-.Z Am 0 14B - The Michigan Daily - Election Guide 2004 -- Thursday, October 28 uc THE LAST FOUR YEARS HAVE NOT BEEN EASY FOR THE COUNTRY. PRESIDENT BUSH HAS GIVEN THE DAILY'S OPINION Stem cells, directed to differentiate into specific cell types, offer the possi- bility of a renewable source of replace- ment cells and tissues to treat diseases including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis. Stem cells can also be used to test new drugs. In August 2001, Presi- dent Bush gave a speech in which he detailed his thoughts and plans regard- ing stem cell research. He stated that he would allow for continued research S [" i EDITORIAL BOARD PLENTY TO LAMENT ABOUT: THE ECONOMY'S IN SHAMBLES, THE SITUATION IN IRAQ IS WORSENING AND AFGHANISTAN HAS VANISHED FROM THE PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS. BUT THERE'S AN ELEC- badly. This results in the education standards in these schools falling even further. Overall, the NCLB does little to improve the education standards in schools that most need help. - Rajiv Prabhakar RECLAIMING REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS TION IN FIVE DAYS. AND IF WILL BE PACKING HIS BAGS HIS CRAWFOI DIGGING A MONEYLESS PIT I find it astounding that the same Republican Party that proposed a federal balanced budget amendment as part of its 'Contract with America in the mid '90s now strongly supports a president who is, by any objective standard, fiscally irre- sponsible. Our nation, which had a budget surplus four years ago, is now running the largest deficits in its history. It is true that a faltering economy and Sept. 11 may have wiped out the surplus under any president. These events, however, cannot explain three years of double-digit increases in discretionary spending under Bush. Noth- ing except the president's devotion to an extreme right-wing ideology can explain his obsession with tax cuts disproportion- ately benefiting the wealthy, including a tax cut while the nation was at war and running a deficit. One can truly say that our nation owes Bush a debt we might never be able to repay. - Christopher Zbrozek ABUSING THE SEPT. 11 MANDATE i C The Michigan Daily - Election G Two regents fight to retain seats Composition of board may affect U' stance on many policies c +A C L { l }2 on the 60 genetically diverse stem cell Beyond President Bush's proclivity THINGS GO WELL, BUSH lines that already existed at the time, to appoint justices against Roe v. Wade, so as to avoid "crossing a fundamen- he instituted many other violations of 3 AND HEADING BACK TO tal moral line, by providing taxpayer reproductive rights during his term that funding that would sanction or encour- cannot continue. RD RANCH. age destruction of human embryos Bush reinstated the Global Gag Rule, that have at least the potential for life." which prohibits countries receiving U.S. Presently, the president is not nearly as aid from providing abortion-related family ntelligent debate over how to win the war supportive, as he is attempting to pass planning or clinics. This wields economic on terror was lost. a law that would imprison and heavily power to deny services that virtually sen- - Mara Gay fine any researcher, doctor or patient tence women to death. According to the who uses a new medical procedure World Health Organization, 20 million THE IRAQI MISTAKE called somatic cell nuclear transfer to unsafe abortions occur annually, nearly treat a debilitating illness. H.R. 534, all in developing countries. the bill that the president supports, He also appointed Dr. David Despite overwhelming evidence that has already been passed by a mostly Hagar to the Food and Drug Admin- Saddam Hussein was not an impending Republican coalition in the U.S. House istration's reproductive health panel. threat to the American homeland, Presi- of Representatives and is now moving Hagar wrote a book suggesting dn ues sabrawar has placed the United through the Senate. While stem cell women's menstrual pains should be. an unnecessary wraspaethUnedresearch certainly becomes complicat- alleviated through reading the Bible. States. In greater danger and has caused ed by the great deal of moral issues it This is the man who has control of a loss of respect and influence throughout encompasses, if its fund- the decision to allow access the world. The war has been plagued with ing is lessened and its to the morning-after pill. miscues from the Bush administra- growth is restricted, Bush's policies tion that have cost thousands of the medical com- indicate a belief American lives. Torture and munity will that women be forced can- to -co pW abuse at Abu Ghraib represents the fleet- ing ethics of the administration. Insuf- fi i b f fU4 t nd th not make decisions regarding their bodies and places greater emphasis on religion than modern medicine. -Sara Eber CONSTITUTIONAL DISCRIMINATION In a shameful election tactic and personal attack on the gay commu- nity, President Bush endorsed a con- stitutional ban on gay marriage. Not since the days of the Jim Crow seg- regation laws has this country faced the prospect of discrimination being written into the Constitution. Now, after years of progress, President Bush wants to deny personal free- dom to consenting adult American citizens. In this progressive era of open- ness and acceptance, the president has opted to isolate homosexuals. Bush must be voted out of office, or this discriminatory amendment could proceed. Voters must not for- get that every single American is entitled by law to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" - and this basic right is at risk under the Bush administration. -Whitney Dibo A DISREGARD FOR SCIENCE President Bush's overall policy on science has been a disaster. By politicizing findings that the administration finds distasteful it is hampering our country's ability to make informed policy decisions. Nobel laureates of various political persuasions have spoken out against the administrations' attempts to institutionally direct the flow of informa- K tion that Olivia Maynard Incumbent, Democrat, Ann Arbor 'U' degrees: Graduated with a master's in social work in 1971. Experience: Elected to the Board of Regents in 1996. Current president of Planned Parenthood in Michigan; former chair of the state Democratic party. Platform/Issues: -Wants to create a new tuition model to make the University more accessible to lower-income families. -Supports the current admissions policy, but is open to minor changes. -Favors the capital campaign, Life Sciences Institute and improvements to residence halls. "I think that (lobbying in Lansing) has to be done in a cooperative manner, not an adversarial manner." S. Martin Taylor Incumbent, Democrat, Grosse Pointe Farms Experience: Tayr Elected to the Board of Regents in 1996. Currently works as an executive vice president of DTE Energy Co. Former director of the state Department of Labor. Platform/Issues: -Supports the current admissions policy. Says the University should focus on minority outreach to increase minority applications. -Wants to keep tuition as low as possible and make the University accessible to people of all income levels. -Regents should lobby the governor and state Legislature to reverse the attitude that the University is fis- cally wasteful and can afford severe appropriations cuts. "We need to change the dialogue in the state. ... It almost now seems as though in Lansing, higher education is sort of the bad guy." Patrick Anderson Republican, East Lansing maynara 'U' degrees: Graduated with a political science Anderson degree in 1981, master's of public policy in 1983. Experience: Founder of consult- ing firm Anderson Economic Group LCC. Served as deputy budget direc- tor for the state of Michigan under former Gov. John Engler and chief of staff for former Secretary of State Candice Miller. Platform/Issues: -Regents should be more aggres- sive in publicly challenging the governor and state Legislature on budget appropriations. -Regents should put the admis- sions policy to a public vote. The current regents made a mistake in not putting the race-conscious LSA point system to a vote, allowing the University to spend millions defend- ing it in court. Incumbents say the board had a public vote. -Wants to work with the faculty to create a more rigorous undergradu- ate core curriculum. "The regents should be more active and should be less beholden to the governor and the legislature." Carl Meyers Republican, Dearborn U 'U' degrees: Graduated from Dearborn campus Meyers with a business administration degree in 1979. Experience: Senior vice president of investments at Raymond James and Associates. Has worked on fundraising campaigns for the Uni- versity. " Platform/Issues: -Rework current admissions policy. Meyers says the application is too difficult to fill out, especially for lower-income students, whose par- ents might not be as educated as those of other students. -Believes regents should lobby the governor and state legislature more aggressively. -University should cut waste and be more disciplined with spending. "This new admissions policy is a debacle. ... The document needs to be streamlined; it needs to be user-friendly." Nathaniel N Damren Green, Ann Arbor o 'U' degrees: Currently a senior in LSA, majoring in Damren history and French. Experience: Works as a dish- washer in the Alice Lloyd cafeteria. Co-chair of the Huron Valley Green Party. Platform/Issues: -Favors increasing in-state tuition to the level of out-of-state tuitior in order to increase grants for lower- income students. -Wants to establish the position of stu- dent regent on the Board of Regents, following the example of the University of Iowa, except elected by University students instead of appointed. -Supports organizing rights for lectur- ers and graduate students; wants to mandate equal pay for faculty at the Dearborn and Flint campuses. Quote: "I would love for the attitude to change in Lansing. ... However, I think we need to entertain the notion that things might not change." U 'U' degrees: Hudler Graduated with a bachelor of sci- ence degree in 1979. Experience: Works as a clinical laboratory scientist at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. Founded, and now advises, U-M College Libertarians. Platform/Issues: -Wants to privatize the University. -Seeks to end affirmative action and other forms of race-conscious admissions. -Would pursue partnerships with cor- porations for funding. "If we say we're the Harvard of the Midwest - if we really want to be that - the University should be privatized." Joe .v Sanger U.S. Taxpayers, Lansing U 'U' degrees: Graduated with a degree in econom- Sanger ics in 1958 and an MBA in 1966. James Lewis Hudler Libertarian, Chelsea - A good leader does not exploit his nation in its most vulnerable moments to advance his political agenda. Even more tragic than the events of Sept.f 11i is the way President Bush capital- Hclent num ers or .. troops anu 11 i theway resdentBushcapial-decision t ibn h rq ryf ized on the rare atmosphere of national to disband the Iraqi army fc unity and bipartisanship. lowing the invasion left a severe shorta The Bush presidency is not compli- of manpower to seal the border, allowin cate. Wth olo-coed trro alrtsandhundreds of terrorists to flood the countr catedl. With color-coded terror alerts andadogazeaeastngisgey. the language of the "enemy combatant," and organize a devastating insurgency. ,the administration created an environ- anything, the war with Iraq has hurt th ment ripe for the loss of civil rights and broader war on terrorism. civil liberties. Fear is used to manipulate ohen mbecsmeciarent that wea the American public into adopting some ons of mass destruction were not to of the most conservative and radical ideol- found, Bush flip flopped by sudden ogy this nation has ever seen. claiming that the war was fought to lit erate the people of Iraq. Bush has prove The president's war on terrorism is inept in running the post-war effort, a one based on principles, not facts - on worse, he is too stubborn to accept h resolve, not results. Osama bin Laden has mistakes and plot a new course. Ne not been brought to justice, no weapons leadership is needed to win the pea of mass destruction have been found and er nd to repair America's standi the administration has never established a with the world community. credible link between Iraq and Sept. 11. w -- Brian Sla In our righteous fervor, we have alienated our allies and caused the recruitment of more terrorists. THE NECESSITY OF The president has succeeded in SE EL acquainting support for the war in Iraq STEM CELLS with patriotism. Citizens who disagree with the president are no longer exercising Stem cell research has allowe their constitutional right to dissent but are a multitude of breakthroughs ai "ungatriotic." The opportunity to hold an }advancements in the field of medicin ne .ge ng Ty If he lp- be ly ,en nd is w ce ng ide fC ....%. [.r[I r I take a resounding step backwards. More importantly, the implications of this will be greatly expanded, as the restrictions will hinder the medical help that is currently available to patients in need. - Katherine Cantor FAILING MARKS IN EDUCATION POLICY The President's main plan, to improve the education' system, the No Child Left Behind Act, is greatly flawed both in principle and in prac- tice. NCLB proposes to hold schools account- able for not performing adequately, but fails to pro- vide any resources to improve the standard of education in these "failing" schools. In fact, it cuts funding from schools that perform gets C Experience: Self-employed accoun- tant. Treasurer of state U.S. Taxpay- ers Party and Pro-Life Michigan. Platform/Issues: -Wants to replace the University pres- ident and end affirmative action. -Would eliminate tenure, prohibit teaching by graduate students and require full-time professors to teach 30 hours per week. -Proposes to eliminate multicultur- alism. "I will sell the University of Michigan to the highest bidder.'" 1 ELECT STANOWSKI, the Prosecutor with Knowledge, Experience and Maturity: reviewed and released. One wonders how far the Strauss- ian strain of neoconservatism has seeped into the administration when they try to clamp down on scientific data and ask litmus test questions to advisory panel nominees. Unfet- tered scientific data is more important than ever in mak- ing the hard decisions relating to energy, the environment, and glo- balization. I ,ed and ne. Paid for by John W. Stanowski for Prosecutor Committee, 9449 Moon Road, Saline, MI 48176 with regulated funds.