4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 14, 1994
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420 Maynard
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan
Jessie Halladay
Editor in Chief
Samuel Goodstein
Flint Wainess
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.
'The shelters are crack cities. You have to sleep
with your shoes on and your eyes open. It's not a
place for honest people.'
- Mott, a homeless man, as quoted in yesterday's Daily
P EKAK c> F~TLY ., 13uT
C A zR Y' A i 1 - A0: a . .
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The presidential stick
resident Clinton's decision to send mas-
sive numbers of troops accompanied by
B-52s and F-15s to the Middle East this past
week has proven to be his strongest foreign
policy move to date. His swift, decisive act has
acted as a major deterrent to any Iraqi thoughts
of reinvading Kuwait, and his decision to
build up forces until the threat is completely
diminished is reinforcing the United States'
ability to deter aggression abroad when our
interests are at stake.
Admittedly, Clinton did not really have
any choice in the matter; it was undoubtedly
the easiest foreign policy decision he's had to
.make. Nonetheless, it served as a powerful
reminder that, contrary to the rantings of Ollie
North, the Clinton administration can muster.
the resolve to draw a line in the sand when
necessary.
The most important aspect of this decision
is that Clinton's foreign policy team may have
finally made it over the hump insofar as the
United States' credibility abroad is concerned.
Along with Iraq, Clinton held his ground
against constant criticism of his Haiti policy
for months. He expended all diplomatic ef-
forts before acting militarily. His eventual
decision to send in paratroopers made it clear
to the coup leaders that their time was up. The
military regime in Haiti has been usurped,
Cedras is leaving the country and the populace
is ecstatic about the return of Aristide.
Just as important is the fact that not one
American was killed on Haitian soil. By ex-
hausting diplomacy before acting with a deci-
sive military threat, the President appears to be
headed in the right direction in establishing
himself as a stronger leader in foreign affairs
while not resorting to the bellicose ways of the
past.
Compared to the brute-force diplomacy of
the Bush and Reagan administrations,
Clinton's actions as of late have been well-
reasoned and perfectly executed - no
Panamas, no Grenadas, no Beiruts.
Clinton will almost undoubtedly continue
to have to deal with Iraqi aggression through-
out the remainder of his term. The fact that
Iraq's troop movements came at a time when
the UN Security Council was reviewing the
devastating economic embargoes against Iraq
proves how one cannot depend on any sense of
rationality from Hussein. It is the first occa-
sion where Clinton stared down a dictator, and
the dictator blinked. Since troops take several
days to arrive in Saudi Arabia, there is an
indication that for once, Clinton's voice com-
manded credibility - and this could have a
positive ripple effect throughout the region
and the world.
Hopefully the end result of these achieve-
ments will be an increased confidence by
Clinton in attacking domestic issues at home.
His passage of the crime bill may have helped
Clinton to realize the benefits of not waffling
on an issue. If his recent trend of strong,
decisive decision making remains, you can
count on continued achievements by Clinton
both at home and abroad during the remainder
of his term.
'TA wages and benefits are essentially fair'
By ROBERT
GREENSPOON
In its indefatigable search
for the appearance of social in-
justice, the Daily has sadly
blended factual inaccuracy, ad
hominem invective and unso-
phisticated analysis into a tasty
yet unnourishing melange for
the intellectual fare of its edito-
rial page readers. Today's vic-
tim of society: the bedraggled,
impoverished Teaching Assis-
tant.
As a TA myself, I assert
that TA wages and benefits are
essentially fair; that to the ex--
tent they are not, collective bar-
gaining over time will correct
the inequities; and that the un-
schooled "somebody do some-
thing" attitude of the Oct. 12
Daily editorial about TA wages
overlooks the ageless principle,
"there ain't no such thing as a
free lunch."
The facts: first, TA wages
are not $729/month. They av-
erage $729/month. An
individual's wages are based
primarily on the number of
hours worked per week. For
example, a 0.50 TA will earn
about $1,200/month for work-
ing about 20 hours/week. A
0.25 TA will earn about 600/
month for working about 10
hours/week. If aTA works more
hours than her appointment
level would suggest, then she
may utilize a nearly perfunc-
tory grievance procedure to re-
Greenspoon is a teaching
assistant and a GEO
member.
ceive her due wage. TheDaily's
concern for wage level is better
focused on establishing higher
appointment level positions for
those graduate students who
want them, not on unilaterally
raising the dollar wage of 10
hour/week workers.
Second, TA's do receive
comprehensive health insur-
ance benefits. In my own case
last year, the University paid
almost as much per month for
health insurance on my behalf
as it paid me in wages. (Inci-
dentally, I never used those
benefits.) The Daily is correct
to say that health insurance is a
luxury for TA's, but incorrect
to assume we do not already
enjoy it.
Third, graduate students do
not, to my knowledge, choose
to come to the University on
the basis of wages and benefits.
I hope that the stellar faculty
and the engaging student body
are what truly motivate students
to attend here.
Given that benefits are es-
sentially fair, I should note that
the Daily's editorial neglects to
recognize that GEO exists to
bargain collectively for incre-
mental improvements. Results
of arms length labor negotia-
tions can always be criticized
as providing too much of this or
too little of that.
But nowhere does the Daily
critique the process by which
today's benefits were estab-
lished. I would encourage the
Daily to gather any informa-
tion which tends to impeach
the integrity of the bargaining
process (e.g., undue influence,
conflicts of interest, incompe-
tence, etc.). Unfortunately, ad
hominem invective replaces
earnest investigation. Charges
of "captive" labor following at
the whim of the Mighty Uni-
versity, of TA's in tattered rages
"squirreling" away money and
of proto-Ph.D.'s "slinging
hash" add no insight into the
fairness of the process or the
equity of its results. They rather
fuel an insulting stereotype. If
GEO is inherently ineffective,
then I want to know why.
Finally, I would prefer that
the Daily recognize that some-
one must pay for higher wages.
The potential effects of a wage
increase are elementary. If tu-
ition rises, students pay. If bud-
gets decrease, administrators
and professors (and by exten-
sion, students) pay. If state taxes
rise, Michigan residents and
communities (and by exten-
sion, students) pay. Also, de-
partments under budget con-
straints will have increased in-
centives to understaff or to un-
derstate appointments. This can
only result in even more in-
stances of TA disenchantment
and grievance proceedings and,
eventually, a lessening of ex-
cellence in teaching.
How facile is it to assert
that we TA's are not the cause
of our own deficiencies and
that an extra $800/year will
make us sterling educators.
While I am, if anything, in
support of receiving a higher
wage, I would like the Daily to
present sound and researched
reasons why I should demand
it now.
'Jobs for the
energy-impaired
One of the more popular activiti
for those who have recently graduated
is finding a job.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of
jobs. I would rather sit around eating
pretzels and drinking beer. But the sad
truth is ithat at some point you are
going to run out of beer. When you do
run out of beer, you will need to get
more. Aad unless your last name is
Heineken, that's going toc n
So ycm need a job. But not just any
job. The kind of job you want, basi-
cally, is o'ne which pays well and re-
quires almost no work. Forexampleif
you're fliipping through the classified
pages anl you see an advertisement
that says "Wanted: Person to sit on
couch. Pays $175K," file an applica-
tion immediately.
But chances are no such job*
available, because we already have a
vice president. However, there are a
number of jobs you can apply for
which require little effort and pay rea-
sonably well. Some of them are listed
here, in,...
The First Annual Slacker's Guide
To Getting A Cushy Job
Psychologist. This is quite similar
to the ideal classified ad describ
above, except that you have to sh
the couch.
The person you are sharing the
couch with (in technical terms, "the
patient") will lie there and tell you his/
her problems.
Patient: I have no money, no
friends, the IRS is after me, I'm fat,
I'm ugly, I'm addicted to cocaine and
my spouse beats me.
You: Yes, but how does that make
you feel?
Talk show host. All you have to do
in this job is listen to guests whine to
the cameras and say something to them
once in a while.
Guest:I have no money, no friends,
the IRS its after me, I'm fat, I'm ugly,
I'm addicted to cocaine and my trans-
sexual spouse beats me.
You: You're such a loser.
Life insurance salesman. This ba-
sically involves going up to people
and telling them that they are going to
die soon.
You: Do you smoke, drink, or do
drugs?
Customer: No.
You: Do you exercise on a regular
basis?
Customer: Yes.
You: You should be dead in four to
six weeks.
High school English teacher.
Here's how you do this, in three simple
steps:
1. Read from a boring, rambling,
classic book.
2. Watch students fall asleep.
3. Leave.
High school science teache
Here's how you do this, in three simple
steps:
1. Fill room with carbon monox-
ide.
2. Watch students "fall asleep."
3. Leave.
University president. This requires
dealing with students at two different
stages in their lives: pre and po
graduation. You treat them totally dif-
ferently. Before students graduate, you
take away theirrights and control them
in anyway possible. When they gradu-
ate, you remove their handcuffs, ask
them for money and remind them o
the wonderful time they had in school.
President of Kleenex.. This can't
be real dlifficult.
You: So, what's the update fort
past three months?
Members of executive board:
People are still sneezing.
You: Are they still wiping their
noses?
Members of executive board: Yea.
You: Good. See you in another
three months.
Manager of the Rolling Stones.
Most of the time, these guys can't
all that tough to work for. Actually,
most of the time, these guys can't be
all that conscious. Dealing with the'm
must be pretty easy.
That means all you really haveto
do is book stadiums for the band. How
14 sign of the times:
Signs have been popping up in various establishments across campus asking students to stop
giving small change to "panhandlers," instead encouraging donations to organized charities. Accord-
ng to the authors of this anonymous sign, giving a homeless individual some spare change will only
ncourage substance abuse and reckless behavior. While it is certainly worthwhile to contribute to
stablished charities, it is cold and heartless to deny homeless people what may be their only means
f survival because you think it will encourage substance abuse. The quarter you keep will probably
ot go to the United Way, but it could go a long way towards buying a cold, homeless person dinner.
- Samuel Goodstein
A note from Penn State
The following was written by the staff at the Penn State Daily Collegian,
:a response from the Daily appears in the Collegian today.
Hail Mary, full of grace ...
Oh, wait, you guys already know the words
to that one.
That's OK, though, because Penn State
isn't going to need any 75-yard luck-chuck
prayers answered Saturday. The Lions will
put this one away long before the final play.
OK, so the Wolverines got the better of this
matchup last year, but even Gary Moeller
needed the past two years to beat Michigan
State. Besides, "Mo" and Co. needed four
downs to seal the win last year. They won't get
that many chances this weekend.
As for the whole "new kid on the block"
mentality that had you all so territorial and
cranky last year, it's a new season, so get over
it. Not only have the Lions established them-
selves as worthy members of the conference,
they've shown that they're the best. If you
don't believe it after this weekend, you can
always watch 'em again in early January.
They've got a game scheduled in Pasadena.
The only regret around Happy Valley right
now is that you couldn't have saved your first
loss for the Lions. Obviously, thatwhole Colo-
rado thing was a fluke, but boy was it fun to
watch! Too bad Penn State won't be able to
play any undefeated teams this year. Appar-
ently the big "M" -that stands for mediocre
- will have to do.
And about that Iowa game. Did ESPN
screw upthe scores, or didyou actually struggle
with the Hawkeves? It was bad enough that
technicolor-yawn helmets of yours, but then
you had to go and make the game close. For a
while there, it was hard to tell who was who.
Moeller said he's watched Penn State on
tape and has seen the scoreboard read 35-0
before the end of the first quarter. Luckily for
Gary, he won't have to bother with a tape this
weekend - he can read his own scoreboard.
Can you stop the highest rated passer in the
country? That's our Collins, not yours. Can
you stop the best receiving tandem in the land?
They're so good, they don't even practice the
tip drill! Can you stop the best offensive
backfield in the nation? Yours is OK, with
Biakabatuka and Tyrone "The-mind-is-a-ter-
rible-thing-to-waste-but-NEVER-pass-up-a-
signing-bonus" Wheatley. But if you guys are
lucky ,maybe Ki-Jana Carter will give you a
Heisman pose in the end zone after his third
touchdown in the first half.
Oh, wait. Only cheesy Michigan players do
that - Joe Paterno has instilled more class in
his players than that. You'll probably get to see
Ki-Jana hug all of his linemen instead.
Speaking of Joe, in the early 70s, he was
actually on his way up to Michigan to become
the new coach. Too bad for all of you that he
never got any farther than Pittsburgh before
common sense got the better of him. Who
knows? Maybe your program would have
won a couple of national championships in the
1980s.
Oh, and by the way, our mascot could kick
Bike helmets
save lives
To the Daily:
Bicycling to and fromclass
is a regular way of life for
many students at the Univer-
sity and despite what most
people believe, it's a danger-
ous endeavor. In 1984, there
were an estimated 106 million
bicycles in use in the United
States and during that same
year there were approximately
1,000 cyclists fatally-injured
and another 40,000 non-fatal
injuries. Of the fatally injured
bicyclists , 64 percent were
greater than 15 years of age.
Head injuries account for ap-
proximately 33 percent of the
hospital admissions and 85
percent of the deaths occurring
from bicycle accidents. Many
of these deaths invariably could
have been prevented had the
cyclists been wearing bike hel-
mets. A 1988 study from the
University of Vermont sug-
gested that helmet usage may
be effective in preventing seri-
sidered needed and therefore
many people today still don't
wear helmets. In fact, the pre-
vious study showed that al-
though 18 percent of the re-
spondents owned helmets, only
7.8 percent were wearing hel-
mets at the time of their inter-
view. The first week of class
this fall I sat in front of the
Michigan League and counted
289 cyclists and only four had
helmets.
Speaking from experience,
I myself was struck by a car
commuting from the Univer-
sity and because of a helmet, I
am still here to talk about it. We
here at the Trauma Burn Center
of the University of Michigan
Medical Center strongly en-
courage those of you that have
helmets to wear them and those
of you who don't please go to
your local bike shop or sport-
ing goods store and buy one,
before you too are seriously
injured.
Eric Marsh
Head Nurse, Trauma Bum
Center: UMMC
Please, no
more dead
folks in the
Daily
To the Daily:
I think the Daily went too
far this time. I am referring to
the picture of the Arab terrorist
that was shown shot to death
on the front page on Oct. 11.
This is just bad journalism.
How could the editors display
such bad taste by printing that
picture? I thought it was cold
and heartless to show the
bloody corpse of that man. The
Daily was ignorant of the feel-
ings of that man's friends and
family. So what if he was a
terrorist, he was just doing his
job. Everyone knows what it is
like to be under stressat work.
The article was done in an ap-
propriate manner, but the pic-
ture above it was just unneces-
sary. Please, no more pictures
of dead folks.
Jeff Hodak