THE BERMAN

metro

Update from page 8

lifITIUM GUNN
WITH
JULIZ J0-141:41ti Gum

ON PIANO

Nathan Gunn is one of the most
exciting performers in the world,
a singer who mesmerizes
audiences with his rich baritone
and commanding stage presence.

Named one of People magazine's
"Sexiest Men Alive" in 2008,
Gunn has appeared on stage at
the Metropolitan Opera House
and in concert around the world.
During this one-night-only
event at The Berman, Gunn will
perform some of the most
unforgettable music ever written,
ranging from operatic favorites
to American classics.

248.661.1900
theberman.org
©Jewjalitratlyg

dr i llO P POO"I 0110
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THE BERMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

THE CENTER

www.jccdet.org

Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit
D. Dan & Betty Kahn Building
Eugene & Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus
6600 W. Maple Road • West Bloomfield, MI 48322

Q: How can our country deal with
income inequality?
Peters: This is a significant problem
for this country. Middle-class wages
have been stagnant since 1970s, yet
costs continue to rise. Higher educa-
tion is a classic example of that. We've
got to deal with inequality by raising
up middle-class incomes. You can-
not have a strong economy without a
strong middle class. The middle class
are the drivers of our economy. You
need to have money to go out and buy

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10 April 10 • 2014

Peters: Most students take on a lot
of debt, an average of around $20,000
for undergrads. It's very difficult to
work your way through school even
with help from your parents. You need
to take out a loan, especially as public
funding to state institutions has gone
down.
From a federal standpoint, we need
to increase Pell grants. That's impor-
tant. It's becoming increasingly unaf-
fordable to a large segment of middle
class families. The essence of the
American dream is if you work hard,
go to school and do well, you can get
ahead in life. But you need that oppor-
tunity to get on the ladder of success.
Higher education is critical to do that.
We also have to make sure that stu-
dent loan debt is manageable.
Often students default while they're
searching for that first job. Eventually
they go back to paying on their loan.
The problem is once you default, it's
on your credit report and goes with
you your whole life, making it hard to
get a car loan or rent an apartment.
I've introduced legislation — with
bipartisan support — that would
help students who have defaulted.
According to this bill, after nine
months of timely payments, the
default would be taken off the credit
report, giving folks a second chance.

U-M Professor To Be
B'nai Israel Scholar
Professor Ralph Williams of the
University of Michigan Department of
English, Language and Literature will
be a special scholar
in residence
at B'nai Israel
Synagogue in West
Bloomfield April
11-12.
On Friday night,
Ilia.
-11 .? wil
following a dinner
Ralph Williams (now closed for
reservations), he
will speak at 8:15
p.m. on "The Transition from Slavery
to Freedom." On Saturday morning,
Williams will speak at 1 p.m. after
services about "We Each Came Out

things. There will not be a single job
created if there is not a customer.
Those at the lowest end of the middle
class have fallen furthest behind even
though they're working hard and
playing by the rules. Many folks on
minimum wage are women — they're
not just teenagers — they're older folks
who are locked in these low-income
jobs and are not earning enough money
to make ends meet. The minimum
wage increase is something we need to
do. The $10 level gets us to that.
However, I think we need to be
thinking more broadly about how we
strengthen the middle class. I focus a
lot on manufacturing. We have to have
good paying jobs. Not everyone will
go to college, but they need the abil-
ity to earn a middle-class wage. We've
sent too many good paying jobs over-
seas. We can't continue to do that and
expect to have a strong middle class
and a vibrant economy.

Q: What should we do about climate
change?
Peters: It's an issue we need to
address, but we need to address it in
a way that's good for the economy,
too. We could actually generate good-
paying jobs, particularly here in
Michigan. Sustainability for energy
can be achieved through a variety of
options. For example, Michigan is
a leader in solar. Dow Chemical [a
Midland-based company] produces
solar shingles, and it has been able to
create net-zero energy houses. These
houses cost 15 percent more than
average, but they use zero energy
off the grid. Soon they will be able
to build houses that produce more
energy than they use, leaving energy
to power an electric car, for example.
That would be transformative and it
would create good-paying local jobs,
but we're not there quite yet. ❑

of Egypt." A supervised youth room
will be available during both talks for
children ages 12 and under.
At U-M, Williams repeatedly wins
student-nominated teaching awards
for his engaging teaching style and
his breadth of knowledge. He has
taught such wide-ranging courses
as "The Bible in English:' plus the
literature of Chaucer to Frederick
Douglass, to the works of Primo Levi
and the memory of Auschwitz. He
has studied 15 languages, including
Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic.
Williams was instrumental in
creating and developing the Royal
Shakespeare Company Residency
program at U-M and also works
closely with the University Musical
Society. ❑