4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, November 3, 1998 a7hr ati4,]CbgFat ]Dat*l 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan LAURIE MAYK Editor in Chief JACK SCHILLACI Editorial Page Editor Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Dailys editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. FROM THE DAILY Go votem Democracy requires voter participation to work NOTABLE QUOTABLE 'With this growth comes headaches and tension as to how we define ourselves.' - Hien Duc Do, speaking on the growth ofAsian American studies programs throughout the country THOMASKULJURGIS T 4EN T A\. IV LY Sr \MN LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Election year '98: t is that time of year again - yes, it's Election Day! Today is the day when mil- lions of Americans take time out of their busy days to vote for the people they feel should run the country. Republicans, Democrats, older people, young people, men, women and many other citizens from various groups and organizations make a powerful statement when they go into the election booth and pull the lever. Some Americans take the funda- mental right of voting for granted without considering the history surrounding the strug- gle for suffrage, the millions of people around the world today who do not have this right, and the important political ramifications of their decision not to vote. Voter participation is an essential ingredient to the well being of any democracy - especially to the original experiment of democracy, the United States. The historical importance of voting goes back more than 200 years to life as a colony under British rule. The colonists were fed up with the excessive taxes imposed upon them by the British Parliament, which did not allow the colonists representation in their governing bodies. The desire to vote and have some political representation led to the formation of our country. Since this nation's beginning, the right to vote has gradually been given to all members of society regardless of property rights, gender, race and age, for the most part. The 15th, 19th and 26th Amendments led to the expansion of suffrage in the United States. Similar parallels relating to the desire for political representation can be drawn between the events leading up to the Revolutionary War and the civil rights, women's, and youth movements of the '60s and '70s. Millions of Vote Gm people have devoted and, in some cases, given their lives for this fundamental right. It should come as no surprise that millions of people throughout the world are denied the right to vote and other means of political expression. In some countries, citizens are denied the right to vote and express them- selves politically by unyielding despotic regimes. Many other countries either deny their citizens the right to vote or make it diffi- cult or impossible to vote through discrimina- tory restrictions. Perhaps the most important reason to vote has to do with the current political sys- tem and the way things are done in Washington, D.C., and the state capitals. Most politicians care about voters and will pursue their interests in government. If University students do not vote, they will continue the pattern of low voter turnout in the 18-25 age group, and this will adversely affect the desired outcome of such important issues as funding for higher education, health care, child care and affirmative action. Politicians will not represent a group that does not express an opinion. The irony is that most University and other college stu- dents have strong feelings about issues relat- ing to their lives and collegiate experience. Do not become a victim of apathy or laziness. Go out and vote regardless of whether you like the candidates in one or two elections. People have fought for this precious right and your vote will be sym- bolic, at the least, in that you will make the youth vote stronger - send a message to politicians that the youth vote counts. Get out and vote! Dem. is best choice for attorney general W ith unusual events characterizing the gubernatorial campaign, one of the most contested contests this election year is the race for state attorney general. Harvard educated Democratic candidate Jennifer Granholm is the most qualified for the job. She has a 98-percent conviction rate as a federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of Michigan and the support of the 10-term incumbent Attorney General Frank Kelly. Unlike Republican Candidate John Smietanka, Granholm is pro-choice. Granholm also opposes a bill - which Smietanka supports - that would allow Michigan citizens without a criminal record or history of mental illness access to a con- cealed weapon permit - a dangerous and frightening proposition at best. The mudslinging that has occurred in this campaign has taken focus off many of the issues. The Michigan Republican Party ran ads stating that Granholm would be in favor of releasing 17,000 prisoners and associating Granholm with Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Geoffrey Fieger. According to Granholm's campaign manag- er, Chris DeWitt, Granholm does not sup- port Fieger's crime plan, which includes releasing the prisoners mentioned in the Republican ad. The attorney general race is especially important this year because of the sorry state of the race for governor. Vote Jennifer Granholm for attorney general. Letter distorted Engler's record To THE DAILY: Matthew Bieniek's letter ("Engler is the best and only candidate,"' 112/98) has some errors in its factual material. The intent of creating the Department of Environmental Quality was not to improve the environmental climate in Michigan but was simply an effort to weaken and disman- tle the DNR. It has had a sig- nificant negative impact on important environmental con- cerns. Decisions about gas lines, drilling permits, farm- ing deer and fish for the sportsman, and many other issues are all heavily slanted toward business. Public school funding has not increased significantly in Michigan! The 50 percent "increase" Bieniek cited was simply a trade-off against lower proper- ty taxes and inceasing the sales tax by 50 percent. In Ann Arbor, the new system has led to about the same support for schools. This is a good exam- ple of how to lie with statistics. As in California, the long-term consequences for the state edu- cational system may prove to be serious yet. The current sys- tem represents a significant tax loss to the middle classes because sales taxes cannot be deducted and many fewer peo- ple now get a state credit against property taxes. Moreover, reliance on sales taxes is a regressive system. The wealthy minimize them by interstate purchases of stocks/bonds, while the lower- and middle-class people pay the substantially increased sales taxes for most of their expenditures. It's easy to tax vacations in Michigan, but what about those trips to the Bahamas? High school teachers would be amused to learn that it was Engler's support that produced higher MEAP scores. Engler wants to support the elite and religious private schools, but few in Detroit expect his help for their needy public school system. ERIC EssENE UNIVERSITY FACULTY Power is the best choice for 'U' Board of Regents To THE DAILY: Far down on the ballot today are candidates for seats on the University Board of Regents. These are important the economic activity in the state. The best candidate for a seat on the board is current regent Philip Power. I first met Power when I was a student in Ann Arbor after the very tragic death of his wife, Sara Power, who at the time was a member of the board. At the time of her death, there was a lot of ten- sion on campus when stu- dents camne together in a huge rally and sit in to protest sev- eral racists incidents that had occurred on campus. This event is historically called BAMIII. After the BAMI II issue was resolved and Mrs. Power had died, some people had cynically intimated that the action of black students had somehow contributed to her death. Some of my clos- est friends were at the absolute core of the planning and execution of BAMIII, and Power made a point of personally meeting with these students to dispel the notion that there was a connection between the student protests and the death of his wife. This convinced me of the depth of goodness in Power's character. He personally showed concern and support for the issues and theleaders of the movement. Power was subsequently appointed to the board by the governor to fill out his wife's term in office. In 1988, 1 worked with Power when I was a member of the student presidential search advisory committee. Despite what has been said about that search process, the regents treated the students in a most collegial and respectful manner. Power made especially great efforts to assure that the student committee was a full partici- pant in the process. We were in no way slighted and Power made sure of that. Since that time I have remained in the higher edu- cation field. True to the tra- dition of Michigan being the "leaders and best," Power has a national reputa- tion as a model of what a university regent, trustee or governor should be. He has been active in recruiting a lot of administrative, faculty and student talent to the University. Power is committed to not only keeping the acade- mic reputation of the University high but improv- ing upon it. But most important, he has fought to keep tuition increases to a minimum and has fought for University budgets that commit more funds to stu- dent financial aid such that any undergraduate from Michigan in good academic standing can make it through college. Power's record and responsiveness to the people and issues that make up the University make him a regent most deserving of your vote. But Speaking engagement was a success TO THE DAILY: I would like to thank all of the University students who came to listen to and speak with attorney general candi- date Jennifer Granholm and Regent Philip Power. These students were part of a supportive crowd for these dedicated and engaging candidates. Granholm chose to speak here at the University only five days before the election, not to solicit swing votes, but to communicate with students on an individual basis. Her belief in personal initiative shined through as she encouragedstudents to dis- cuss issues important to them. Also, Regent Power took time from a close statewide race to listen to stu- dents' concerns about the University. It is obvious these candidates came to the University to give students a voice, not sling political mud. Thanks again to those students who welcomed our representatives with your support. REBECCA PERRING LSA FIRST-YEAR STUDENT Daily covered important findings TO THE DAILY: I was more than glad to find the article "Prof. defends fossil dat- ing,"(10/27/98) about human remains from prehistory found in northern Spain. In all honesty, the Daily does not cover in detail any world news other than those concerning certain political/economic interests. It is well known that the dis- covery and further study of the oldest human ancestry, the 800,000-year-old "homo antecessor" is viewed as a peak of archaeological research in Europe - some- thing not to be missed. Although the Daily did not go much beyond basic age speculations, this unusual "trip" to the rest of the planet is a good way for the campus newspaper to really foster intellectual challenge. Last month, my Spanish 231 students were amazed to learn about "my greatest grandfather" (I am from near Atapuerca, where the caverns are) and could not believe that mankind really existed so long ago! They probably were the first ones to know - now, the rest of the University commu- Let me tell you about my family' "Engler backing Proposal C is like Hitler doing a B'nai B'rith ad." - - Geoflrey Fieger. tastefidly com- menting on the governor s attempt to cover his poor environmental record with the Clean Michigan Initiative A s is the case every election year, the 1998 campaigns have brought us 4 plethora of stupid stories about the candi dates, their spouses, their children, their aunts, uncles, dogs, grandparents and their third cousin twice removed on their mother's side. These are the stories that will keep you at they edge of your seat, mouth gaping, a look 0 of delighted amaze- 0W ment strewn across your face. Believe me, I know -- I got to sit through dozens JACK upon dozens (upon SCHILLAC dozens) of them dur- I ing The Michigan_ _ _ Daily's endorsement interviews. Did anyone know that Geoffrey Fieger was once stung by a bee in the Blind Pig while wearing "one of those shirts with no sleeves" (he meant a tank top)? Or even better, did anyone care? Keep in mind that this answer came in response to a question about the state' prisons. I think Geoffer was trying to commune with the students around him when he told that one. Fie was one of us once, ya know. He battled his way through college while scoping out all of the out-of- state girls (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). I always thought that the Dems were better about this sort of thing than the GOP, but '98 proved me wrong - it's bad no matter who you talk to. Take, for instance, state senatorial can- didate John Hochstetler. Wearing a blue suit and a big cheesy smile, Hochstetler walked in to the Daily and handed every- one an emory board with his name on it. He found just about everything "a little * disturbing." And when asked what he thought about higher education funding, he spoke of what a shame it was that you could get jail time for stealing three toasters from Meijer. Wait, what the hell are you talking about? Where the hell are you going? Are you still paying attention here? And during the interview, Hochstetler expressed confusion as to how his oppo- nent, Alma Wheeler Smith, could recon- cile being pro-choice, pro-assisted suicide@ and Catholic at the same time, a look of starry-eyed consternation hinted from the stern look on his face. Well, what the hell difference does it make? As for his own stance on religious tolerance, Hochstetler had but one thing to say: "If people wanna be Hindu, let 'em be Hindus!" Congressional candidate Tom Hickey is a man of the people. He wants to "work the territory" and be highly visi- ble. He said that "we" were running to serve the community and that "we" have a background of community involve- ment, "When I say 'we,' I mean my fam- ily and I." After all, he's "a father first." That's funny, Tom, I didn't see your wife and two sons' names printed on the ballot. David Brandon,'while not in favor of affirmative action, is "in favor of action that is affirmative." My, what a fantastic semantic hairsplit. Now if only he could explain to me what the hell that means. For some people, the theatrical approach works well - but it usually helps if the politics underlying the rhetoric are good to begin with. When one of Brandon's opponents, Regent Phil Power, started banging on the table so hard that my Coke can was jumping up and down, I realized that my life may be in danger. He got his point across, all right. And I was scared to death that all his spit and vinegar would rub off on me when I shook his hand. No wonder he's such a good regent. He's probably got Shirley McFee run- ning scared. None of this would bother me that much if the political message and ideas that they should be expressing weren't so muddled as a result of their incessant propensity to talk about some damned unrelated topic. And sometimes, these stories get so dull that a quart of Nyquil couldn't knock me out faster. Take, for instance, Gov. John Engler's long story about the great deal of pride he . takes in the state's prisons -=- after all, Amnesty International just wanted to inspect them because they were sick of inspecting "bad prisons in places like China." Luckily, he didn't make it in for an in-person interview but rather spoke to the Daily over the phone, so he didn't notice as my eyes drooped and I gave a big yawn. The only two candidates who didn't inundate the editorial board with dull sto- ries or cheap theatrics were Alma Wheeler Smith and Kathy White. Smith was the picture of professionalism, giving hard facts and well-thought-out plans to back L _ ...l I, a.« -.- TL.4_ - - & .-... THE DAILY'S PICKS Michigan Governor: No endorsement -Write in a candidate Michigan Attorney General: Jennifer Granholm U.S. Representative: Lynn Rivers State Senator: Alma Wheeler Smith State Representatives: John Hansen (52nd District) Liz Brater (53rd District) University Board of Regents: Phil Power Kathy White Ann Arbor Mayor: Chris Kolb State Pronosa1 A (chance "handicanned" ti "disabled"