4A- The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 4, 1994
(itl Lirbigtn ?&i1g
420 Maynard
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed
by students at the
University of Michigan
JESSIE HALLADAY
Editor in Chief
SAM GooDSTBiN
FLINTWANESS
Editorial Page Editors
Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of a majority of the Daily's editorial board.
All other articles, letters, and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily.
Keep the YMCA afloat
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by
madness - starving, hysterical, naked.'
-from the poem "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg,
who will be reading poetry at Hill Auditorium tonight
ToDAY TK+E MAYoR AfNNOUNCE
' THE 5r7A-r or A Ma TOR
EFFORT BY THE cVCTy
A To gE13Ui LOL. A. MEMOPJAL-
4 COLi SU N\'5 A MANGE
FRoM THE E A R H G uAKE.
+FAN S CAN tNOW L OK
1 ( ORw R O T o Fa0-orSAIL
f - N E>tT YE A R
. A
a- Y
-~I tw
E arly this week, local home-
less activists protested a city plan to bail
out a troubled low-income housing project. In
1988 some YMCA and city officials forgot to
do their mathematical homework in project-
ing its budget, and now face the consequences
of that costly mistake. The Ann Arbor "Y"
faces a shutdown if it does not receive
outside funding immediately. The estab-
lishment, which now serves as a 100-room
transitory housing project, has asked the
City Council to follow through on a loan
guarantee made in 1988.
In order to rescue the YMCA from finan-
cial demise and imminent collapse, the city
would have to allot $60,000 of the year's
budget to the development. If the city bails out
on this guarantee, the YMCA will most likely
have to close its doors, turning more low-
income residents onto the city's streets -
something that must be avoided at all costs.
The short-term solution is for the council to
keep the "Y" afloat.
Some more moderate councilmembers
have expressed a great concern about the
YMCA's mounting expenses, and the city's
role in keeping the "Y" out of insolvency.
Since July 1993, the city has paid more than
$81,000 to keep the plug from being pulled on
the housing development. Conversely, there
is" also a liberal fear of a substantial rate
increase that would boost the project's rev-
enues - yet such a move could make its
services too costly for marginalized low-in-
come residents.
And others assert that the YMCA is drain-
ing valuable city funds that could go to other
Health care ci
Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole (R-
Kansas) has finally found his position on
health care: there is no crisis. A past propo-
nent of universal coverage who has often
railed against the evils of the American health
bureaucracy, Dole has now realized that his
political capital would be best spent by adopt-
ing the "no health care crisis" rhetoric previ-
ously used by many conservatives on both
sides of the aisle. Perhaps Dole is simply
preparing his party for the upcoming Senate
elections and for a 1996 attempt to unseat
President Clinton; perhaps he really does
believe that 38 million uninsured Ameri-
cans do not constitute a crisis. But regard-
less of motives, Dole - with many in the
GOP right behind him - has shown that
when his party is needed most, he intends to
rally them behind an anti-big government
platform, ignoring specific issues and no-
tions of right or wrong.
There is a health care crisis, regardless of
the GOP's attempts to forge a coalition with
Americans comfortable and happy with the
health plans they have now. We as anation are
spending inordinate amounts of the GNP on a
flawed system that leaves out and disregards
15 to 20 percent of the population.
It would be, at the very least, morally
questionable for the GOP to go through with
its threatened filibuster on Clinton's health
care plan. It is abundantly clear that without
comprehensive health care reform, this na-
tion cannot think of tackling welfare reform
or further cutting into the federal deficit. The
Sex has
developments and low-income housing
projects that could serve Ann Arbor's needy
better and maintain at least a semblance of
affordable housing in this city.
Members of the Homeless Action Com-
mittee (HAC), who demonstrated prior to the
City Council meeting last Monday night,
agree that the YMCA has not provided the
affordable accommodations that they have
needed, calling the $325 per-month rental
units "glorified closets." However, the YMCA
does provide temporary housing that does not
involve lease signing or security deposits,
distinguishing it from other housing opportu-
nities available in Ann Arbor.
If the YMCA closes down, its residents
will be left out in the cold - and all these
debates over financial responsibility will be
moot. Human concerns must be paramount.
The immediate issue at stake is the situa-
tion of the residents that currently depend on
the housing of the YMCA. There is nowhere
else in Ann Arbor where they can go that
comes close to meeting their needs. Even so,
the YMCA is only a partial solution to the
housing problems of the city.
The next plan for the city needs to be the
exploration of long-term solutions. But for
now, the city has a moral responsibility to
keep the YMCA alive. It needs to fund the
$60,000 before the plug is pulled on the
development and also on those who reside
there. If a collective conscience exists on the
council, it must recognize that it can surely
afford $60,000. What it cannot afford to do is
to heartlessly turn 100 residents onto the
streets.
Isi
disarray, inefficiency and unaffordability of
our current health care system must first be
dealt with if any other significant legislative
packages are to have any real effect.
As Clinton has noted, many Americans
are one illness away from financial ruin. In
his State of the Union address, Clinton re-
lated the story of the Andersons, a typical
American family, forced into bankruptcy be-
cause of hospital bills. Two weeks after Mr.
Anderson lost hisjob and the health insurance
that went along with his job, his wife devel-
oped a serious medical condition - leading
to a 21 day stay in a hospital's intensive care
unit and a $120,000 charge. The Andersons
were forced into bankruptcy, a casualty of the
American status quo.
The Andersons, like so many other vic-
tims of the health care maze, aren't the kind
of people Bob Dole is talking about. The
health care nightmare, that will-if the status
quo prevails - reach the homes of so many
Americans, just happened to fall into the
Anderson family yard already. This shouldn't
be a debate about fear. It should be a debate
about security. And for the GOP leadership to
say there is no crisis shows that they are
completely out of touch with the needs and
the concerns of the average American.
When hard-working families can't send
their children to the doctor, there is a health
care crisis. Under the current system, all are in
danger of losing their health insurance when
they need it the most. We have become a
nation crippled by fear of health costs.
Condom ad campaign
is an important step
To the Daily:
The Jan. 27 editorial
about the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention's new
condom ad campaign (from
the PSU Daily Collegian)
deserves clarification.
The Reagan and Bush
administrations are not to
blame for the fact that
"reported AIDS cases
increased by 1,459 percent"
during their years; AIDS
itself was not reported until
after Reagan took office.
Rather, the Reagan/Bush
presidencies and the liberal
Democratic Congress should
be commended for the
remarkably fast and
successful discoveries of
HIV, its mode of
transmissions, known risk
factors and preliminary
prevention techniques that
occurred during their
collective tenure.
While instructions for
condom use should and
eventually will be included
in prevention efforts, mass
media is not yet a realistic
way to teach proper condom
use. Too many people still
know too little about the
disease and its risk factors for
techniques of personal
protection to be incorporated
into national TV
advertisements.
The marketing behind this
campaign is anything but
"flawed." Most experts agree
that HIV is spreading fastest
among 18-25 year-old
heterosexuals who were
originally excluded from the
prevention campaigns geared
towards homosexuals and IV
drug-users. Previous
campaigns that targeted these
high-risk groups were
successful; hopefully these
commercials will be as
successful in educating the
heterosexual population
about how it can prevent
HIV infection. In addition,
the current push behind HIV
education seeks to remove
the stereotypes of HIV being
only a gay disease, and the
CDC has accordingly
removed sexual orientation
from its example of a couple
engaged in what could be
high-risk behavior.
The current CDC
campaign is just one step in
HIV/AIDS education and
prevention - unfortunately
it cannot meet every
prevention goal. However, if
we ignore its aims and refuse
to support it, the American
public will continue to put
itself at risk. Those who are
truly concerned with
eliminating HIV/AIDS from
the population should
educate themselves about the
nature and incidence of the
t. f " 1 ".
Spring Commencement, and I
agree that it would give
students and faculty the
chance to decide if "Dr.
Death" is a hero. But
Kratchman seems to have
already made his decision
about Kevorkian. Why else
would he accuse Kevorkian of
"...persuading and acting upon
others according to his own
beliefs about death?" Does
Kratchman know how the
people who died feel about
death and suicide? If those
people specifically asked
Kevorkian to help them die,
how could Kevorkian be
"espous(ing) his own moral
agenda?" And since
Kevorkian is seen as a moral-
imposing killer, does that
mean that the thousands of
doctors who also help
terminally ill patients gain
peace are also murdering
monsters?
Jared Levin was right
when he said that the ending
of the lives of the terminally
ill was a stand for human
rights. Maybe Henry would
understand this better if he
had watched someone he
loved suffer through the pain
of a terminal illness, watched
until nothing remained of the
body. No mind, no life, no
dignity. Maybe then he would
understand that Kevorkian is
indeed a hero to "some
people."
TAMARA SLOAN
LSA first-year student
Kevorkian shouldn't
speak at
commencement
To the Daily:
This letter is in response to
Dante Stella's letter
"Kevorkian could teach
outgoing seniors" printed on
- Jan. 21 and Jared Levin's
letter "Kevorkian should
speak at next
commencement" printed on
Jan. 25.
Kevorkian's actions are
not acceptable, not because of
their "dubious legal nature,"
as Stella sees it, but rather for
their moral basis. Essentially,
Kevorkian assumes a power
not belonging to him. He acts
with the illusion that he is
God, deciding who should die
and who should live. When
people do what is right in
their own eyes, without
recognizing a higher authority
(God) on what is good and
evil, a warped sense of power
follows. I cannot respect and
admire Kevorkian simply for
his faithful adherence to a set
of beliefs. If this were a
"measure" of character, then
all should adulate Hitler's
diligence in following "his
own code of ethics."
Also, Levin should take
care not to impose "his own
warped sense of morality on
others." Law is always
grounded in religion, as it
hands. (This is not to say he
agreed to life supports or any
methods which would prolong
his life unnaturally.) Yes,
there was suffering. Yes, there
was cost in many ways. Yet,
he remained faithful to God
until he died, six months after
the doctor's prediction. And
from his faithfulness, many
were touched and
strengthened. As a senior,
Kevorkian speaking at my
commencement would destroy
any celebration of
accomplishment.
HEIDI SEGAL
RC senior
What's with MSA?
To the Daly:
Ummm ... like, how come
Craig Greenberg gets 320
square centimeters of page
space in your newspaper?
Didn't you guys, like, you
know, say a couple of months
ago we should "kill MSA?"
So are you guys pals now?
You know, MSA and the
Daily?
ALAN BEAN
SNRE junior
Computer spending
overestimated
To the Daly:
I would like to respond to
the article by Ronnie
Glassberg (2/2/94) about the
MSA spending $10,000 on
computer equipment. The
article says, " The assembly
will use these funds to
purchase two Macintosh 475
4/80 bundles, one Macintosh
Quadra 610 8/230, one Apple
Color Plus monitor, an Apple
extended keyboard, six
ethernet lines and an ethernet
router." I think that it's
fantastic that MSA is trying to
keep up with the technological
revolution, but as someone
who keeps close tabs on the
computer industry, I had a
little problem with the cost.
So, I decided to get a price list
from the Computer Showcase,
which is where they got the
equipment (with the exception
of the ethernet stuff) because I
saw them carting it upstairs to
their office. I then proceeded
to add up all the equipment.
The two LC 475 4/80 bundles
are $1,237 each for a total of
$2,474. The Quadra 610 8/
230 is $1,995, the Color Plus
Monitor is $285, and the
extended keyboard is $156.
Then I looked up the ethernet
equipment in a few different
computer magazines and
found the equipment to cost
around $2,100. The grand
total is $7,010, well below
the $10,641 the Daily claims
was spent.
There are four different
scenarios the way I see it: 1.
Someone at MSA is skimming
three grand off the top of the
students' money. 2. MSA
can't add at all. I've tried all
sorts of ways to add the above
figures to get ten grand but for
OIme rearn 1.0 10 n c~ A4,t
its real
drawbacks
Like many other naive males
overflowing with testosterone, my
preconceived notions ofcollegewere
formed by such thought-provoking
movies as "Animal House" and
"Revenge of the Nerds."
University life, I had convinced
myself, consisted solely of sex and
beer. While the amount of beer I
have consumed over the course of
my education parallels that with
many large German communities,
my sex life has been less than record-
setting.
Now I know what you are
thinking, because I have ESP. Why
would someone like myself,
someone with an abundance of wit,
and boyish, yet rugged good looks,
have trouble with women? Well,
since you're asking, I will graciously
reveal my secret: I have taken an
Oathof Celibacy. Of course, Irealize
that this disclosure will disappoint
multitudes of females. But while I
have nothing against sex before
marriage, or even before names are
exchanged, I have discovered
numerous advantages of remaining
un-coital.
To begin, I need to wash my
sheets much less often than you
intercourse engagers. How many
hours a day do we all spend washing
our sheets? Three? Four? Well, not
me, because I don't need to worry
about any bodily fluids on mine
(well, OK maybe one). Put that in
your pipe and smoke it, genital
convergers!
Condom purchases sucking you
dry? Not me! I'm easily saving $10
a year by failing to buy your pathetic
little semen catchers. I have
intelligently invested this money
in an FDIC-insured bank account,
so by the end of the year I should be
making an additional 20 cents.
Tired of always having to look
in the TV Guide for listings? Sorry
- should have thought about that
before spending all your time under
the sheets. With the hours I have
saved by not having sex, I have
currently memorized every single
program on every possible station,
including the one that's in Spanish
and the Home Shopping Network.
My bowling skills have improved
significantly, as have my abilities to
cook Walishi Mongo (a dish found
in the upper region of Bangladesh).
Not to rub it in, but with my saved
time I have taught myself to throw
large dogs farther than just about
anybody I know. The list goes on
and on.
Now don't get me wrong. It's
not that I haven't tried picking up
women. Just the other night, I went
to a bar where it's supposed to be
somewhat easy to pickup a Member
of the Opposite Sex (in case you're
curious, the name of the place rhymes
with "dicks"). Eyeing one of these
Members sitting at the bar, Icasually
sauntered onto the stool next to her.
Here is what was exchanged:
- Jeremy: "Hi. My na-"
M.O.S.: "Go away."
I have even tried going out on a
date. Dating has its drawbacks on
this campus, like, for example, there
is none. Everyonejust seems toknow
someone through someone else. Our
parents went on bona fide dates,
whereby you asked a person out
who you have never really met or
barely knew. This is illegal at the
University now, with the penalty
being a heavy fine or imprisonment.
However, following my father's
advice to "find a dreamy gal to go,
steady with," I risked a potential
police record and asked agirl out. To
my utter surprise, she said yes, but
only if I agreed not to touch her and
to buy her something very expensive.
We settled on a VCR.
As you can imagine, the date was
a complete disaster. If I threw in a
remote, she agreed to go for coffee,
which was difficult to find on this
campus. As the date was winding
down, our conversation went
something like this:
Jeremy: "How's the coffee?"
Date: "You already asked me
that."
01
10
An open letter to the 32 student panelists who decided not to attend Wednesday night's
golden opportunity to send Code amendments to the Board of Regents (as well as the
34,950 or so students that also decided to stay home):
We waited. It didn't seem like so much to ask.
A simple quorum of 26 people was all it would
take to pass or reject an amendment. So many
anxious heads, waiting, wondering, thinking that
the regents were the big obstacle in the amend-
ment process, knowing that without a quorum, it
was a moot point.
Mary Lou Antieau was there. Maureen Hart-
ford was too. What do next, she was asked. "We
punt," she replied. Too bad students never had the
ball.
So some of us here at the Daily sit and wait.
Perhaps another day, perhaps another day. Maybe
next time Bay Buchanan won't be swinging her
Carl Marlinga and the Senate and think about our
rights here at home. And maybe, just maybe, the
sun will dance its way through the February freeze
and students and panelists will come out together
to amend the dangerous policy called the Code.
Of course, by then, there will be a sale on
frisbees and, well, we all gotta get a jump on the
Ann Arbor spring job market. But wait, we must
go now, there's a knock at the door. Its someone
from the University, wondering about a party
(with alcohol) at our home a few weeks ago.
Prosecuted under what? The Code? Expelled,
what?
Likely? Maybe not. But 0 student panelists,
I I I