4A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, November 27, 2000 ., he aiciguu Bai g Capitalism and conscience face off 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 daily.letters@umich.edu Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan MIKE SPAHN Editor in Chief EMILY ACHENBAUM Editorial Page Editor Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily' seditorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. 'U' should commit itself to environment he day after Thanksgiving I did some damage at J. Crew, and driving home I passed a woman digging through garbage. Every day in Ann Arbor I pass a homeless person, but Friday, with a pile of brand- new sweaters and pants wrapped in the passenger seat next_ to me, I felt like crap.f Yes, it's holiday shopping season andr there's some privi- leged white guilt going around. Per- haps I didn't wash my hands after I used my VISA last and have caught a strain. C o n s u m e r i s m receives a lot of well- Emily warranted backlash around this time of Achenbaum year. I dislike con- ,., Y - Diam>nd n sumerism because R g people buy things thinking it will fill an emotional void. I dislike consumerism because we are wasting environmental resources on products and packaging we don't need. But consumerism is not evil. I have hurt no one by purchasing a sweater. . Let me clear something up: Money is not bad. Money is green pieces of paper and silver or copper colored coins. Even if swallowed, it's pretty harmless. But money has gotten itself a pretty mixed reputation. Everyone needs it, but wanting it is "bad." Ambition and success are admirable until you start getting really rich, in which case everyone starts hating you. Money's the tall-dark-handsome soccer captain every girl in school wants and when one of them actually nabs him her friends call her a slut. You can't win. Capitalism, Microsoft, America in gen- eral, McDonald's and Meijer all take flack for What Is Wrong With The World. Big corporations are easy to wag a finger at, capitalism an easy scapegoat. Is it really "not fair" that Ray Kroc took McDonald's from a little family joint to the internation- al heavyweight it is today, shutting out all sorts of competitors along the way? McDonald's is all things evil with the world, some people say. I have been trained to think without question, Kroc is a capitalist pig. But then I did question. It is not his fault that soci- ety is economically stratified. On the sim- plest level, all he did was make hamburgers, and he did it better than the other guy. Capitalism is not why people dig through trash cans. The person with the most desirable product, the most efficient- ly run business and most ingenious market- ing plan deserves to be the most successful. How is doing a better job than someone else not fair? Whose fault is it if the competition doesn't measure up - the winner's? Did they ban Darwin from pub- lic schools again? With race and gender issues on the social forefront for the past several decades, people are terrified to say that inequality is good or natural. But inequali- ty is inevitable and people are lying to themselves if they believe otherwise. At times it is horribly unjust (like in the case of race) - and in other cases it is not. Some people are born to rich parents and have opportunities handed to them. That's not fair, but it's life. Others are ambitious, and wealth is a side effect of their ambition. Value judgments are made on how said wealth was acquired - the right way or the wrong way, with the addi- tional argument that there is no right way. Is being rich inherently bad? Since when does being poor make someone good, more wholesome, less selfish? There is nothing wrong with making money. There is nothing wrong with spending money. There is something wrong when some people do not have money - not money for a cell phone but money for food, clothing and shelter. How dare I even eat when there are people who cannot choose whether they're going to have dinner or not? But starving myself does not make either one of us better off. Saturday while I was walking on State Street, a man asked me for change. I usual- ly say "no, sorry," but with a mouth full of $3.50 cappuccino, I couldn't say anything. I choked. Later that night watching Char- lie's Angels, my friend nudges me and says, "You have the same cell phone as Drew!" as Ms. Barrymore plots with the tiny ruby-red Nokia. I winced. I'm a bas- tard. Do 1 return the clothes, give away the coffee? Idon't know how much responsi- bility I have. I know that even if I did everything, it wouldn't be enough. I wish there were a way to make it liv- able for everyone: For those who have earned their wealth to possess it without stigma - and for those without simple human needs to be aided. No one should have to beg. No one should be penalized for success. - Emily Achenbaum can be reached via e-mail at emilylsa@umich.edu. T his past Wednesday, was "Ameri- ca Recycles Day," a national holi- day dedicated to expanding recycling efforts. The day, declared by President Clinton and affirmed locally by the Michigan Student Assembly, focused attention here on campus on environ- mental issues. Although the Univer- sity pursues a number of ecological programs and strategies in its cur- rent operations, the University's Mission and Vision statement does not mention envi- ronmental issues. Sustainable U of M, ENACT, the Environ- mental Issues Commis- sion of MSA and more than 250 students sup- port an initiative to convince the University to adopt a concrete commitment to envi- ronmental sustainabili- ty. The University has already taken steps RecyclingI Go to wwwr which lists rec dence hallsa buildings Recycling The City of vides curbsid paper products variety of mate sled at the cit drop-off stati Ellswoith Rd. Phone:(734 Hours: Mo a.n. to 7 p.m. akm. to 5p.m. Visit wwwl bor og for mor people and so many buildings, adopt- ing a strategy to expand recycling and efficiency campus-wide would signifi- cantly impact the amounts of energy consumed and waste produced by the University community. On a purely economic level, propo- nents of the sustain- 'n CalPUS: ability initiative ecycle.urnich.edu claim that similar eptacles in resi- programs nationwide and University save schools $17 mil- lion annually. Pru- dent investing in )ff Campus: efficient technologies Ann Arbor pro- today can save the e collection of University money and containers. A later. rials can be recy- Finally, the Uni- y of Ann Arbor versity should utilize on at 2950 E. the enthusiasm and expertise of faculty ) 971-7400 ext. 4 and students to fulfill nday-Friday, 10 its obligation to take and Saturday, 9 a leadership role in this important issue. .recycleannar- Many colleges and e information, universities have already adopted simi- lar sustainability mission statements, including Tufts University, Brown University, Dartmouth, George Wash- ington University and Carnegie Mel- lon University. The initiative also enjoys the support of Jim Christenson, the director of Plant Operations and state representative-elect Chris Kolb. In order to codify and reinforce exist- ing policies, protect the environment, save money and act as an environmen- tal leader, the University should adopt a sustainability policy. 40 'I can personally tell because I used to have a lot of them.' - LSA senior and Scorekeepersfloorman Seth Greene on the origin of his ability to discern the authenticity of patrons'IDs. towards a commitment to sustainabil- ity and should adopt a clear statement and plan for sustainability for envi- ronmental, economic and political reasons. The University currently has a large recycling program - recycling bins are readily available in all residence halls and most University buildings and public areas have special recepta- cles for recycling newspapers, com- puter paper, bottles and cans. Because the University encompasses so many .S. sign hot water U.S. should sign Kyoto agreement ronically, while countries worldwide are pushing for the United States to sign the 1997 Kyoto Treaty on green- house gases, a lot of hot air is holding up a finalizing agreement among the United States and the European Union. For two weeks in The Hague, the Netherlands, both groups have been trying to end a stalemate concerning implementation. Rather than waste time hammering out unimportant points in the treaty, the United States should take the initiative and ratify the Kyoto accords to show that it is committed to combating the threat global warming poses. Scientists have shown convincingly that without a significant change in lev- els of greenhouse gas emission, tempera- tures in the atmosphere will rise six to 12 degrees this century. This will cause sig- nificant global changes including polar ice cap melting, rising water levels in the world's oceans and increased violent storms. When faced with the prospects of losing island nations to flooding and facing hotter than ever summers, eco- nomic squabbles are insignificant at best, narrow-minded and irrelevant at worst. Yet rather than accept the best treaty yet proposed, the United States has allowed petty squabbles to supercede the most important fact: There is a need to reduce the levels of dangerous gases that contribute to global warming. Some of the bickering has centered around rather mundane issues when faced with the prospect of minimal progress concerning global warming. amount of gases each country can pro- duce under the accords and how much green lands (national forests) goes toward the final calculations may be important in the long run. These issues, prompting squabbles between the Unit- ed States and Germany, express con- cern over whether the United States will pull its weight in the agreement. But by indefinitely postponing an agreement, the United States is only adding to the problem it is attempting to solve. If and when the United States signs, other countries are going to fol- low its lead. This makes our stalling even more upsetting. While some may argue against the treaty on the grounds of national sover- eignty, they must also realize that the United States is currently involved in a number of international organizations (for example, the United Nations and the World Trade Organization) that go above Congress' head and work together toward international initiatives. Rather than resist and allow itself to keep pollut- ing, the United States needs to take an active approach and show that, as one of the world's largest polluters, it is willing to stop global warming. While the United States stalls, we continue to emit obscene omits of green- house gases into the atmosphere. To most effectively solve the problem at hand, a functional treaty is needed immediately. The United States should stop its childish stalling, come together with the European Union and sign the Alcohol poisoning does not jUst 'happen' TO THE DAILY: In response to the tragic death of Byung Soo Kim, ProvostNancy Cantor stated "This could happen to any student." I would like to ask Cantor how this "hap- pens"'to anyone. Kim was not a passive participant in his consumption of alcohol. This, by no means, is to say that his death is not tragic. How- ever, drinking 20 shots of whiskey does not "happen" to anyone. People choose to con- sume alcohol. Some choose to over-con- sume. But alcohol poisoning doesn't just "happen." It only "happens" to people who drink too much. I can appreciate the sorrow of the Kim family, Cantor and this University, but it should be made clear that drinking 20 shots and dying doesn't just "happen" pas- sively, it requires active choice. JOSHUA BENNINGHOFF LSA SENIOR Drinking age in U.S. should be lowered TO THE DAILY: While I do feel bad that Engineering student Byung Soo Kim died, I must dis- agree with the notion that binge drinking is "everyone's problem," as the Daily's edito- rial "Enough is enough: Drinking is every- one's problem" (11/21/00) asserts. Binge drinking is the sole problem of those who undertake in it. The notion that "education" will somehow stop binge drinking is ludicrous. 1 find it difficult to believe that someone who has been walk- ing the earth for 21 years is unaware of the consequences of alcohol abuse. The Daily does have one good point: The drinking age of 21 needs to be elimi- nated. It is asinine to suppose that someone is responsible enough to drink on their birthday, but not the day before. How many people would choose to do 21 shots if alcohol hadn't been illegal for their entire lives until that day? Further- more, the allure of alcohol would disappear to underage kids if they were no longer underage. Until then, be responsible for yourself, and if you drink, do it in moderation. No more funerals, please. There's too much to live for. JASON BURR ENGINEERING JUNIOR Not reviewing new Backstreet Boys album was 'asinine' TO THE DAILY: 1 would like to voice my displeasure with the CDs the arts section chose to review this past Wednesday. Choosing not to review the Backstreet Boys' newest CD "Black and Blue" is not only unprofessional, but also an insult to pop music fans everywhere. Do the arts writers find anything odd about not reviewing a CD that is going to go platinum in one week? I know, I know, pop music is not the Daily's forte. They prefer bands who only play in basements and snack bars. Regardless, pop music is short for "popular" (imagine that) and to not review what will undoubtedly be the number one CD in the country for some time, well, that's just asinine. Are there millions of fans out there who Sprint PCS service 'almost worthless' TO THE DAILY: I was pleased to see the Daily's article on the front page regarding poor Sprint PCS ser- vice ("Lawsuit alleges poor service in A2 for students with Sprint PCS," 11/20/00). 1 signed up for service approximately 6 months ago - primarily as a means for my staff to contact me as I attend meetings, etc. around campus. The cell phone has been almost worthless in that capacity. Not only is the service extremely poor, but their customer support line is impos- sible to get through. AMY K. BROOKS OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT, ITD were waiting and waiting for the "Hot Caribbean Hits" CD to be released? Were they * lining up at record stores across the nation to get their own copy at midnight sharp? So why review a CD that will sell 1,000 copies in its first week when there is a superior one that will sell 1,000,000? ADAM WILSON ENGINEERING JUNIOR . . x DANE BARNES DISTURBED SLEEPJ crI (7 fREM 138 ter, f tates should retam the e By Thomas Kuiurgis Daily EditorialPageStaffer Many Americans have been calling for the abolition of the Electoral College. They argue that their vote does not really count or that not all votes are equal. They complain that a candidate can win the popular vote and yet lose the electoral vote. Certainly, oursystem can he nrd-l A unforn allnot and count- million would have little political signifi- cance more than the nine million-person population of Los Angeles. While a popular vote would aid third and fourth-party candidates, it is very likely that nobody would win a majority. The president would then have been elected by as little as one-third of the nation A second election to determine the winner with a majority vote run the entire nation. A coalition of extrem- ists spread across multiple states does not have enough clout to propel their leader into power. However, if all of their votes were counted together in a popular vote, they could succeed in an election where nobody wins a majority. We need only look back as far as 1930s Germany where, through a popular vote, the small Nazi Party gained control of