4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 26, 2000

be Sibigun uilg

So long and thank you for all of the fish ...

420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
daily.letters@umich.edu
Edited and managed by
students at the
University of Michigan

HEATHER KAMINS
Editor in Chief
JEFFREY KOSSEFF
DAVID WALLACE
Editorial Page Editors

Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the
Daily's editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect
the opinion of The Michigan Daily.

Hardball
A2 should host presidential debate

W hen I first started this column, I
had a lot to say about the existence
of the absolute moral law. As a fierce
advocate of objective reality, I maintain
that certain truths are self-evident. They
are the foundation of
our internal wiring.-
Any good business-
man knows this to
be true. In business,
there are certain
principles. If you
violate these princi-
ples, you lose busi-
ness. The principles
are character traits
that we all recognize
such as fairness,
honesty, integrity Mike
and courtesy. sLopez
Unfortunately,
these self-evident an
principles are on the Large
decline in today's
young professionals. I can say this because
I have seen a large increase in the number
of two-faced butt-kissers in the past few
years.
I don't know about Central Campus, but
North Campus is infested with them. You
know the type. When somebody influential
walks in the room, they're the coolest peo-
ple in the world. They're team players.
They have positive mental attitudes.
They're real go-getters. Two-faced people
are all about manipulating the world for
their own benefit. They look out for them-
selves.
Two-faced people determine their behav-
ior by ascertaining whether or not their
words and actions will be heard by people
who can further their careers. Mr. Two-face
will have the proper attitude while speaking

to a large number of his coworkers. He has
to act professional in case word gets back to
the boss. If you're a stranger, he'll treat you
like a prince. He doesn't know if you know
the king. Once he realizes that you're not
connected, he can stop the networking and
toss back 10 or 20 brews while bad
mouthing his boss and coworkers. Two-
faced people are bona fide jerks and it's all
because of those personal management
seminars.
Perhaps you've heard of those personal
management seminars or career develop-
ment workshops. In them, you receive a
laundry list of techniques you have to do to
become successful. Earlier last year, I
would have thought those kinds of work-
shops were great. Remember the book I
wrote about last term? How to Make
Anyone Fall in Love with You by Leil
Lowndes follows the laundry list formula.
In it are techniques to change your behavior
so that every luscious babe and hot stud
can't get enough of you. I used to think
these types of books and lectures were
great, but now I see that they are the source
of all the two-faced butt-kissers on North
Campus.
In this age of relativism and subjec-
tivism, these seminars have been teaching
interaction techniques and business behav-
ior without teaching the self-evident princi-
ples. They've been giving people the
answers instead of showing them how to
solve the problem. Just as the greatest
physicists have a deep understanding of the
laws of physics, the greatest businessmen
have a deep understanding of the principles.
These principles, when fully internalized,
not only guide their professional life, but
personal life as well. I would never want to
hire a man who cheated on his wife. If his
wife can't trust him, why should I? Either

he puts his career before his family or nei-
ther is high on his list of priorities. Either
way, he disdains the principles. That's why
the misadventures of Bill Clinton were so
bad for America's image. Thumbs up to
you, Mr. Prez. You're just like one of those
two-faced butt-kissers.
My father is a businessman. He conducts
business by the principles. This means that
he is honest to the customer, his employees
and his boss. When he gives his word, he
keeps his word. He treats everyone equally,.
fairly and with respect. Quality is job one.
Conducting business by self-evident truths,
his business grows. It grows much faster
than if he tried to conduct business using
sophisticated manipulative techniques.
Humans are smart. We may miss the
manipulations for a while, but sooner or
later we catch on. No one likes a manipula-
tor. One of the reasons that I can't get
enough of my wonderful woman is because@
of her pure heart. Rather than seek her own
benefit, she works to the benefit of all. The
principle of service is central to her sense
of being.
I was lucky. My parents recognized that
life was much more than the solitary expe-
rience of a single minded organism. Each of
us is a cell in the body of humanity. Some
cells are cancers, most are working just fine
and a few are white blood cells. The princi
ples are the nourishment that keeps the
body of humanity humming along.
Thankfully, my parents taught this to me.
More people need to have that insight and
pass it on because it is the antibody of self-
destruction. It is the antibody of relativism,
nihilism and two-faced butt-kissers. Live by
the principles.
- This is Mike Lopez'sfinal column for
the Daily. He can be reached over
e-mail at manatlarge@umich.edu.
TENTATIVELY SPEAKING

W hen you think of hotbeds of politi-
cal activity in Michigan, what's the
first place that comes to mind? Albion?
Albion College officials hope state
Republican leaders see it that way and
hold a primary election debate at their
institution. But we are left asking, if
Albion thinks they can do it, why doesn't
the University of Michigan?
Vice President for Government
Relations Cynthia Wilbanks told the Daily
in Monday's issue that the University "did
not have the types of facilities in close prox-
imity to each other."
That's a weak excuse. This campus has
every imaginable space for debates and
speeches - from Rackham Amphitheater
to Hill Auditorium to Crisler Arena. Given
Ann Arbor's urban atmosphere, most arenas
and auditoriums are close to each other.
Students often have 10 minutes to walk
across campus between classes. Central
Campus is hardly a sprawling mass of land
- and even parking could be manageable
with proper planning.
Beyond land concerns, the University
would be the ideal fit for either a primary
or general presidential election debate
because it is the center of many political
battles. The living wage, marijuana legal-
ization and affirmative action are only a
few of the fiercely debated issues on cam-
pus and around town. We don't think the
same is true for Albion.
It is more important than ever to have
an informed electorate in Michigan. It is

a swing state - with a Republican gov-
ernor, one Republican and one
Democratic U.S. senator and a
Democratic attorney general. Unlike
some conservative states of the South and
liberal states of the Northeast,
Michigan's electoral outcomes are hard
to predict. And with earlier primary elec-
tions, this state will play a key role in
determining our presidential nominees.
So why would we want to hold all our
debates in the middle of nowhere? While
Calvin College served as a forum for the
residents of Grand Rapids, we believe
debates must take place in Metro Detroit,
the state's most populous region. Ann
Arbor is the perfect Detroit-area location,
with the state's flagship university and a
long political history.
While it has often been characterized
as a liberal oasis, Ann Arbor is hardly
more left-wing than Grand Rapids is
right-wing. It is in the interests of both
Republicans and Democrats to debate in
Ann Arbor, because they can appeal to the
large number of politically interested yet
moderate voters in the area.
A debate in Ann Arbor would best
serve all candidates. They would join the
ranks of Hillary Clinton, Jesse Jackson
and Kofi Annan, all of whom recently
spoke in the city. There is no good reason
why the University of Michigan - with
its abundant facilities and politically-
minded campus, should not host a presi-
dential debate.


THOMAS KULJURGIS

Remember schools?.
Engler's track record should not be forgotten

G ov. John Engler pushed for improve-
ments in public education in
Michigan during his State of the State
Address last Wednesday. These improve-
ments included greater spending on pri-
mary and secondary education students in
Michigan's public schools. A minimum of
$6,500 would be spent on each student in
the state.
Engler's apparent change of focus,
from correctional facilities to schools, is
a positive start. But voters should not for-
get that Engler has spent the last eight
years of his governorship burning and pil-
laging Michigan's educational system to
build more prisons and establish quasi-
private schools.
Over the course of his governorship,
Engler has reduced the number of
employees at the Department of
Education from 2,058 to a mere 338
workers.
Engler's staunch support of school
vouchers and charter schools, a position
he continued to maintain in his State of
the State address, has sapped funding
from public schools for years.
This past summer, Engler stole power
from the democratically elected Detroit
School Board. This decision demonstrat-
ed his lack of faith in Detroit's voters as
well as their right to elect whomever they
please to run Detroit's public schools.
Engler also inadequately funded high-
er education in Michigan and rerouted the
money to correctional facilities. In the
1998-99 fiscal year, Engler proposed a
meager 1.5 percent increase in state fund-
ing for all of Michigan's public colleges
and universities. The suggested increase

8.65 percent increase in funding for the
Department of Corrections. Under that
proposal, prisons would have received
$85 million more than all 15 of
Michigan's public colleges and universi-
ties combined.
Democrats voiced skepticism towards
Engler's State of the State Address -
elections are coming up this fall and edu-
cation issues could be decisive in legisla-
tive races.
Michigan Republicans in the state leg-
islature have long been accused of
neglecting education. The apparent new
focus on education highlighted in
Engler's State of the State Address may
be an attempt to silence critics of
Engler's and fellow Republicans' educa-
tional policies.
Voters should keep in mind the politi-
cal background of Engler's speech, as
well as his legislative record, when they
cast their ballots in the fall. Feel-good
proposals like Engler's Golden Apple
Award, which would be given to the high-
est achieving elementary schools in the
state, are not solutions to the funding
problems Engler has already created for
public schools.
Certainly, any increase in funding for
primary and secondary school students is
welcome, even if it comes from Engler.
Engler's proposal is too little, too late and
is not likely to correct the havoc Engler
has unleashed upon public schools.
Engler's slashing of the Department of
Education, his support of school vouchers
and private schools, his under-funding of
public colleges and universities and his
disregard of Detroiters' right to choose

God does not 'like'
everything he
c reated
TO THE DAILY:
In response to Jesse Herzog's letter
about God's thoughts on abortion ("God's
opinion on abortion unclear," 1/21/2000), I
feel I must question just why people think
God only created things that he likes.
Yes, God did give us abortion. He also
gave us murder, greed, deception, war,
Satan, etc. I very much doubt that God
"likes" or supports such things.
I remember when I asked my Sunday
school teacher years ago why God would
create such terrible things, the answer I got
was that it's all in God's plan. He created
men (men as in "mankind") and men are
prone to sin. Murder, greed, deception and
yes, abortion are considered sins.
And in the end, to paraphrase, sinners
will get what coming to them (if we want to
start tossing out Bible verses, how's about
Romans 6:23 and Romans 12:19 for
starters).
J.Y. YEH
LSA JUNIOR
Lopez's columns
were boring
TO THE DAILY:
In honor of Mike Lopez's finally leaving
the editorial page of the Daily, I would like
to summarize everything he has ever written
for the Daily.
Yawn. Since he was obviously no good at
writing worthwhile articles, he was forced to
stoop down to the juvenile writing level.
I understand that some columnists sim-
ply enjoy being criticized, so they write stuff
with the sole purpose of evoking "hate mail"
from readers. (Branden Sanz is the champ of
this.) However, Lopez's futile attempts at
getting people riled up were so blatant, only
a fool would get mad at his incoherent ram-
blings about rape victims keeping the chil-
dren of their rapist and the like.
Hopefully, if next semester's class of
columnists stinks at writing stuff people
want to read, they'll at least write something
to piss people off that actually pisses people
off.
Hey - I have an idea, how about a col-
umn about suicide being the best alternative
to going to the dentist; people will really get
pissed about that.
A.J. WILSON
ENGINEERING SOPHOMORE
Grad Library has an
'odious stench'
Tn THE DAILY

determined at the disposal of the student gov-
ernment.
ASHLEIGH GERSH
LSA SOPHOMORE
STACEY SCHWARTZ
LSA SOPHOMORE
'U' administration's
salaries seem high
TO THE DAILY:
I am writing to say that I am complete-
ly appalled at the amount of money that
the administration at the University
makes. First of all, why does any of the
faculty merit a 5.9 percent pay raise? The
Daily reported that Bollingerais now going
to be the seventh-highest paid employee
with a $311,000 salary. I am wondering
what any human being needs that much
money for, let alone the half a million plus
that Gilbert Omenn is paid.
I understand that we attend a top-notch
university, but I also understand that that
money could be used elsewhere. I'm sure
that everyone has had the pleasure of hav-
ing classes in building that are in a state of
disrepair or living in dorms where there is
barely enough room to breathe. Not to
mention the thousands of people attending
this school on financial aid that could use
a few more dollars to pay the rent. Is it
really necessary to pay anyone that much
money?
The president of the United States
doesn't even make as much money as our
administration.
Doesn't anyone else find that ridicu-
lous? Maybe the University could start
paying cafeteria and giounds workers
more, or maybe they could pay someone
to shovel all the sidewalks on the campus
instead of drenching the snow with soy
sauce or whatever disgusting liquid that is.
Or perhaps they could spend some
more money on books (putting more of
them on reserve, etc.) so that those of us

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Coffee house
chains abound in
Ann Arbor
TO THE DAILY:
Walking down State St. yesterday, I
passed by a mailbox with a sign reading
"Support local coffee shops, boycott
Starbucks,' referring to the new Starbucks
that recently opened on State and Liberty.
What I thought was so ironic about this
was that the sign was posted right outside
Caribou Coffee, a Minneapolis based chaff~
with locations throughout the United States
and even in Europe.
Then I looked across the street and saw
Espresso Royale Cafe, yet another chain,
based in Ann Arbor, with locations through-
out the country. Within spitting distance
from the location I was standing at was
Borders Book Store. Einstein's Bagels and
Bruegger's Bagels, also huge chains an
popular destinations for Ann Arbor coffe
lovers.
Even Amer's and Cava Java have multiple
locations in Ann Arbor alone. So instead of
forming a human chain outside of Starbucks,
just relax, have a cup of coffee and try actu-
ally thinking about something important.
STEPHEN CORBIN
ENGINEERING SENIOR
God's will cannot
be discerned with
one Bible passage
TO THE DAILY:
In response to Jesse Herzog's letter,
("God's opinion on abortion unclear,"
1/21/00), I would like to say please do not fa
into the habit of quoting the Bible out of con-
text. People have been interpreting the Bible
differently ever since it was written, as evi-
denced by the number of different religions
that use it in some form or another.
To simply state, however, that "God creat-


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