4A - Monday, November 10, 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com -4 myMid iig'an Baly Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard Sc. AnnyArbod, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu 4 On Tuesday night, it was like the whole world was celebrating New Year's Eve. I know there were a lot of Obama babies made that night." - Comedian Ian Edwards, during a comedy set at the Laugh Factory this weekend, as reported yesterday by the Los Angeles Times. ANDREW GROSSMAN EDITOR IN CHIEF GARY GRACA EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR GABE NELSON MANAGING EDITOR Unsigned editorials reflect the officialposition ofthe Daily's editorial board.All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views oftheir authors. Breathing easier State legislature should get to work to pass smoking ban oliticians are known for their huffing and puffing. But as the Michigan state legislature heads into its lame duck session, it should work to keep the rest of us from having to do as much of that. Atop the list of potential projects is a long-overdue ban on smoking in public places, a ban that came close to passing this summer but was torpedoed by the Republican-controlled Sen- ate. Though smoking is a personal choice, the consequences for the people nearby are a much more important consideration - one that warrants the state legislature's protection. JASON MAHAKIAN E-MAIL JASON AT MAHAKIAJ@UMICH.EDU T,1K Y 0U FOR IOThG6 NPRO1) ..-te)\ CU' T HIS ME A fI. C (\ rW E A Ns 4 4 This summer, the Michigan state legisla- ture almost passed a bill identical to the one being considered now. In its version of the bill, the House of Representatives banned smoking in public places, with exceptions for businesses that rely heavily on revenue from smoking, like smoking bars. In its version of the bill, the Senate allowed no exceptions. Because no compromise could be reached, the bill never became law. But while the bill died this summer, the problem didn't. By now, most people should know that smoking has terrible consequences for your health, includ- ing an increased risk of deadly diseases like lung cancer and emphysema. Smok- ers know that, and accept those risks. But non-smokers don't. When they are invol- untarily exposed to secondhand smoke, which inevitably happens despite efforts to maintain separate smoking sections and proper ventilation, these non-smokers are being unfairly punished for someone else's personal choice. This is especially a problem for employ- ees who work at places where smoking is allowed. The wait staff at restaurants, for example, have no choice whether or not their customers light up, but the second- hand smoke still affects them. These people often can't just go find another job for the benefit of their health, because those jobs might not exist. And these workers aren't getting better health care benefits to cover their potential illnesses. A job should be a healthy environment, not one where work- er have to worry about choosing between money and health. Opponents ofthebill argue thatbusiness- es will lose money and customers if smok- ers are forced to move onto the sidewalk to enjoy a cigarette. That argument, however, goes both ways. People who avoid cigarette smoke would be more likely to flock to bars and restaurants if they become smoke-free. Smokers can relax outside without hav- ing a detrimental effect on those eating or drinking around them. New York and Ohio have already passed similar smoking bans. While some bar owners in New York complained of lost revenue, most restaurants and bars have increased business since the smoking ban took effect. Air quality in bars and restau- rants has gone up, and that's good news for everyone, workers and patrons alike. It is time for the Michigan state legis- lature to resume its role of protecting the public health. Businesses will not suffer if smokers take a break to step outside for a few minutes. And then we can all breathe a little easier. Translating hope into action 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 The Daily is looking for smart people with an interest in campus issues and excellent writing skills to be members of its editorial board. E-MAIL GARY GRACA FOR MORE INFORMATION. GRACA@MICHIGANDAILY.COM ROSE AFRIYIE }'°.... A reluctant celebration We have finally reached the end of an historic (and his- torically long) election, and as the celebra- tory atmosphere subsides and the initial tears (of joy and mourning) dry up, we prepare to watch the dramatic X transformation of a man from candi- date to president. BRYAN Like the caterpil- lar to the butterfly, KOLK the change is often- dramatic, but in the political world it is far less predict- able. This is part of our political pro- cess; we recognize that the person running for office is a caricature of the one who will eventually hold the position. Frankly, this is also one of the saving graces of American democ- racy. Already, if his eloquent conces- sion speech is any indication, John McCain is once again becoming the straight-talking senator that everyone respected before he debased his core maverick-ness in an attempt to appeal to far-right conservatives. In President-elect Barack Obama, however, we are observing a broader redefinition - that of a whole politi- cal philosophy. Despite claims of pie- in-the-sky liberal activism, we are seeing a pragmatic and progressive president taking shape. Throughout all the campaign- ing and up to the election, the major criticisms faced by Obama were fear- mongering allegations of socialism and unrealistic idealism. The impli- cation was that a progressive govern- ment had goals that were far too lofty and means that were far too invasive. I personally do not find "lofty goals" to be a disagreeable trait, nor do I see a way in which conservatives who backed Bush can criticize anyone about governmental invasiveness (or even spending). But already, less than a week later, we are seeing these criti- cisms in a new light. Republicans favor these criticisms as a result of fundamental differences between the two parties. Conserva- tives have viewed the role of the gov- ernment in regulating the economy and in assisting citizens with basic needs like health care and educa- tion as a necessary evil, something to be kept at a minimum. Every man for himself - isn't that the American Dream? But in our current economic down- turn,more and more people arerealiz- ing the impossibility of the American dream. Capitalism does not allow any- one to do anything; it is a pyramid, in which somebody is always at the top, and many more people are always at the bottom. If the government merely stands back and watches, the pyramid just gets steeper, and equality gets further away. The McCain camp, fans of stand- ing back and watching, tried to scare people away from an alternative structure by crying "socialism!" - a battle cry intended to blindly frighten people away from a man who wanted to seize their wealth. But it became quickly apparent that Obama did not wish to end capitalism. His goal was simply that of economic equality - the belief in the government's respon- sibility to provide its citizens with the most level playing field possible. The word "socialism" has histori- cally entailed much more than that. A more appropriate term for Obama's position would be "progressivism;" using the powers we have vested in our government to help every- one achieve happiness, rather than entrusting people's fates to those who have much from being too greedy. During times of economic pros- perity, many are content to trust the fates to keep their world spinning. But now we are seeing the downfalls of an unchecked economy. SUVs are (or were) living proof that greed trumps long-term planning in business. The housing industry is no different. And now we have a president-elect who seems keen to keep us focused on long-term solutions. The rhetoric was there all through Obama's campaign. 4 But it looked a lot less like the activ- ism of the '60s and more like an activ- ism based in reality. In his first press conference since the election, Obama's mood was decidedly somber. Flanked by 17 eco- nomic advisors, Obaina described goals for the economy that were no less idealistic, but talk of "hope" and "change" was replaced by a need to "think practically" and "make tough decisions." The announcement of The progressive ideology behind an Obama presidency. Rahm Emanuel, a no-nonsense politi- cal orchestrator, as chief of staff is also indicative of this shift - hope is getting down to business. Our nation has placed its trust in this man. Almost every single state voted more Democratically than it had in the last election (including Ari- zona) - the American people, even those maintainingconservative social values, are interested in a government that does more rather than less. In the coming weeks, I believe we will be watching the transformation of ideal- ism into pragmatism. With a majority in the House of Representatives and Senate, Obama now has the opportu- nity to redefine the practical applica- tion of a progressive philosophy. Bryan Kolk can be reached at beakerk@umich.edu. I didn't cry. That may sound blasphemous to my black identity, but "it," perhaps, just hasn't hit me yet. Don't get me wrong. That was defi- nitely me at the Blue Leprechaun on victory night, downing glasses of champagne, shaking it like a Polaroid picture, hugging people I didn't know - celebrating the first black president in the history of the United States. But celebration became complicated right around WednesdaymorningwhenIencountered a New York Times headline that read "Racial barrier falls in decisive victory." Many televi- sion networks and commentators have begun using the term "post-racial," as if to imply that electing a person of color to the presidency has been the sole quest of civil rights organizations that have sought racial justice through protest and other forms of direct action for decades. In the past few days, prominent African Americans who organized in the Civil Rights Movement have been given many platforms to recant the gruesome details of state-sponsored (police) and vigilante-initiated (Ku Klux Klan) violent racism in their lives. Briskly, the interviewer dashes forward to 2008 and asks them how it felt to have Obama elected. With all this access to some of the most productive civil rights activists of our time, one would think a point of inquiry would be: What is on the contemporary racial justice agenda? Instead, this then-and-now presentation of racism in America obscures a fact that Obama made clear in his victory speech when he declared that, "This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change." Interestingly enough, John McCain's conces- sion speech perceived Obama's victory differ- ently. He argued thatAmerica is "a world away" from the bigotry that existed a century ago. Fur- ther, he noted that Obama's presidency was a testament to that distance. This was hard for me to grasp, considering that in late 2006, I protested alongside thou- sands of people who were lamenting the ump- teenth police-related death of a black man, Sean Bell, who had been gunned down by New York police; last year I had attended marches with thousands of people assemblingto free thes"Jena 6," a group ofblack high school students in Loui- siana who had been given unfair criminal sen- tences when they responded to racism at their school; also in late 2007, I stood alongside hun- dreds of people to advocate on behalf of Megan Williams, a 20 year old who had been brutally raped and victimized by a family of whites in West Virginia. Alas, the tearful joy experienced by my family members and friends is something I can't bring myself to until the change is actually effected. This is perhaps because I fear that my celebra- tion will be misread as a celebration of change that hasn't fully arrived. Great harm can be done to the progress we've made over decades if we read the election of the first black president, in and of itself, as finally bidding farewell to the affirmative action con- versation or policy discourses on black poverty, police brutality and disproportionate violence against black women. This analysis isn't meant to cast doubt on the historic importance of having a black male pres- ident. I write this as someone who opted out of New Year's festivities this year to trudge around New Hampshire knocking on doors in minus-7 degree weather for Obama. I merely plead for us to recognize that prog- ress isn't just seen in the realm of elected rep- resentation. All of the undergraduate activism I was enlisted in that focused on issues of educa- tion disparity, police brutality at campus parties and African American college retention never sought to elect a black president. The presidency is 1 percent of 100 things, as the saying goes, and these issues remain despite this week's joyous outcome. The biggest lesson I have learned from this election is that I live in a country where those who are committed to bringing about racial justice outnumber those who are not. And this makes me proud to be both African and Ameri- can considering that there is much work to be done. These days, I have deferred to a pragmatic kind of celebration, the kind that is preoccupied with a line of Obama's e-mail blast on victory night, "I'll be in touch soon about what comes next." Rose Afriyie is a Public Policy graduate student. SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU Athletes don't deserve scheduling privileges don't have the luxury of participat- ing in sports or clubs or a soror- ity. If student-athletes choose to make their sport their priority, they need to adjust accordingly and do TU THE DAILY: so without n After reading Friday's article in dations than the Daily about the new policy giv- ing student-athletes priority over Erin Green other students except those with dis- LSA junior abilities ('U' gives athletes first pick of classes, 11/07/2008), I want to say /_)7_ that this is absolutely ridiculous and GIald an insult to all those other students hope foi who work hard in school and have other responsibilities and activitiesa d o outside of class. When a student-ath- lete makes a commitment to an ath- letic team, that person should accept TO THE DAI the responsibilities of being on that The day a team as well as being a student. This talking to a f includes scheduling difficulties. she spoke of What about students like myself, others share who have two jobs to pay for their Barack Oba tuition (a tuition many student ath- speech. I am letes don't have to pay)? It is often hard tears shed th for me to schedule classes around my and some of; two jobs, but I do it because I accept my friend w the responsibilities of both. I don't was cheering get any special preferences. seemed as if Because I have chosen to make ers" were cr school and work my priorities, I generationsu more special accommo- they already receive. 's victory offers r bright future rce ofpride LY: fter the election, I was friend on the phone and the tears of joy she and d when President-elect ma made his victory sure there were many iat evening, some of joy sadness. What surprised ,as generationally who and who was crying. It all of the "Baby Boom- rying, and the younger were cheering. That made me wonder if first-time voters and those inGeneration X were aware of the healingthey afforded the millions of people who suffered from a lifetime of oppression passed down from previous generations. Right out of the gate, these voters have had a monumental impact toward change in so many ways. They looked beyond race and toward what seems good for the human race. They judged not based on stereotype and hatred, but turned toward peace and hope. They made a decision based on possibility rather than fear. But let's also not forget those mature adults. They were the ones who took a deep breath and let go of their fear and movedtoward whatthey felt would make a difference in the spiraling downward direction of this great country. I just want to say thank you to all of you for the renewal and healing. I know that this is one step in the many that will need to be taken to change the course in the environment of our planet, country and lives, but I have faith and a sense of renewed belief that "we can make it work." Wasentha Young Staff 4 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor. Letters should be less than 300 words and must include the writer's full name and University affiliation. Letters are edited for style, length, clarity and accuracy. All submissions become property of the Daily. We do not print anonymous letters. Send letters to tothedoily@umich.edu.