Page 4-The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, September 10, 1991 . A Ix 11 M 5i C _. 0 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 Edited and Managed by Students at the University of Michigan ANDREW K. GOTTESMAN Editor in Chief STEPHEN HENDERSON Opinion Editor _ v-I Unsigned editorials represent a majority of the Daily's Editorial Board. All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily. pXi liQ Li AV V pRcijr Du T M S Distributed by Tribune Media Services. *.*.*.*.*.*.*.~.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*................. .................*.~.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.** **.*.*.~ ~ .*. .... *.*.*.*.*.*................. .V. .S~. S~. ..........V .V.~. %V. ~ A~. V................... 4V V................... 1- : : :":$ " :titi;-'."}r .ti${: }}:%:vtifi.:":;i; :;r. .".":": :":"r :;:;:".":. . ?:ti ::"io::.".>":"i:": i: 'i:": r. :" i.%"::.;.; ". tii ::4": '.i1'.:":.:":::": J:::: .................r....1.r..........ti....._................................. .. .. ..1.nJ, .......................... ..... Cou rsepacks Students stuck with billfrom copy shop's profiteering As students spend hours in.bookstore lines and travel to far-away copyshops only to find that their coursepacks are not ready, they should thank the Kinko's.company and the U.S. District Court for some of their troubles. Because of this copy shop chain's greed and irresponsibility, college students are getting stuck with yet another hefty bill. Last March, the Southern New York U.S. Dis- trict Court ruled that the Kinko's Graphics Corpo- ration violated the Copyright Act by distributing materials without publishers' authorization. In the wake of the court's decision, copyshops have raced to get authorization to reprint materials from pub- lishing houses around the world - while boosting coursepack prices. But students should not be quick to defend either Kinko's or their competitors. By disregard- ing copyright laws and refusing to share their. enormous coursepack profits with those that wrote the materials, they created this court battle. These irresponsible and unethical business practices could not be allowed to continue. Professors faced with unacceptable delays in receiving their coursepacks have resorted to some unorthodox methods of preparing their class mate- rials. One professor of medieval history is now only using materials published before 1916 - and thereby exempt from all copyright laws - for her class. This is rarely a viable option for classes that deal with anything that happened this century. Meanwhile, orders for materials at the UGLi Reserve Desk have increased greatly, as many professors begin relying on this important univer- sity service. Still, many professors have neglected to make this extra effort, handing out double-digit reading lists to their students instead. Kinko's representatives have stated that they will not appeal the case, so this situation will not change in the foreseeable future. Until it/ does, professors should be encouraged to pursue creative - but legal - ways of distributing class materials in a convenient and inexpensive format, so that students are not forced to buy dozens of textbooks they will barely read and probably cannot afford. A long-term solution to this dilemma would be for the University to sell coursepacks to students at the cost of labor and materials. This would cir- cumvent the problems raised by copyright laws, because the University would be running such an operation for "educational" purposes, rather than making a profit. Not only would such a system be legal, it would also be ethical: offering students easier access to course materials as well as coursepacks that would be even cheaper than they were under the old system. Whether the University wants to step in to supply cut-rate coursepacks, or professors go it alone, steps must be taken to ensure that the cost of coursepacks does not continue to escalate. A Michigan education has become expensive enough already, without the added expenses of overpriced course materials. {:$SY ;;Y::;Y ""'Y:" ::?y.Y'fi:;:9i:,7,x:;"'tY7";.;:{;; +: i:: Y::{4YY::{"Y:ti""S{:"Y' ti:{4; 17 yY "TYr:: '^YY:i"YY:: Y:ti! ',"Y'"t4J:.ti}.'..1....tJ........1..J..::;::::.1't:::""::"::.h :It:: :".L1.I J.;..11 :":;.. . ::"lS:...hl.''"..'.":1Y.::}l. ".1"".s""".'.!i}:{L}tii} ::'"} "Jt. I'VJ" ".h': t'"."IJI 1L'1'". {{4: ! :":ll:":"."l":}:"}t: JrJJt:t.1"J:I".h'?'I'""'t"'It:"':":Vi:":": J:"::{'.:":"ii}:"11 '."y':h'." ':":hL": "t: V.Y:, " : }:h "}:{":::":"::I""."6: :": }: .ti : :Y{':.,V'":.:" ::J "t:":" :':"Jt:t.{'t:': III.1L.:"i:{"::":::V:"}:":":" :{{":{tl::':':::'}:':t "YJ. .1. . . ."..f 1 , .1 " 1 Y'1 ihy l x "" "11 :1! " V "L:"}::": {. 1 .YV';.?t{"::{":{":" h".t" "JI L"":ty t 11 y '1. I.'Jt:. ..1.......'.".".".": J. }::"::":":":"}:{'Y"': S. \ '.1"t .ht {{} thl, Y11 "{ hh. ..1 . I " J 1" h"1"'Yr'"'111 "'t:t"" ".'.'..".""'." ^'{4":{':JY::"::"iY:{1': ::{"}Y :Y:":":{'"..'"":JI} : :: { "": 11: :1""{ f:" ':":{ : "r{:":{":r"::" V::{hh:" ' K.1 ' hL1":J 1"J ".{" .. 1.....".".v: 5... k......... r.1.....1......... },htvh a...1.L a.... n..{t. S1Shhfi Walking toui Spend an hour remembering the S trolling through downtown Ann Arbor, it is hard to imagine a time when the city was not a boutique rather than a city serving diverse con- stituencies of all income levels. On Wednesday night, the Homeless Action Committee (HAC) will conduct a walking tour whichwill not only briefly bring that former downtown back to life, but also describe the greed and stupidity that killed it. In 1982, then-Ann Arbor Mayor Lou.Belcher won approval for the creation of a Downtown Development Authority (DDA) with exclusive control over all taxes collected in a 66-acre section of the downtown. Worse, Belcher's DDA was mandated to use its money to build five parking structures rather than pursuing attempts by former Mayor Al Wheeler to establish a DDA that would oversee the construc- tion of low-income housing. In the years following the creation of the DDA, huge business and parking structures at Tally Hall, 301 E. Liberty, and One North Main were con- r old Ann Arbor structed, replacing older establishments such as bakeries and boardinghouses in the process. To- day, Tally Hall's mall has closed and developers of the sprawling complex at One North Main have filed for bankruptcy. Parking and office structures at the three sites now have vacancy rates higher than 50 percent. In the interim, the city's homeless population grew to 1,500. Many of them were forced onto the streets by development projects initiated during the Belcher era. Yet Ann Arbor has not spent a dime on building new low-income housing since the 1970s. The HAC walking tour - which gets under. way Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in front of the Ann Arbor Public Library at.Fifth and William - is a chance to learn about these and similarly shady deals which have literally remade Ann Arbor in the short span of a decade. It is also a chance for University students to learn something about the history and politics of the town which we all call home for four or more years. Michigan fans:. Make some noise! To the Daily: As we descend upon another new year at Michigan full of football, basketball, and other sports (which are just as success- ful but less publicized), I have something to say. Our students and student sections seem so. . lame. I've been to sporting events at other Big Ten universities and at Notre Dame. I'm sorry, but Michigan fans fail to hold a candle to most other student bodies in enthusiasm, noise level, and intimidation. Football games at Michigan lack something. Members of the student body sit on their respec tive duffs for every single game., Let me retract part of that. I do. recall students standing for one whole half during the Notre Dame football game two seasons ago. I also recall the rain that made all the seats wet. By quick compari- son, students at Notre Dame, Florida State, and USC do not sit down or stop making noise for 60 minutes of play during home football games. I will be the first to say that I do not know much about cheerleading, but if the cheerlead- ers could do something to really stir the Michigan faithful, the hole that Yost dug would roar. Get the crowd in the game. A crowd of 107,000 screaming people can be as intimidating as a Michigan linebacker, if not more. The crowd is a major key to the game. Teams will be afraid to play here because of something other than the football team. Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno once said that no stadium is intimi- dating. He obviously has not heard 107,000+ screaming Wolverines. But then again, I wonder how much I have. One other thing about football games: The marshmal- lows are alright, but they are getting out of control. When people get hurt by marshmal- low balls, its enough. Basketball games are like chess matches. Okay, maybe tennis. Crowds at basketball games are listless..One game stands out as a true noise-fest - Michigan vs. Duke. But the students can't be blamed entirely for this one. The athletic director, or whoever. takes care of ticket priority and seating, needs to realize that students are high on the priority list. Give the student body tickets all together from the. floor to the roof. Therefore, obnoxious, loud, standing, waving students won't obstruct. the view of some sedate alum. In both major sports, Michigan has the top recruiting class according to most authorities. The basketball recruits could prove to be one of the best ever. Let's show them, and all the .other athletes, what Michigan pride is about. Stand behind them, and make some noise, damn it! Reed Bingaman LSA junior The Daily encour- ages responses from its readers. Letters should be 150 words or less and include the author's name, year in school and phone number. They can be mailed to: The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard, Ann Arbor 48109. Or they can be sent via MTS to: The Michi- gan Daily Letters to the Editor. The Daily does not -alter the content of letters, but reserves the right to edit for style and space consider- ations. If you have questions or com- ments, you should call Stephen Henderson at 764- 0552. Clarence Thomas Judiciary Committee should oppose Supreme Court nominee I'M ........ .... . .::: 71 Judge Clarence'Thomas'judicial record is itself enough to frighten any citizen concerned about a competent, fair Supreme Court. His frequently bizarre political views compound the problems with his nomination to that body. But the Senate Judiciary Committee is poised to roll over rather than roll up its sleeves at his confirmationhearings. President Bush's claim thatThomas is a qualified judge with a keen legal mind has about as much credibility as his insistence that issues of race had nothing to do with his nomination. With an almost non-existent paper trail and only eighteen months of experience on the Court of Appeals, Thomas hardly represents the most quali- fled person in the country for such an important, demanding job. It is hard to imagine a nominee who is more mediocre than Justice David Souter. He did not even receive the American Bar Association's top rating - which should be a minimal litmus test passed by any Court nominee. Equally disturbing is Thomas' embrace of so- called natural law - encompassing such enlight- ened views as abortion is always murder - as more important than the U.S. Constitution. Moreover, his conservative views on judicial issues ranging from abortion to affirmative action threaten to aid an increasingly aggressive Court attack on more liberal precedents. Powerful liberal senators on the Senate Judi- ciary Committee who boldly opposed Judge Rob- ert Bork's confirmation now, seem to be worried about offending a president\ with a 70 percent approval rating. The Committee already was conned once-by "Stealth candidate"Souter, who refused to answer questions-on a host of social issues. Now they risk allowing another mystery man to con his way onto the bench, probably for decades. The potential consequences for all Americans cannot be-overestimated, which is why Thomas deserves a ferocious grilling rather than a free ride. The Senate must summon up the courage to squash his confirmation - loudly. It is time to stand up to Bush and make it clear that the American people deserve more than America's second best. Just as important, it is incumbent upon the Senate to remind a President who has never had a veto overridden that there are three branches of government - not one. President Bush- muchlike his predecessor- seems to assume that the federal judiciary is his own fiefdom, and that Congressional hearings are just a rubber stamp. This is their chance to prove otherwise. The Senate Judiciary Committee already blew it with Souter. Consenting to the President's nomination this time could prove dangerous. mui~tl &JI~3P~5J .lJ.V....i .V..1 .~......._ yn:{iin. l.:.....1 f".:. { Fr;.{}P * ,{,,* . .::}S: :r::::::.3:V S4 .'lM2t:f"{{ i. t ~.K It's time for a U.S. Ial _ With the 1992 electoral spec- tacle just around the bend, it is not only increasingly apparent that the Democrats can't come up with a real candidate, but that they don't- have an ac- company- ing agenda either. With the sometimes exception of Sen. Tom Harkin (D- Iowa),.who at least. sounds like a populist on occa- sion, the Democrats' dential waters with Republican rhetoric about austerity, Democratic governors like. Mario Cuomo of New York and Jim Florio of New Jersey are laying off workers and slashing social spending programs for the poor. Meanwhile, the rich get richer. Though workers' wages are lower than they were in 1973, the average salary for chief executives of the country's 200 biggest firms doubled over the last decade-to $800,000. As the unemployment rate in the- 1970s and 1980s climbed higher than it was during the worst reces- sions of the 1950s and 1960s, Democrats. and Republicans set aside billions for savings and loans' executives, but hardly a penny for the millions of workers who lost their jobs. . Many of those workers - as well as the ones lucky enough to )or party Workers Union,has formed aproto- party, Labor Party Advocates. The United Mineworkers have started running independent candidates. Fed up with Florio's budget cuts, New Jersey's state employees are. fielding a sixteen-person labor slate in this Fall's elections. "Our posi- tion is the bosses have two parties, %ve, want one," Mazzochi states simply. Far-fetched? Out of touch? Tell.0 that to the Republican Party - which also began as a third party right down the road in Jackson, Michigan and, six years later, rode Abraham Lincoln's coat-tails into the White House. Tell that to the Americans still benefiting from programs passed in the hundreds of municipalities controlled by the Socialist Party in the early 20th century. Most ofall, tell that to America's Mike Fischer Nuts and Bolts F RUMP YOU )H WELL, H URRN(L MUS is, IfA NEVOUJS GUY" BEaNG WAT[5MN ,HE'S A BIG .BC1,AND WiNG IN by Judd Winick S[,Z'M GONNAME You MY WOMAN. vision looks a lot like George Bush's "vision thing." As St. Louis Labor Council President Bob Kelley wryly notes, "Demo-