4A - Monday, November 3, 2008

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

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ANDREW GROSSMAN
EDITOR IN CHIEF

GARY GRACA
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR

GABE NELSON
MANAGING EDITOR

Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles
and illustrations represent solely the views ofttheir authors.
Worth a holiday
National Election Day holiday would promote participation
didn't have time." Everybody has used this excuse before, and
many people have used it for one thing in particular - voting.
"I didn't have time" is the single most cited reason for avoiding
the voting booths on Election Day. And it's obvious why - finding
time to vote in between work, school and errands on a Tuesday in
November can seem tough (although it should never be an excuse).
A national holiday on Election Day could help change this. But until
then, it's still everyone's responsibility to vote tomorrow.

I just love killing those animals. Mmm, mmm,
take away life, that is so fun."
- Montreal comedian Marc-Antoine Audette, posing as French president Nicolas Sarkozy during a prank
phone call with Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
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The United States has a voter turnout
problem. In the 2004 presidential election,
just more than 55 percent of the voting-age
population actually voted. Those turnout
percentages are even worse among low-
income Americans and students. Probably
most embarrassing of all, the United States
has one of the lowest voter participation
rates among developed democracies.
Recognizing that people's lives are busy
is one of the reasons why some states have
already begun to enact "Time Off to vote",
laws. Seven states mandate time off for
employees to vote, and 22 others take the
extra step of guaranteeing that employees
receive paid time off. But the rest of the
states - Michigan included - have no laws
to protect employees who need to leave work
to vote. voters who work multiple shifts or
have class all day are provided little leeway
in the strict 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. block of time set
up at polling stations.
So it should come as no surprise that the
demographics with the lowest voter turn-
out are low-income and young voters. These
groups don't want to skip class or work, even
if it means neglecting their civic duty.
Among other election reform, a national
election holiday would solve this dilemma
by removing the barriers that keep some

people away from the booths. It would also
encourage more people to volunteer at poll-
ing stations so they run more smoothly.
Lastly, national holiday status would raise
awareness of the importance of voting as an
American responsibility, sending the mes-
sage that voting is a necessary act rather
than an optional task competing for time in
a busy weekday schedule.
All that said, regardless of whether Elec-
tion Day is a national holiday, everyone still
has an obligation to vote tomorrow. And, yes,
that is still an obligation even when there is
bad weather, long lines at the polls and other
things going on. It's even an obligation when
you don't think your vote will matter. In
other words, there are no good excuses for
not voting tomorrow.
Employers and professors also have an
obligation to make voting as easy and con-
venient as possible. Expecting poor class
attendance as some in-state students travel
home to vote and others volunteer in get-
out-the vote efforts, professors should be
lenient about absence for just this one day.
They should also tailor their lesson plans to
accommodate those who are gone.
Even though it's not an official holiday
tomorrow, get out and vote. Then celebrate
like it's a holiday.

My McCotter mistake

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Nina Amilineni, Emad Ansari, Elise Baun, Harun Buljina, Ben Caleca, Satyajeet Deshmukh,
Brian Flaherty, Matthew Green, Emmarie Huetteman, Emma Jeszke, Shannon Kellman,
Edward McPhee, Emily Michels, Kate Peabody, Matthew Shutler, Robert Soave, Eileen Stahl,
Jennifer Sussex, Imran Syed, Radhika Upadhyaya, Rachel Van Gilder, Margaret Young
REBECCA EGLER AND HANNAH LIEBERMAN|IEWPr TTI
Fulfilling your responsibility

'd like to tell you about a time
six years ago when a stranger
knocked on my door - an inci-
dent that taught me
a crucial lesson to
remember for this
election.
Even before the
2002 midterm elec-
tions, I was already
tuned in to the 2004
presidential elec-
tion. From the day IMRAN
Howard Dean first
announced his can- SYED
didacy for president _
in the summer of
2002 tothe re-election of George Bush
more than two years later, I excitedly
followed every step of the campaign.
However, looking back to the summer
of 2002, I'm reminded of another cam-
paign upon which my time and energy
would have been better spent.
It's impossible to know the exact
day, but I remember it was late after-
noon. I was frustrated by the knock
on the door; it interrupted whatever it
was I was doing. I recognized the man
at the door - he was a stranger, but I
had seen him on TV. He was one of the
candidates running for the congres-
sional seat in Michigan's 11th district
- a new, Republican-friendly district
carvedoutbystate lawmakers -which
included my hometown of Canton.
David Hagerty smiled and told me
he was running for Congress. Before
he could say more, I accepted his flyer,
mumbled something about giving it to
my parents and slammed the door. The
flyer went straight into the garbage.
Over the next two years, I obsessed
over the campaigns of all the Demo-
crats vying for the presidential nomi-
nation. Little did I know that I had
already ignored the one race that I
actually had the power to influence..
In the 2002 general election,
Thaddeus McCotter was elected to

Congress from my district. He beat
Hagerty in the Republican primary
before trouncing Democrat Kevin Kel-
ley in November. Several years later, I
realized what a tragedy that was.
McCotter is easily the most embar-
rassing thing to ever come out of my
home district. Once called a "maver-
ick conservative," by 2006, McCotter
couldn't even be credited with having
enough brain cells to string together a
political philosophy. He was the worst
of the Republican Party - a blind,
aggressive supporter of Bush's disas-
trous policies and a player in three of
the biggest congressional scandals of
our time (those involving Tom Delay,
Bob Ney and Duke Cunningham).
By this election cycle, McCotter
has become more noxious than ever.
This summer he took a few minutes on
the House floor to sarcastically mock
Democrats in a little presentation
called "Speaking Democrat" (feel free
to pull it up onYouTube). In it, McCot-
ter delivered with astounding passive
aggressiveness the most venomously
partisan tirade I've ever heard (claim-
ing when Democrats say "change,"
they mean "the 1970s"; when they
say "diplomacy," they mean "magic";
"green collar jobs" means "unemploy-
ment"; etc.).
Though McCotter no longer has
the decency to feel even a twinge of
embarrassment for wasting time and
effort on mindless, divisive partisan
attacks, any Michigander who watches
that charade will feel enough embar-
rassment for all 10 million of us. How
can Thad be so recklessly partisan and
idiotic? He must know what political
scientists have always known: It'svery
hard for congressional incumbents to
be defeated.
I know all about that. A friend and
I volunteered for McCotter's oppo-
nent in 2004. Though the race ended
up closer than 2002, McCotter was
re-elected. Then in 2006, 0 wrote a

column about my hopes for his defeat.
With a Democratic tidal wave in order,
some safe Republican seats would have
to fall, andMcCotter's could have been
among them. The election was closer
than 2004, but still not close.
And now in 2008, with University
alum Joe Larkin challenging Thad,
I can once again lay out the ways in
which McCotter may lose. I can say
that the excitement around Barack
Obama will be intense enough to gar-
ner many straight-ticket votes, which
will sweep McCotter away. That could
happen, but it's a longshot.
How I helped elect
America's worst
representative.
And so I return to David Hagerty
and 2002. That was when the evil of
Thaddeus McCotter needed to be
fought, because that was the only
election in which he was vulnerable.
Hagerty was a Republican too, and
maybe I would have disliked his plat-
form. But in all likelihood, he was
the only electable alternative to the
McCotter Menace in my conservative
district. What a shame that I never
gave him a chance.
And that's a mistake no one should
repeat. As excited as you might be for
Obama or John McCain, please put
some thought into your local races -
the ones that can be turned by just a
handful of votes.
Believe me,you don't want a McCot-
ter on your conscience.
Imran Syed was the Daily's
editorial page editor in 2007. He can
be reached at galad@umich.edu.

0

I
I

It's often easier to understand the breadth
of your privileges when it seems like they're in
jeopardy. So imagine for a second that you aren't
registered to vote. Sure, at this exact minute, it
may not seem like this matters that much - it's
not going to change what your Psych 111 read-
ing is or how many words you have left in that
essay. And maybe you, as one single individual,
won't sway Tuesday's results.
But that view is narrow and misguided.
Everyone has an issue, candidate or a general
question, and now there is a chance to use the
.voting booth as a forum to express your opin-
ion. On Nov. 4, we have the chance to directly
engage in the democratic process, to imme-
diately make it known how we feel about our
government and to take ownership over our
political atmosphere. Alexander Hamiltononce
said that "the first duty of society is justice" -
this is the time to take control of our communi-
ties and shape them into what we want to see.
That message should especially resonate
here at the University. This place has a long-
standing tradition of civic engagement. In 1960,
Students for a Democratic Society, the face
of the New Left, held its first meeting in Ann
Arbor. Comprise partly of University of Michi-
gan students, the group spearheaded a student
movement for the rest of the United States. It
is impossible to deny that we can have a direct
effect on the course of history if we want. Now
is the time to live up to our activist reputation
- no matter which box you check on that bal-
lot, your decision will impact the nation.
There is a growing sense on campus of this
importance. What has been so inspirational
about this election season is not simply the'

excitement we've witnessed among our genera-
tion, but also the vast amount of knowledge we
all share when it comes to every single aspect
of our nation's status. Whether you're a Demo-
crat, Republican or perhaps taking the road
less traveled, the moment anyone whispers
"Obama," "McCain" or anything even margin-
ally related to politics, all other conversation
lulls, eyes widen and ears perk up.
This is our election, and we must take
responsibility for a large portion of the excite-
ment. Your point of view is legitimate and
important, and by virtue of the grace that we
happen to live in a government founded upon
a document that acknowledges just that, there
is a blatant and easy opportunity to have your
voice heard. Casting a ballot is a right, a privi-
lege and a civic duty that needs to exercised,
regardless of where you may fall in the political
spectrum.
Let's be honest, the lines may be long, the
poll workers may be grouchy and it may just
seem more appealing to run off to class. But for
your sake get up tomorrow, bring your M-Card
and voter registration card to the polls, and let
the rest of the nation know what you believe. If
you don't have a registration card, bring anoth-
er proof of residency, like a letter from the Uni-
versity with your current address on it.
Know your rights and use them, understand
your privileges and own them - this is our
moment and our chance, so go vote tomorrow.
Rebecca Egler is an LSA sophomore, and
Hannah Lieberman is an LSA junior. They are
co-chairs of the Michigan Student Assembly's
Voice Your Vote Commission an LSA senior.

ZAKIYA LUNA I
A vote that affects your health

Quite simply, women's health is at stake in this election.
Not maybe, not possibly - it is. We will either elect a presi-
dent who wants to promote women's health or a president
who wants to take us all back to the 19th century. Right
now, we are all learning (again) that who we elect at the
state and federal levels affects our economy (and that of the
world) for years. Similarly, who we elect also affects the
health of your partner, your friends, your relatives and, of
course, you.
In the final presidential debate, Barack Obama said what
many ofus know from our ownpersonal experience - there
are some issues that are so contentious and that people feel
so strongly about that nothing short of'a miracle (or trag-
edy) will shift their opinion. For many people, abortion is
one of those issues, which is why voting for pro-choice state
and presidential candidates is crucial.
John McCain doesn't support equal pay for women and
continues to support abstinence-only sex education pro-
grams, despite research showing they are ineffective and
dangerous. He voted against requiring insurers to cover a
range of contraceptive options. He has also voted against
the federal family planning program and against expand-
ing the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which
provides health care to low-income children. Furthermore,
McCain and Sarah Palin have both stated repeatedly they
want to overturn Roe v. Wade. We know from multiple data
sources, including studies by the Guttmacher Institute, that
outlawing abortion does not decrease its incidence, but it
does increase the number of women who die from abor-
tions. McCain and Palin maintain this position despite
the fact that the majority of people in this country support
maintaining access to safe and legal abortion.

McCain claims Obama's and pro-choice advocates'
emphasis on comprehensive sex education, expanded
health coverage and recognition of the myriad factors that
go into decisions to start a family is "extreme." Here is an
extreme scenario: What would happen if you,your friend, a
relative or your daughter was raped and became pregnant?
If McCain and Palin have their way, there would be no dis-
cussion about it. The woman would have the child.
Many people recognize that McCain and Palin are
extreme in these views, not Obama. So, hundreds of thou-
sands of people, both women and men, spoke up to protect
the health of women and families. They responded to an
anonymous e-mail and, in just one month, donated more
than $1 million dollars to Planned Parenthood "in honor"
of Palin. Those supporters, many who had never donated
before, realize that Planned Parenthood's work - 97 per-
cent of which is preventive health care - is doing more
to prevent abortion and protect women's health than that
of people who think the "solution" is to not talk about the
tough questions and simply outlaw abortion.
Why do McCain and Palin think the government should
determine my future childbearing? Despite their opposition
to SCHIP, equal pay laws for women and programs likeMedi-
care that help women stay healthy, McCain and Palin wantus
to believe that they care about the health of women and their
families? They have a dangerous way of showing it.
Voting for Obama shows that we understand women's
health is no laughing matter.
Zakiya Luna is a doctoral student in Sociology
and Women's Studies at the University of Michigan.
She is also earning her Master's of Social Work.

SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU

Obama wanted to disavow
rumors, not Muslims

religion. That is.
very hard to sho
spread of false r
mines that effort
Obama hasr

TO THE DAILY: intolerant of M
The viewpoint Friday about Barack Obama's advocate of prot
impact on Muslim-Americans (The audacity to cans, supportin;
hope - for more, 10/31/2008), demonstrated a ing. These polic
severe lack of thought about Obama's handling of everybody else.
the false claims that he is Muslim. As students a
The viewpoint took offense to the quote, "I vote tomorrow,:
have not and never have been a Muslim." An ini- their votes to b
tial reaction to this quote may take it the way the quotes or surfac
viewpoint's author did: as an attack on Muslim che by now, butt
culture. That is not at all what a statement like tant. We need t
this says. Obama is a Christian. That is the reli- candidates than
gion by which he has chosen to define himself
and his values. It is completely false and irre- Justin Schon
sponsible to assert that he practices a different LSA sophomore

not who he is. Obamahasworked
w Americans who he is, and the
umors that he is Muslim under-
't.
never been anything close to
uslims. He has been a strong
ecting civil rights for all Ameri-
g measures to end racial profil-
ies are good for Muslims, and
t the University get ready to go
I hope that nobody has allowed
e decided by a couple of small
e impressions. It is a blatant cli-
this election is extremely impor-
o have more thought about our
what this viewpoint displayed.

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