4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 28, 2006
EMILY BEAM
DONN M. FRESARD CHRISTOP E O JEFFREY BLOOMER
Edior n Cief CHRISTOPHER ZBROZEK
Editor in Chief Editorial Page Editors Managing Editor
EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890
413 E. HURON
ANN ARBOR, MI 48104
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
OPINION
NOTABLE
QUOTABLE
JACK DOERIIING
1 l o >Jn
I
6
I
I think
they'll both lose
miserably"
-Pakistani President Perve; Mush-
arraf on The Daily Show Tuesday
night, responding to who would win
a popular vote in Pakistan between
President Bash and Osamna Bin Laden
The candidate from Amway
CHRISTOPHER ZBROZEK
7
t l
ti '
_, ,, -
.'
Crunch time for the Big Three
Today's fuel prices demand efficiency and innovation
The signs of the Big Three auto-
makers' failure to keep up with
rising oil prices and foreign com-
petition are increasingly apparent. Gen-
eral Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler
have all seen quarterly losses and are
cutting production. While auto CEOs
scramble to put together viable restruc-
turing plans, the University of Michigan
Transportation Research Institute pub-
lished some suggestions of its own last
week. The institute reported that the Big
Three needs new lines of fuel-efficient
vehicles, and quickly. The study claims
that if the automakers decide to uphold
the status quo, they will fall further into
debt and be forced to cut tens of thou-
sands more jobs. The Big Three have
been losing ground to foreign imports
for decades. They must wake up and act
now to save themselves.
The sales of trucks and sport-util-
ity vehicles that long drove GM, Ford
and Chrysler are slowing as consum-
ers choose smaller, more fuel-efficient
vehicles. Meanwhile, Toyota and Honda
have taken advantage of this trend and
currently produce the four top-selling
car models in the country - all getting
considerably better gas mileage than the
Big Three's best-selling monsters.
It is time for the Big Three to take
the lead in innovation, rather than try
to play catch-up with foreign carmak-
ers. Proactive solutions are the key
- if automakers in the United States
want to restore their lost market share,
they cannot simply update their cur-
rent lines. Using lighter materials, for
example, can make current vehicles
more fuel-efficient, but ultimately they
must make a more serious investment
in hybrid engines and other means of
decreasing fuel consumption in car
engines.
Concern for fuel efficiency is not just
a fad that the country will grow out of;
even though the price of gas has fallen
a bit recently, the nation isn't terribly
likely to see gas at $1 a gallon again.
New car designs typically take about
three years to make it from the draw-
ing board to the market, so automakers
must act now to provide their lines with
the update they need.
Ultimately, current U.S. fuel consump-
tion is not sustainable, and increasing
fuel efficiency or even building more
hybrids will only provide a temporary
solution. America's dependence on fos-
sil fuels must be traded in for alterna-
tives like fuel cells, and U.S. automakers
have the opportunity to lead the way.
Although manufacturers have invested
millions lobbying to keep fuel-efficiency
standards low - enabling them to con-
tinue building inefficient cars - doing
so only exacerbates the Big Three's sit-
uation. It is high time that these com-
panies use their clout to push for more
federal research grants to move away
from petroleum dependence.
Producing more fuel-efficient vehi-
cles is only a first step down a long road
toward cutting energy consumption and
helping to free the United States from
dependence on foreign oil. But if the
Big Three look beyond surviving the
decade and show a concerted effort to
develop technologies in the long term,
then they can ensure themselves a
promising future.
"I am will-
ing to betyou,
you will never
have a better
K opportunity
presented to
you than what
this business
offers. I will
gua rani tee
that. This is
the best opportunity that's going to
come across in your lfetime."
- Republican gubernatorial can-
didate and former Amway presi-
dent Dick DeVos, speaking to an
Amway group in 1998.
"I've heard rumors that Amway
is a cult. Is this true?"
- The FAQ section on www.
amway.com.
Michigan's economy is a
mess, and Dick DeVos
wants you to believe he's
the guy to fix it. Sure, he might not
have any real experience in govern-
ment, but what does that matter?
DeVos, after all, is a Successful
Businessman; he must have what it
takes to lead the state.
Michigan Democrats don't really
know how to combat that claim, so
they've focused on attacking DeVos
for investing in China while cutting
jobs in Michigan. DeVos might be
able to defend his record on China
as the sort of necessary actions any
businessman would take in a com-
petitive global economy. But where
DeVos is far weaker - where he's
morally indefensible, in my mind
- is in the specific variety of busi-
ness he was involved in spreading
across the globe.
The DeVos family fortune, for
those unaware, comes from the
Amway corporation. Amway is
what's known asa multilevel market-
ing company - its affiliates sell the
company's products and try to recruit
others to start selling the products as
well, enticed by the promise of a cut
of their recruits' profits.
Though the organization bears
a striking resemblance to certain
monuments in Egypt, I won't say
that Amway or Alticor, its par-
ent company, profit by exploiting
an illegal pyramid scheme. That
would be factually inaccurate:
After investigating Amway for
years, the Federal Trade Commis-
sion ruled in 1979 that the compa-
ny's business plan is technically
legal. Besides, I certainly wouldn't
want to slander the corporation in
any way - judging by the num-
ber of Amway critics who say the
company has tried to sue or sub-
poena them into silence, DeVos's
family firm doesn't take criticism
well. I'm a busy guy, and I've got
better things to do than deal with
Alticor's lawyers.
But read over that quote at the
beginning of this column again, and
then read these numbers: Of those
who sign on with Alticor,72 perceit
quit within one year. Only 4 percent
will remain after five years.
Either a lot of people are turning
their backs on the best opportunity
of their lifetimes, or something's
fishy at the DeVos family business.
The fact is that firms like Atmway
do a great job funneling wealth
to those at the top of the pyram- I
mean, heap. Indeed, many of the
most successful participants make
more money hawking promotional
books and audio recordings to
instruct those just starting out than
they do selling Amway's suppos-
edly discounted products.
The overwhelming majority
of people who get wrapped up in
this scam, though, lose money.
The company doesn't even deny it;
when a Detroit News reporter asked
current Alticor chairman Steve Van
Andel whether most Alticor distrib-
utors lose money, he said everyone
who joins has different goals and
suggested, "Some come in just to
buy our products at a discount."
Maybe some people really do
join to buy products at a discount
- but read that quote from your
would-be governor yet again, and
you tell me why you think people
sign up. Though the FTC didn't rule
Amway's business model illegal in
1979, it did order the company to
stop making deceptive statements
about how much people were likely
to earn by becoming distributors.
Now the fine print informs prospec-
tive "independent business owners"
that they have a 1-in-500 shot at
making $47,000 a year.
What we have here is an organi-
zation that enriches a few by exploit-
ing the hopes (and the pocketbooks)
of all those new recruits who leave
before the end of their first year, or
soon after. It's legal, sure, but mor-
ally, I don't see how it's any differ-
ent from the kind of fraud that gets
you thrown in prison.
The man who wants to be our
next governor certainly has busi-
ness sense. He didn't think up this
scheme, but he did realize that the
company had an image problem
with the name "Amway." So he
retired that name here and in Can-
ada and rolled out a "new" Inter-
net business doing the.same thing
- it's called Quixtar - to update
the scam for the 21st century.
Meanwhile, Amway lives on out-
side North America and continues,
in more than 80 countries world-
wide, turning people's hopes into
the DeVos and Van Andel families'
wealth.
Maybe explaining how the
Republican candidate for governor
got his money is too complicated
for a 30-second TV spot, and that's
why we haven't heard much about
it. And certainly I wouldn't want
to incite class warfare by saying
DeVos's great wealth alone renders
him unfit to be governor. But when a
guy's wealth comes from a company
that has to fend off charges of being
a pyramid scheme and needs to reas-
sure potential victims that it's not a
cult - well, you've gotta wonder.
Zbrozek can be reached at
zbrozek@michigandaily.com.
VIEWPOINT
When will it end?
BY KHEIREDDINE BoUZID
"Did you hear about Life?"
"No, what happened at Life?"
"The FBI visited them."
This was the conversation between my moth-
er and me on Sept. 19. The news shocked me.
Life for Relief and Development had received
a visit from the Federal Bureau of Investiga-
tion. Life, where many of my childhood friends
work (who, by the way, are all born and raised
American citizens). Life, which sponsors thou-
sands of orphans in impoverished countries
worldwide. Life, which I'd witnessed respond-
ing to humanitarian crisis after humanitarian
crisis with unrivalled urgency, be it Hurricane
Katrina or the Indonesian crises. I was per-
plexed.
Life for Relief and Development is an Islamic
charity based right here in Michigan - South-
field, to be exact. It provides humanitarian aid
worldwide, helping during the aforementioned
disasters as well as leading projects through-
out Africa and poverty-ridden areas of Asia.
Its work ranges from medical care to well-
digging, from distributing food to providing
education. Though it is an Islamic organiza-
tion, its work is not limited to Muslims. Dur-
ing Hurricane Katrina, it ran numerous food
and clothing drives and other relief efforts.
Following this summer's horrendous events,
Life sent workers to Lebanon to aid victims
- both Muslim and Christian. Additionally, it
provided aid to those suffering in places hid-
den from international eyes, such as Darfur
and Southeast Asia.
Receiving a visit from the FBI is usually bad
news. When you're Muslim, it's even worse. I
have witnessed several Muslim philanthropists,
many from the Ann Arbor area, be deported; I
have seen humanitarian organizations like the
Holy Land Fund shut down. Generally, the jus-
tification for these actions is that the person
or association in question has "links to terror-
ism." However, proof is never presented, and
trials are never held. Recently, an executive of
Islamic Relief, another humanitarian organi-
zation, was released from prison after the gov-
ernment realized it was (once again) mistaken
and had unjustly detained the man. Despite
being Palestinian and Muslim, he actually did
not have links to terrorism - apparently a
shock to law enforcement.
Indeed, the sole "link" that is ever pres-
ent is with Islam. This link, however, does no
more than reveal the government's prejudice. I
don't see the FBI "randomly" investigating the
Red Cross, UNICEF or any other non-Islamic
relief organization. The government repeat-
edly, however, accuses any Islamic organiza-
tion of terrorist ties. Before this event, Life
had been one of the few spared from such an
inspection. In this case, the alleged offense is
that members of Life had links to Iraq in the
'90s despite U.S.-led sanctions. At that time,
however, a relief effort was absolutely neces-
sary, as more than half a million children died
of starvation and disease.
Christopher Hamilton, a former FBI agent,
told the Detroit Free Press that it is reasonable
to believe that Islamic terrorist organizations
do receive funding from organizations within
the United States. What an ironic statement.
The largest supplier of some of the United
States's biggest enemies is the U.S. government
itself. Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden and
the Taliban - all the targets of the war on ter-
ror - nonetheless received support from the
United States during the Reagan and Bush Sr.
administrations.
As a Muslim, I am quite fed up with the gov-
ernment's prejudiced treatment of Islam. While
nobody was arrested, the very fact that the FBI
would think to investigate a charity is offen-
sive to me, moreso because the justification for
doing so transcends any logic. The investiga-
tion is blatantly motivated by discrimination
thinly disguised as routine precaution. My sen-
timents echo throughout the Muslim commu-
nity; many average peaceful citizens are being
accused of crimes of which they are not guilty,
simply because of their ethnicity or religion.
The FBI is currently reviewing Life's records
after confiscating documents and several com-
puters. Enough is enough. It is high time for the
government to reconsider its treatment of my
people, and adhere more closely to the guide-
lines set by the Constitution and Declaration
of Independence, in which all people are equal
- even Muslims.
Bouzid is an LSA sophomore.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Send all letters to the editor to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.
U
Cartoon is deeply offensive to
naion's religious majority
TO THE DAILY:
As a Christian, I am completely offended by John
Oquist's cartoon published yesterday in the Daily
(Live on your feet, 09/27/2006). I am not offended by
his viewpoint; rather, I am offended by the way in
which he chose to relay his message to readers. He
took a part of the Bible that approximately two bil-
lion Christians in the world believe in and mocked it
by changing it to reflect his own personal belief on
the subject. I'm sure his message could have been
expressed in another manner without offending so
many people.
How can the Daily let something this insensitive be
published for thousands of readers? If, for example,
Oquist drew a cartoon about Islam and mocked an
event in the Quran and mocked it, I highly doubt that
the Daily would allow it to be published. Remember
the Muhammad cartoons published in the Danish
newspaper Jyllands-Posten that created such contro-
versy in the past year? However, since Oquist's car-
toon mocked the religion of the majority, it cannot be
deemed insensitive or offensive. Where is the public
outcry about this cartoon and the two billion people
it offended? The answer is that outcry won't happen
because we Christians are in the majority, and it's
nearly impossible to offend the majority in this politi-
cally correct world we live in.
Erik Larson
LSA senior
Marching band coverage as
faulty as 'Paul is Dead' theory
TO THE DAILY:
As a member of the Michigan Marching Band, I am
very distressed at the way that the staff, members and
most of all Iden Bagdachi were portrayed in the article
titled Major Issues (09/27/2006).
Throughout the article, readers were told of the injus-
tice done to Ben Iwrey by the band. However, the article
has an absurd slant in Iwrey's favor and doesn't main-
tain the least bit of objectivity on the subject. Every time
a problem the band had with Iwrey is mentioned, it is
immediately followed by Iwrey furiously denying any
wrongdoing.
I seriously doubt this is true. The idea that the band
simply "fires" people is false. I too came close to
being ejected from the band for reasons almost iden-
tical to those of Iwrey. Jamie Nix called me into his
office and explained that I was being disrespectful,
unprofessional, and using inappropriate language.
He warned that if I didn't change my behavior, I
would be expelled from the band. You know what I
did? I showed more respect, stopped swearing, and
acted classier to opposing fans, bands and teams. I
have not had a problem since.
Think of that: I was a freshman, brand new - the
band. It was midway through the season and I hadn't
even touched the field of the Big House. I was a nobody
in the band, and I got a warning and a second chance.
The idea that the band would simply "fire" a drummajor
two weeks before the start of band season is absurd.
And let's be honestabout something: Nix has the right
to throw a person out of the band if he thinks that per-
son will reflect poorly on the band or the University as a
whole. Doesn't the student body prefer a marching band
that is classy and professional? I should hope so! Our
professionalism and class is what makes the band great.
And much of the our success is due to the excellent lead-
ership'of Nix.
Iden Bagdachi deserves an apology from Gabe
Nelson and the editors of the Daily. While Iwrey
is treated as a tragic hero, Bagdachi is treated as a
two-bit replacement not worthy of being drum major.
In the pictures on the front page of the Daily, Iwrey
is noticeably lower to the ground in his back bend.
Intentional or not, this certainly implies a lack of
skill on the part of Bagdachi.
Frankly,Bagdachi has been a fantastic leaderand I've
found the past weeks under his leadership inspiring. On
several occasions I've seen him working on his twirling
and back bends for nearly an hour after the all the other
members of the band have gone home. He has worked
far too hard for the Daily to run an article with implica-
tions like these.
Shame on you, Gabe Nelson, for writing such a biased
article - and shame on the editors for running it. The
Daily has never been trustworthy (anybody heard of the
"Paul is Dead" theory? The Daily proposed it), but still,
I never expected even the Daily to stoop to such lows as
that article.
Jeffrey Burke
LSA sophomore
Diag preacher is just relating
Bible content
TO THE DAILY:
I'm surprised about the reaction the Diag preacher
Michael Venyah has been getting (Anti-gay speakers
ignite volatile crowd on Diag, 09/26/2006). The con-
demnation of homosexuals is made clear in various
books of the Bible, like Leviticus and Corinthians,
and also in many of the mythologies like Sodom and
Gomorra. Why the fuss when people talk about the
darker aspects of the most popular religion in this
country? Don't Christians consider the Bible to be
the word of God?
Jose Mainardi
LSA junior
6
I
I
ERIN RUSSELL ,.'
WHAT 00 YOU,,IAN oreHnor OrN$ MH NNY.Zi T
CAN T G e WAWMAMURA$ TIMC-OUr CH AW
OU$IO- Of' HCr EOX c
_. ONOUTC
4 1
0