of you bus riders who insist on pulling the little cord even after it's already been pulled or when the bus is completely crowded: You need to stop, because it's really annoying.
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Yo, KJHK: Enough with the stupid indie rock stuff. Give us back our damn shows.
My brother thinks he is the coolest guy at KU, and really, he's just the third or the fourth.
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Rhode Island: neither a road nor an island. I'm confused.
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