4A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, March 14, 2005 OPINION ( E 1C FC1T FCC I JASON Z. PESICK Editor in Chief SUHAEL MOMIN SAM SINGER Editorial Page Editors ALISON Go Managing Editor EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com NOTABLE QUOTABLE After a while, you just stop caring and want it to be over." - Sheryl Nagy, a junior at Burbank High School in Burbank, California, comment- ing on the new version of the SAT exam, as reported yesterday by The Associated Press. :, . And in +Wls (e ' er OPI)n tovi, Ap, w F lyo cWer fl-ASj Cur SAM BUTLER TPE S7APBCX 1 r r ' f r r 91 There are cats in America. SUHAEL MOMIN No S.RRENDER fter a tragedy it rewards those who work hard and demonstrate its promise of providing an uncommon education destroys his merit at college, social status is a critical determi- to a common man? home, and with nant of whether someone even gets a chance to The wage gap between those who have college nothing left in his native attend college and compete. degrees and those who don't has widened signifi- Russia, young Fievel With the advent of the "new economy," a col- cantly within our lifetimes, and the growing pres- Mouskevitz - the cen- lege degree has become a prerequisite to suc- sures of a globalizing economy will only force tral character in the 1986 cess. Unfortunately, the education system has greater inequality. The increasing costs of col- movie "An American increasingly restricted itself to those who are lege, unfortunately, are making it harder for those auat Tail" moves with his fam- already privileged. A University study revealed who have not already attended college to either ily to America. Enamored that 55 percent of students attending come from themselves earn or enable their children to earn with an image of the United States, Fievel's families making over $100,000 a year, and 13 a degree. While well over 70 percent of students father hopes to build a better life for his family percent come from families that make over at America's best universities come from the top in the West - "There are no cats in America, $250,000. At private universities, the situation quarter of the socioeconomic ladder, merely 3 and the streets are paved with cheese!" is worse: median family income at Harvard is percent come from the bottom (The Economist). While most people haven't even heard of the around $150,000. That private universities are If the vast majority of those benefiting from high- film - which came out when many University bastions of wealth is nothing new and not of sig- er education are those who already sit at the top of students were barely out of diapers - everyone nificant concern. The growing inaccessibility of society, how much social mobility exists? is familiar with the underlying theme: America is public universities, however, has grave implica- The American meritocracy, which hinges on the fabled "land of opportunity." For generations, tions for the romantic notion of a merit-based, the belief that hard work can make dreams come people have flocked here for jobs, money and a opportunity-filled society. true, is becoming more aristocratic; destiny is better life. Unlike Europe, which was ruled by Tuition, which has been increasing at far faster not independent of birth. This goes beyond the a landed aristocracy for centuries, America has rate than inflation, bars many from pursing higher impact of legacy admissions, which account for always been the land of common-folk - the place education. In Michigan, a series of ill-conceived 10 to 15 percent of any given Ivy League graduat- where democracy was revived and everyone can tax cuts during the last decade have coupled with ing class. This boils down to a fundamental ques- climb the socioeconomic ladder. Even today, The a state constitutional amendment that requires tion of inherited privilege: were you born into an Economist reports that only a mere 32 percent of the public to approve income tax increases to cre- economic class that permits you to afford and Americans believe their destiny is controlled by ate an intractable structural budget deficit. Year attend college? social factors out of their control. after year, Gov. Jennifer Granholm has moved Fievel's father has his preconceived notions On one hand, America's top jobs are given to balance the budget by slashing spending for of America discredited almost immediately away in a far more merit-based manner than ever higher education - despite a commission report after arriving: we have cats, and our streets before. That college students must continually indicating that education must be at the core of are paved with stone. At what point will we, struggle to find internships, get the right grades any plan to revive Michigan's ailing economy. as students lucky enough to attend one of the and create a well-rounded resume indicates In response to sustained cuts, the University has top universities in the world, recognize that our credentials - not connections - are the main reacted predictably - with tuition hikes. If com- homegrown notion - that America is the land influence in hiring decisions. On the other hand, pared to the private institutions with which the of unfettered meritocracy and opportunity for getting to college isn't based solely on hard work University aims to compete, the cost of attending all - is equally irrational? - socioeconomic class prevents many Ameri- the University is still remarkably low. But when cans from enrolling in a university. While Amer- an in-state student must spend around $10,000 a Momin can be reached ica may be meritocratic and competitive in that year just on tuition and books, does it still fulfill at smomin@mich.edu LETTER TO THE EDITOR PIRGIM chapter would Varner herself conceded that, given this already prolonged process. The time has stipulation, a PIRGIM chapter would in no come for the red tape to be cut and for PIR- not endanger MSAs way endanger MSA's tax-exempt status. I GIM to start working for me and my fellow tax-exempt status would appreciate it if she stated this pub- students. licly instead of representing the issue as a Matthew Hollerba'ch To THE DAILY: continuing problem. I asdiapontd ose AsitntUnve- I also take issue with Varner's belief that The letter writer is an LSA senior and I was disappointed to see Assistant Univer- Ia tmember of the Michigan Student Assembly. sity General Counsel Donica Varner's mis- It would be much wiser if they did some- leading comments about the Public Interest thing like fund a training retreat." This Research Group In Michigan issue printed statement is no more than Varner's per- in last Friday's Daily (Interest Group funding sonal opinion, yet she included it in a legal issue still in deliberation, 03/12/2005). She memo to MSA. Varner of course has every claims to be concerned about tax status right to hold this opinion and to share it JOIN THE DALY issues with the pending Michigan Student with whomever she pleases, but to place it isses wihtem ' e ing Mifhgan Studenit in the context of legal advice is inappropri- EDITORIAL BOARD. Assembly'resolution to fund a PIRGIM pilot roi chapter, which she claims may potentially ate and an obvious abuse of her position as engage in lobbying activities. counsel to MSA. MENDAYS, THURDAY$ P However, and let me emphasize this Colleges all over the country with stu- ... point, Students for PIRGIM has been abun- dent governments that operate the same 420 MAYNARD ST. dantly clear that it will in no way attempt way MSA does fund PIRG chapters with no to "influence legislation" - the operative problems and, moreover, with incredibly definition of "lobbying" in the current dis- successful results for students. I sincerely OPIAION@MICHIGANDAILY.COM cussion. When meeting with MSA execu- hope that Varner's misleading comments tives and Students for PIRGIM last week, do not prevent a hasty resolution to this VIEWPOINT Getting in the middle of the Middle East 0 BY ARIK CHESHIN, ZIv RAGOWSKY AND STUART WAGNER There is hope for the Middle East - or at least we would like to think so. Being that we plan to live in the warm region and raise our kids with the values of peace and prosperity, we have a large vested interest in finding peace in the Middle East. There is a solution to the conflict. In fact, people on both sides have risked their lives for such a solution: a democratic Palestinian state and a democratic Jewish state. This solution will be the end of the unnecessary violence, war and its consequential bloodshed. It is the only hope of bringing cooperation and peace to the troubled region. While there are some from both sides who believe that a "utopian" one-state solution is the way to-go, most dis- agree. Ghada Karmi, a Palestinian writer and academic, claims that most Palestinians living in the occupied territories would not want to live with Jews, people they believe anneoccm them Khalil SChiraiia rdistin.- tinian flag, a Palestinian symbol, history and heroes. This rich culture cannot be diluted by converging it with a dichotomous one. Many people believe today that a Jewish state cannot be a democratic one and thus should not exist. By basing their argument on the religious base of the Jewish state they fail to mention that there are many Arab and Muslim countries. Moreover, they fail to recognize that most of the.western world's countries were built on a Christian basis. The Jews, who have been persecuted since they went into the diaspora some 2,000 years ago, were butchered many times before the Holocaust. Sadly, only after the genocide of the 1940s would the world see the need of giving Jews a safe place, a place they could govern on their own. Today, Israel is a leading country in tech- nology, has more published academic articles per capita than any other country in the world and is a vibrant democracy with non-Jewish minorities. Furthermore, one of the oldest lan- auage in the world. the source of monothe- a huge step toward creating a Palestin- ian state. Also, the Israeli government and Supreme Court have passed new decisions to stop questionable practices in the territories, including a ruling against further Palestin- ian home demolitions. Meanwhile, the newly elected Palestinian government has acted to stop violent terror attacks on Israeli civil- ians, recently seizing arms from Palestinians in the West Bank for the first time in four years. Control of a number of cities has been moved from the Israeli Defense Force to the Palestinian Authority slowly, with this plan extending to other cities. There will be some bumps along the way and both sides will have to make painful concessions in order to make this work, but the two state solution is the best solution for all involved parties. We urge you to support the two-state solution, which we believe will lead toward a just peace. You should celebrate the recent achievements and help them move forward. Unfortunately, there are extremists on both sides who will try to stop us from 0 0 ' .ait'it j~lf i'~tin~.~ .tr~artiirp,1 i ~~f~rvF'~~ ..t .m.t 1nec l