fter leaving the 'U,' they became notorious
The Statement
e fiidigan Dail

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

michigandaily:com

STATE PRIMARY FIGHT
. 5Dems
wantoff
of state
ballot
Their student
supporters plan to
keep campaigning
By SCOTT MILLS
Daily StaffReporter
Democratic presidential can-
didates Barack Obama, John
Edwards and Bill Richardson
announced yesterday that they
had filed paperwork to remove
their names from the Michigan
primary ballot, but their student
supporters said they plan to press
on with their plans to win student
votes.
Joe Biden and Dennis Kucinich,
two other Democratic candidate
said in a statement that he would
skip the primary.
New York Sen. Hillary Clin-
ton's campaign said she'll stay on
the ballot, but won't campaign in
Michigan, as the other candidates
have also'pledged.
The Democratic National Com-
mittee asked the candidates to
withdraw from Michigan's prima-
ry after the state legislature moved
it Jan. 15. Democratic Party rules
prohibit states other than Iowa,
New Hampshire, South Carolina
and Nevada from holding their
nominating gonests before Feb5.
"We still hope that Michigan
Democrats can adopt a process
that meets DNC rules and, if so,
look forward to fighting for the
votes of men and women across
' the state," Obama spokesman Bill
Burton said.
University of Michigan student
groups supporting the candidates
saw their causes lose immedia-
cy when' the withdrawals were
announced yesterday, but some
see it as only a minor stumbling
block.
"Obviously we're disappointed,
but we're gonfident that a solu-
tion can still be reached," said LSA
junior Travis Radina, co-chair of
Students for John Edwards for
See PRIMARY, Page 7A

THE RACE FOR THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION
In Dearborn,
GOP hopefuls
talk taxes, trade

Romney calls state's
economic problems
'inexcusable'
By EMILY BARTON
Daily StaffReporter
DEARBORN - Standing in a
building named for Ford, the great
symbol of the state and country's
economic past, the Republican
candidates for president yester-
day debated the nation's economic
future.
The debate.- which was at the
city of Dearborn's Ford Community
and Performing Center, about three
miles from the University of Mich-
igan's Dearborn campus -centered
on fiscal issues like trade, taxes,
social security and health care.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt
Romney, a Bloomfield Hills native,
addressed Michigan's struggling
economy.
"It's inexcusable that Michigan
is undergoing a one-state reces-
sion," he said.
He slammed the income tax hike
passed by the Michigan legislature
last week, singling out one of its,
most visible proponents, qov. Jen-
nifer Granholm.
"I was afraid she was going to

Throughout the debate, the
candidates sought to show how
devoted they are to lowering taxes
nationwide.
"We're taxed to the max," said
Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback.
They also took on federal entitle-
ment programs.
Tom Tancredo, a congressman
from Colorado, said the only way
to reduce federal spending is to
restructure social security and
health care programs. He said indi-
viduals should be able to save for
their own retirement.
Former Tennessee Sen. Fred
Thompson, speaking in his first
GOP debate since he officially
joined the race last month, said
it's important to adjust retirement
benefits to account for inflation.
The candidates spent a signifi-
cant amount of time bashing New
York Sen. Hillary Clinton's health
care plan. Clinton is leading the
Democratic primary field in most
polls.
. Romney said market forces, not
government programs, would help
provide health care for more Amer-
icans.
Nabila Khan, a Dearborn senior,
watched the debate from the Dear-
born campus's University Center.
She said she was glad thercandidates
came to Michigan to talk about fix-

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul called for drastic reductions in government spending in a speech on the Diag
yesterday.
ie r

Candidate calls for
income tax repeal,
limited gov't
ByALESE BAGDOL
and DAVE MEKELBURG
Daily StafflReporters
You might have thought you
were at a normal campaign rally
if you stopped by the Diag to
watch Republican presidential
candidate Ron Paul speak last
night.
Then someone in the crowd lit
a few dollar bills on fire and held
them aloft.
Paul, a Republican congress-
man from Texas, called for lim-
ited government, a repeal of the
income tax and strict, literal

adherence to the Constitution in
his 40-minute speech.
The burning of the dollar bills
came as Paul called for a return
to the gold standard for backing
printed currency.
In his speech, Paul lamented
the direction of national poli-
tics. He advocated a return to the
Constitution and a curtailing of
government power.
"I'm running on things I don't
want to do," Paul said. "I don't
want to run your lives and the
Constitution doesn't permit me
to run your lives."
Paul supports abolishing the
federal. Department of Educa-
tion, which runs the Pell Grant
program.
Earlier this year, though, Paul
proposed a bill that would give
tax deductions for higher educa-

put a tax on the debate before it was ing the state's economy.
done," he said. See DEBATE, Page 7A

tion.
Part of Paul's other plans
would also affect higher educa-
tion. Although Paul did not say so
last night, he opposes affirmative
action.
"It IIli flI
"t MORE ONLINE
should
truly be a BLOGS
colorblind Overheard
society," at the rally
he said. (michigan-
A large daily com/
share of
the gov-
ernment's power comes from
its tight grip on people's money,
which is why there needs to be
cuts in federal spending, Paul
said.
He acknowledged Michigan's
financial crisis and pledged to
See PAUL, Page 7A

University of Michigan at Dearborn students gathered in the University Center
there to watch the GOP debate held yesterday in Dearborn.

FIGHTING AVIAN FLU

THE SALE OF M-CARE

* Studies seek to slow flu spread Employee health care costs to rise

Likelihood of
pandemic increasing,
researchers say
By ARIKIA MILLIKAN
Daily StafflReporter
Avian flu has been off the media
radar lately, but experts say the
likelihood is increasing that an
influenza virus capable of spread-
ing across a whole continent will
emerge soon in the United States.
University researchers are
working on two studies of ways
to limit the spread of such a pan-
demic.
"Many experts agree we're get-
ting closer to a pandemic than
ever before," said Allison Aiello,
an assistant professor of epidemi-
ology. "But to be able to forecast
and predict when it will happen is
impossible."
In addition to developing plans
to protect University students,
faculty and staff in the case of
an outbreak, Epidemiology Prof.

Arnold Monto is heading up a new
study that aims to protect Ameri-
cans from deadly flu viruses.
The FLU-VACS study, which
started October 3, will explore the
pharmaceutical aspects of influ-
enza virus prevention by giving
participants a vaccine injection, a
nose-spray vaccine or a placebo.
Monto said the vaccines being
used aren't new, but testing their
efficacy in a real world setting
would allow researchers to under-
stand why the vaccines work
for some and not for others. The
study could provide more insight
regarding how to create vaccines
that protect against more harmful
strains of flu.
Although the seasonal influen-
za kills about 36,000 Americans
a year - as compared to a total of
300 avian flu deaths worldwide
since 1997 - Monto said the sea-
sonal influenza isn't normally
viewed as a threat by the general
public.
"Nobody really cared about it
until now because of the threat of
avian flu," Monto said.

And although pharmaceuti-
cals are a valuable tool in fighting
influenza, researchers agree that
they alone would not be enough.
Aiello said that if an extremely
lethal, contagious form of the flu
did hit the United States, vaccina-
tions and antiviral medications
would not be available in the mag-
nitude needed.
In the M-FLU study, which
started last year, University
researchers are testing flu-stop-
ping methods that aren't based
on the use of pharmaceuticals,
like wearing facemasks and using
anti-bacterial hand sanitizer.
Aiello, a principal investigator
in the M-FLU study along with
Monto, said simple procedures
like these could be the real lifesav-
ers in the case of a pandemic.
M-FLU researchers are round-
ing up a new batch of participants
from Bursley Hall, Couzens Hall,
Alice Lloyd Hall, Betsey Barbour
House, Helen Newberry House,
East Quadrangle and Stockwell
Hall to participate in the second
See FLU, Page 7A

Administrators say plans, including 60,000 University
employees, graduate students and
higher premiums due retirees, as well as their depen-
dents.
tor c not As a result of the sale, the three
sale of M-CARE M-CARE insurance plans will
be consolidated into a single plan
called Premier Care, meaning the
By GABE NELSON roughly 26,500 employees with
Daily News Editor contracts for these three pro-
grams will have to decide by Oct.
When the sale of the University's 19 whether the new plan is best for
health care program takes effect on them. Monday marked the start
Jan. 1, many University employees of open enrollment, a two-week
will have to pay more for health period during which employees
insurance. can select their insurance plan for
University employees, retirees 2008.
and their dependents who used Employees don't have to enroll
the program will pay between 18 in a Blue Cross plan. The University
and 30 percent more for compa- offers three other health care plans
rable health care. Costs for those through other companies.
graduate students who must pay for Employees who don't select a
insurance will go down. new plan will be enrolled in the
The University Board of Regents Premier Care plan by default.
approved the sale of M-CARE last For most of them, that won't be a
fall to the non-profit Blue Care Net- problem. The Premier Care plan is
work of Michigan, a subsidiary of modeled after the M-CARE Health
Blue Cross Blue Shield. More than Maintenance Organization plan,
200,000 people currently subscribe which is the most popular of the
to M-CARE health insurance three options, University Benefits

INSURANCE COST
INCREASES
The sale of M-CARE, the University's
health care program, goes into effect
on Jan.1. When that happens, many
University employees will see higher
insurance costs.
Percent increase in cost from the M-CARE
Health Maintenence0rganization plans
offered this yearto the Blue Cross Blue
Shield Premier.Care plans replacing it in
Janoaty,
Percent increase in cost fromthis year's
M-CARE Preferred Provider Organization
plans to next year's Blue Cross Blue Shield
Manager Brian Vasher said.
But employees currently using
M-CARE's HMO, Preferred Pro-
See INSURANCE, Page 7A


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