4 - The Michigan Daily -Tuesday, October 17, 2000 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 daily.letters@umich.edu Kiln Is capitalist democracy' an oxymoron? Edited and managed by ', to EM students at the Ed University of Michigan Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion the Daily's editorial boad. All other articles, letters and c necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan L MIKE SPAHN Editor in Chief ILY ACHENBAUM itorial Page Editor n of the majority of artoons do not Daily. FROM THE DAIL Shothmne AATU deserves to stay with new budget At last week's meeting, the Michigan dent government or any other sources. Student Assembly proposed to cut Second, MSA claims that the AATU funding for the Ann Arbor Tenants does not deserve such "exorbitant" Union from $26,000 in 1999-2000 to funding because MSA has limited $1,523. This 94 percent cut in funding funds and needs an increased amount would severely jeopardize the existence of money internally. MSA also argues and effectiveness of the Ann Arbor Ten- that as a registered studentgroup, the ants Union. At this week's meeting, AATU should apply for funding in the MSA will vote on a proposal to allocate same manner as other groups, who $9,500 from a variety of internal usually only receive around $500. sources to fund the AATU for one Finally, although the AATU is largely semester. Although less money than the funded by MSA, MSA has little over- AATU requested, MSA should pass this sight over how the organization is run, resolution. While MSA holding only two posi- has a number of legiti- The Ann Arbor tions on their board of mate concerns about directors. the apropriateness of Tenants Union has Although these are the funding (and the legitimate concerns, AATU submitted their gc none constitute a justi- budget over one month afication for slashing late), cutting their fund-a d rental funding in a dramatic iin man abrupt way" oayi wa .Students need the hurts not only the housingiseAATU, either in pre- AATU, but students sent or preferably who might need their improved form. The services. organization could be Founded in 1968 by University grad- quite powerful with the right tools and uate students, the AATU has a long his- leadership. Administrative delinquency tory of advocacy in rental housing should not be a reason why thousands of issues - something that affects virtual- students will not have the benefit of a ly all students at some point. The group fully funded AATU. And although MSA has expanded to serve not only Univer- might believe that the AATU receives sity students, but also renters across excessive funding compared to other Washtenaw County. In the past decade, student groups, it is only fair to recog- MSA has traditionally provided about nize that the organization helps many half the revenue the AATU needs to students, and deserves to be forewarned operate, increasing from $24,000 in about any cuts in funding. 1993-1994 to $26,000 last year. The Fortunately, if today's resolution to AATU claims that in the '99-'00 school allocate $9,500 passes and a plan year, they provided direct informational designed by MSA to provide the AATU and counseling services to 5,350 stu- with free volunteers through the School dents. This year, the AATU had request- of Social Work is instituted, the AATU ed $30,000 to help pay for computer will be able to function somewhat nor- hardware and software to improve their mally this year. Despite disagreements Website and launch a legislative cam- about the appropriateness of MSA paign to restrict fees landlords can funding, it remains that the AATU charge, and to continue other programs offers an important service to many and services such as publishing a book- students, and relies heavily on MSA for let on tenant's rights. financial support. The least MSA can MSA has a number of reasons why do is pass both of these resolutions. they have suspended funding, both Although a review of funding proce- procedural and practical. First, MSA dures may be appropriate, the AATU cites administrative and procedural deserves to be warned about funding errors - the AATU applied for fund- cuts, so that they might find other ing over a month late, and did not sources of income in order to maintain apply for funding through the LSA stu- their valuable services. Where's the ke. New bill infringes on students' rights L ook out keg party fans. If a bill halls without reasonable cause. Like- introduced bystate representative wise, police should not be able to use Sandy Caul (R-Mt. Pleasant) passes the keg tracking information to infiltrate state Legislature, buying a keg may parties for the same reason they should mean more paperwork and responsibil- not be able to monitor e-mail or phone ity. Unfortunately, the paperwork bur- calls - a basic right to privacy. den will fall on the paying customer, While binge drinking is an the responsibility will go to the inno- acknowledged problem on campuses cent businessman and the ultimate throughout the state and nationwide, a effect of the bill could leave serious Big Brother answer is the wrong way repercussions. to approach the problem. The second The bill, in it's cur- problem with a bill rent state, would Ke a "Isb like Caul's is that it require any person pur- g drinking is by places an undue bur- chasing a keg to leave no means the only den on liquor ven- their name, address, dors. Liquor stores do phone number, driver's source of alcohol not - and most defi- license number and the nitely should not - address for which they on this orgg g have the responsibili- are purchasing the keg. tcampus t of tracking kegs, One of the biggest on any other unless they want to. flaws in Caul's House y _As long as they do bill is the assumption not sell any alcohol to that the detailed registration of kegs a minor, they have fulfilled their legal will curb binge and underage drinking obligation. - especially at colleges and universi- Some stores, including a few in Ann ties. Arbor, already require a minimum of a This law will be ineffective because name along with proof of ID. Naturally, keg drinking is by no means the only stores wish to get their kegs back and source of alcohol on this campus or protect themselves. But this is their ini- any other. To attribute binge drinking tiative, not something that should be to kegs, while ignoring cans, bottles forced on the stores and their cus- and other beverages is a thinly veiled tomers. But even with the Caul law on attempt to make it easier to restrict the books, nothing guarantees the form house parties and underage drinking. will be filled out truthfully. Buyers If passed, the law would have two could easily create a fictitious phone negative consequences. First, police number or use a fake ID. could use the information required by Our representatives are well inten- the bill to discover who is throwing a tioned in trying to slow binge drinking, party and then break the party up. With but legislation like this is not going to no real reason to investigate, this could work. Instead of curbing binge drink- constitute an unconstitutional search. ing, a new bill complicating the keg- Based on the Fourth Amendment, buying process will only infringe on Police are not allowed to conduct ran- individual rights and place an undue dom searches of houses or residence strain on businesses. NON SEQLWTUR tty tuY ff 's' ld , y, ip ..I T ~ FSB; . . *a«sz n s or whom are you going to cast that oh-so- precious ballot of yours on Nov. 7th? Has it been a hard decision? Have you spent the last few weeks doing utilitarian calculus to see whether you should vote for Al Gore or Ralph Nader? Well fret no longert young voter, because no< matter what anyone tells' you, no matter how .2 much you want to_ believe it's not true, the fact of the matter is that your precious vote isn't so precious after all. In any society where wealth is distributed unequally (as it must be N ck under capitalism) the real question isn't "who Woomer are you going to vote for?" it's "how much are you worth?" :>;- The popular intuitive conception of electoral democracy is that voters elect candidates whose views best thatch their own to represent them in government. That can- didate then enters government as a representa- tive who embodies the will of his or her constituents. Since every eligible citizen only gets to vote once then, at least indirectly, every voter has an equal say in which way policy should be directed. Therefore, as long as people are not arbitrarily excluded from the electoral process and as long as everyone's vote counts equally, we live in a democracy ... or so the argument goes. In light of this, it would seem like economic institutions have no bearing on democracy. As long as there's no mechanism that lets people pay $100 for an additional vote, what's the problem ? There are two. The first, and most obvious, problem has become an issue in the current presidential campaign under the label "campaign finance reform." Inequalities in wealth allow some indi- viduals to make bigger direct or indirect contri- butions to candidates of their choosing in the form of direct campaign contributions and/or soft money donations to various political action comtittees. This is a big problem that deserves the atten- tion it's getting from media elites, but the focus on soft money contributions hides the even more fundamental conflict between huge dis- parities in wealth and democracy. The real problem with "capitalist democracy" is that it necessarily gives those who control vast amounts of wealth significant control over how policy is crafted - if only by threatening divestment and/or capital flight. With the increasing globalization of the economy and the capability investors have to move money any- where in the developed world with a mouse click, even the most reform-minded politician is going to have to answer to the Steve Forbeses and Warren Buffetts of the world. Suppose Congress is trying to decide whether it should terminate a particular corpo- rate subsidy. Investors are going to be wary of such a proposal in proportion to how vital that subsidy is for the profitability of a particular industry or business they have a stake in. If investors get too jittery, they'll just move capital elsewhere - either to a different business or industry or out of the country altogether. Capi- talism allows one person's investment decisions to reverberate throughout the economy. Know- ing this, it's highly unlikely the subsidy would be repealed - no matter how strong the elec- toral mandate to do so may be. If American democracy is what most people seem to believe it is, then one would think that anyone who does not vote has no say in how policy is crafted - supposedly, only the will of voters gets reflected in policy decisions. But this clearly isn't the case. Do the German CEOs at DaimlerChrysler influence policy making at all? What about Australian media mogul Rupert Murdock? Of course they do, even though it's illegal for foreigners to give money to political campaigns in the United States. One response to this argument is that it con- fuses the difference between policy making and being informed that a policy might have bad repercussions. So it's not that the wealthy have any more sway in the policy making process, it's only that their wants have to be factored into policy decisions in the same way that law mak- ers need to consider natural facts about the world. For example, there may be an electoral mandate for the government to build massive solar panels in Washington state, but legislators also need to consider that Washington state is often cloudy so building solar panels there might not be a good idea. Wealthy people are not like natural phenome- na; there is no clear divide between the realm of law and the way society should work. When people vote, they're not just voting for a certain vision of what the law ought to be in a vacuum, there is also the expectation that society should change in accordance with the law. This is why people say we live ina "democratic society,"not "we live in an oligarchic society and have a democratic government." Tyranny can come from the ruling classes as well as the govern- ment. Go vote on the 7th; let your faint whisper be heard -just remember that when money talks, it screams. - Nick Woomer can be reached via e-mail at nwoomerghtumich.edu. d to a diverse student body fort to make sure we reach goals.' Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, inary numbers indicating an increase in d minority enrollment at the University. 'The University is committe and we will put forth the efi those -Lester Monts,l commenting on prelimi under-represente Neuman should have warned of Org. Studies closure To THE DAILY: Thank you for notifying the University student body, faculty and staff of the clos- ing of the ICP, Organizational Studies. I was fortunate enough to learn of the clos- ing through the Daily and not like the LSA junior I saw in the advising office who was told she could not declare the major she had been working on for two and a half years. I would like to suggest to the Dean of LSA, Shirley Neuman, that there are an infinite amount of better solutions to the current problems of the IC O? Hrganization- al Studies than closing admission to the program. Her rash reactiotn to problems that have existed for over a year have caused many students to feel displaced and distraught. I have to wonder if she even considered all of the first-year and sopho- more LSA students who are preparing themselves to be organizational studies concentrators. Because of the interdisciplinary approach of organizational studies, it demands that one take a multitude of pre- requisite courses (much of which is done during your first-year and sophomore year before you have declared a concentration.) Additionally, I wonder if she consid- ered all of those junior and senior LSA students who have been pursuing the pro- gram for years, but have not yet filled out the form to declare their maior. Without any warning, Neuman has successfully dis- placed all of these students. I am aware of the current problems of the program. However, closing the pro- gram without warning is not the answer. From my past experience, it seems that when universities institute curriculum changes they do not usually affect those students currently enrolled in the college. but would affect any future enrollee. This emphasized. First, modern curative health, only seems fair to me. while beneficial, is costly. The fundamental importance of health prevention and healt KRISTY DELONG promotion cannot be overlooked in the awe of LSA SENIOR modern medical miracles, especially in situa- tions where resources are scant. Second, the horrific lack of sufficient health care in much Editorial was right of the developing world mirrors health care access dtsparttes tn our own country. There t0 identify d ispa rity clearly exists, not only in Africa, but in the United States, a system whereby those fortu- in drug ava i lab i I ity nate few who have money will live better and longer. I don't think the average person wants the world to operate this way. However, are w To THE DAILY: willing to sacrifice our cell phones, $2 coffe I applaud yesterday's editorial, "Medicine each day or even a loss in our pharmaceutical for more," discussing how the market-driven stocks to ensure that income doesn't affect pharmaceutical industry is unable to meet the health? health needs of the world's poor. In light of the editorial's facts, and the absence of a thriving T. TODD RITTER Communist platform, two points need to be SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH THOMAS KULJURGIS TE 5.5.nv i EK.\NG. ~.., 4/t f 66 . : t C V &Rt GLE 11111S ARC EAbtL'Y SCAV.Eb OAF' $ " ' . SlDb N G0tIN E A# D Eut~OSitS.I A generally bellicose society ssentially and eventually, expiration dates claim both you and your groceries. Before that comes society. A generally belli- cose society, in which indulgency is the norm of a psycho-sexual-etrading realm where policies are dictated by two-party elections, Nasdaq promiscuities and profligate home- coming circuses. Here, uncertainty remains an obscure yet concrete tenet of day- to-day biology. Like w shaved legs on her. It has to exist for mutual z comfort. An absolute lack of heroes proliferates Presidential candidates, aj bohemian professors, even intimate room- Syed mates, leave your inspi- < ration antennae overextended, catching ' static and prone to dam- age from the elements, thoroughly in need of an overpriced parka from Bivouac. With this lack of heroes, you read. You read.comics. You read Superman. But one day, the new-agers at D.C. change his cos- tume. On another day, they kill him. Effec- tively, heroism becomes a past tense, a collector's item, an antiquated anomaly which is then prostituted on a dot-com or thrown into some burbian family photo album. In a generally bellicose society, naivete, sweet concupiscence and a rustic code of conduct have to be cashed in for a cell phone. For a suit, or an interview. For family plan- ning and 401k plans. For a no-food-or-drink and don't-forget-to-logout lifestyle. Everyone cashes in, despite the 1,000 person waitlist. They call it competitive flair and resource management. The part about throat slitting is not printed on the menu of Caf6 Conquest. In a generally bellicose society, ex-girl- friends become an aberration for normality. Soon enough, normality becomes an aberration. Mothers never let go of umbilical cords. Sooner than later, you let go of the moth- ers. In a generally bellicose society, posters become friends. Afterwards, friends become posters. Ever-ready to charge the atmosphere of the whitewashed, single-cell, $450/month quasi-studio you park your humanity at. Meanwhile, all parking spots get taken. Quickly. In a generally bellicose society, no one writes back. They just reply. To all other recipients. With the original message includ- ed. In a generally bellicose society, there's nothing homely about homecoming. Medicare enhanced alumni are looked down upon as cute maize and blue archival records, that's all. Otherwise, square-spectacled cof- fee-shop eclectics fight cold wars with leather-adorned meat-market Greeks. Gazing with austerity. Guarding their prosperity. In a generally bellicose society, women are denied their right to choose, by men, who are also denied their right to choose, by women: Only voting contingencies matter. And they choose tax-cuts. Always tax-cuts. In a generally bellicose society, the only divine intervention holy cities see is through high powered Air Force One diplomacy.* Here, presidents play prophets with pariah states as suicide bombers play eightball with teenage sailors. Helicopters pay homage to mosques with missiles. Oil prices are hiked for strategic defense as homeless shelters turn off their heaters. To break the tension, rag-head and Jew jokes are promulgated in Washington's secularly sexy circles. Nasdaq sharks retreat to their golfing havens. Politi- cal dramas on Fox pick up the chase. The4 Tom Clancy comes out with a novel. How novel. In a generally bellicose society, some of the 30,000 readers of a college newspaper don't read. They peruse. They don't absorb. They wait for the disinclined foreign profes- sor to start yapping. They don't measure the worth of the work of the hundred-odd advo- cates who speak out every day. They look out for happy hour specials and redundantly punchlined columns. Romanticized journalis- tic integrity is thus wedded to deluxe dolla* Coronas. In the end, no one catches the bou- quet. In a generally bellicose society, she never calls back. In such a generally bellicose society, Bob Dylan at Hill on Nov. 5th is perhaps the only sedative which sounds like a plan. - Waj Syed can be reached via e-mail at wajsyed@tumich.edu.