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4A - Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
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Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@umich.edu
ROBERT SOAVE COURTNEY RATKOWIAK
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR
GARY GRACA
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles
and illustrations represent solelythe views of their authors.
'08-'09 Edgar Awards
It's not an award, it's a prize
B ack when J. Edgar Hoover, that infallible defender of our
constitutional rights, was playing dictator and spying on
Americans as head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
the Daily's editorial page handed out the Edgar Awards annu-
ally to individuals and institutions best embodying his many
admirable characteristics. Of necessity, we revived the tradition
in recent years.
And so we present the sixth annual Coleman is still hanging on to hers (though
Edgar Awards: she usually gives it back).
The main message is staying thin.
It's good for you, and it's good for the planet:'
- Phil Edwards, senior lecturer at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, commenting on
a new study that showed obesity contributes to global warming, as reported yesterday by CNN.
ELAINE MORTON I NATURE CAL E-MAIL ELAINE AT EMORT@UMICH.EDU
C-1m o Q - Ke o aw fv
otxs ly? -of-onEce t Sv
f -1 it
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Free will, free trade
" The Joe the Plumber Edgar for shal-
low, pointless campaign gimmick goes
to the reMICHIGAN Campaign for its
"we're not a party, we're a campaign" mon-
iker in the Michigan Student Assembly
presidential election. This reNAME was
reDUMB as reHELL.
" The Hash Bash Edgar for hippies who
love pot goes to Michiganvoters, who legal-
ized medical marijuana with the passage of
Proposal 1 in the November election. Go
ahead, voters, pretend it's just for sick people.
We know you just wanted to get high.
" The "Rock of Love" with Bret
Michaels Edgar for best bleached-blonde
hair goes to the West Quad arsonist, whose
rln rin~~~~r h raed dznr k.
" The state of Michigan Edgar for dis-
criminating against gay people goes to Cal-
ifornia, Arizona and Florida for banning
same-sex marriage in the November elec-
tion. Though recent events may be finally
reshaping the legal climate in favor of LGBT
rights, it's worth remembering that just a
couple months ago, voters across the coun-
try were proving they're bigots.
* The Sarah Palin Edgar for most clue-
less candidate for office in a presidential
election goes to the MSA presidential
candidates from the Defend Affirma-
tive Action Party. Sorry people, it's over.
We'll start taking you seriously when you
come up with a tangible agenda for MSA.
haIinrVe V jnVdr frx
glow-in-the-aarx tresses were
forever immortalized in the
security camera snapshot of
him. Police will be standing by
if he shows up to the Daily to
accept his award.
* The Detroit Lions Edgar
for god-awful, cringe-worthy
football season goes to this
year's University of Michi-
gan football team. But on the
bright side, now the team is
only 35 years away from break-
ing its previous record for con-
secutive trips to bowl games.
* The Bush administra-
tion Edgar for failing to
resolve any crisis in the Mid-
dle East goes to the Michigan
Student Assembly. Bush's
invasion of Iraq didn't help,
but neither did MSA's endless
discussions of foreign policy.
Thanks, MSA - showing that
movie featuring Palestinians
and Israelis getting along
made a difference.
* The Bird Flu Edgar for
hyped epidemic goes to the Ros
Business's dreaded noroviru
earlier this semester. Did anyo
get sick from this?
* The Peanut Butter Edgar f
delicious but actually hurting pe
Mike Milano. Unlike the cookie
his name, Milano beats people u
* The AIG Executivesl
receiving modest bonuses go
versity President Mary Sue Cc
her most recent (and most egr
ary increase. While most AIG
promised to give back their bo
the country raised its collective
-re oiy:gar tor a
confusing policy that deter-
mines how much tuition a stu-
f dent pays goes to Rackham
graduate school for its new
continuous enrollment policy.
No one understands what this
policy does, only that gradu-
ate students seem really pissed
about it.
" The Recording Industries
AssociationofAmerica Edgr
for being lax on piracy goes to
the government of Somalia.
While the RIAA promised ear-
lier this year to stop filing law-
suits against college students
who illegally share files on the
Internet, Somalia's been let-
- ting its piracy situation get out
of hand for a couple years now.
And you thought things involv-
ing piracy couldn't get worse
than Pirates of the Caribbean 3.
* The second annual
Kwame Kilpatrick Edgar
for staying in office after an
embarrassing scandal stem-
most over- ming from the use of an electronic device
s School of goes to University Associate Prof. Yaron
s outbreak Eliav for keeping his teaching post after
ne actually soliciting sex from a University law stu-
dent over the Internet. Last year, when
commenting on the award's recipient, Tony
or sounding Vuljaj, the Daily's editors wrote: "Appar-
ople goes to ently career-ending scandals these days
that shares must involve hiring expensive hookers."
p. This year, we've been proven wrong - not
even hookers could take down Eliav.
n recent months, there has been
an explosion of interest in the
Austrian School of Economics, a
free market school
of thought. This is
due to a variety of
factors, from the
risingpopularityof
Ron Paul and Peter
Schiff on YouTube
to the mounting
opposition toward
President BarackV
Obama's interven- VINCENT
tionist economic PATSY
policies. Most of
the recent atten-
tion has been directed at the school's
practical policy conclusions, such as
its call to abolish the central bank and
to avoid bailouts. These policies set
Austrian economics apart from most
other schools. But what is important
is not the Austrian policy conclusions
themselves, but rather the undeniable
truths underpinning such policies.
Austrian economics describes fun-
damental laws of nature that can't be
violated. Obama is not only wasting
money, but his current economic poli-
cies are using our arms to Overctime
gravity. If you disagree with Austrian
economics, you must attack the axioms
on which it's built. If you attack the pol-
icy prescriptions, then you are wasting
your time because the policy prescrip-
tions are correct, given the axioms.
Whenever someone picks up an
Austrian book and begins reading, it's
much different then most other books
on economics. For one thing, there
are very few mathematical equations
or graphs. Austrian economics text-
books also proceed logically, with
each new chapter either building
from the previous ones, or from addi-
tional axioms, which are introduced
and justified. For example, a common
presentation is to use Robinson Cru-
soe on a desert island, so that you can
analyze human beings and nature,
and add in more elements later such
as Friday (to analyze exchanges).
Austrian economics uses
praxeologythe science of human
action. This is a deductive system
used to reach economic truths. A
deductive system will state an axiom
or axioms, and logic is used to reach
economic or mathematical law. This
is the only possible place where Aus-
trian economics can be attacked.
Axioms are themselves unproved or
unstated and, as such, are susceptible
to scrutiny. The fundamental axiom
of praxeology is that human beings
have free will and are conscious
actors. From this and other axioms
(such as preferring goods sooner
rather than later), all economic law
and policy prescriptions are derived.
The most common knock on Aus-
trian economics theory is that it is not
"scientific" enough. Mainstream eco-
nomics uses a method called logical
positivism to derive economic law,
copying physics as if to gain prestige.
The scientific method is applied, a
regularly occurring event is observed,
facts are recorded and a hypothesis is
postulated. Then, the hypothesis is
retested until a suitable explanation
for the cause is found.
But economics can't start there. In
the first place, the fundamental cause
of economic'interactions is'already"
known - namely that human beings
are conscious actors. Unlike particles
in physics, which have no intention
or consciousness, human beings have
free will. We have and make choices,
and this determines our economic
interactions with one another. Human
actions can never be compartmental-
ized into quantitative laws, and thus
our actions cannot be predicted.
Attempting to use math to deter-
mine laws is also flawed. Mathe-
matical relationships are functional,
meaning that X is a function of Y and
Y is also a function of X. With eco-
nomics, there is only one direction,
namely that the subjective demand
impresses itself on the economic sys-
tem. The value of a product is sub-
jective (think of love, which cannot
be measured) and provided by the
human. Since the object is not con-
scious, it cannot value us back, and
therefore no reciprocal functions can
capture this relationship.
Another significant problemisthat,
unlike in the field of physics, con-
trolled experiments are impossible
in economics. With a physics experi-
ment, all variables are held constant
except for one. The independent vari-
able is changed and the results are
measured to determine laws. With
economics, no such experiments are
possible. There are multitudes of
constantly changingvariables for any
series of economic events, much less
the near infinite number of interac-
tions which take place every day for
every choice of everyone on Earth.
Human behavior
is not a scientific
constant.
Buyinggum today is different than
buying gum tomorrow, even if I shop
in the same store, buy the same gum
and talk to the same clerk. I have
different information and different
goals for the particular moment. If
they were held constant, much like
modern microeconomics treats them,
life would be a miserable existence,
where you would repeat the same
tasks everyday without being able to
"accomplish" any longterm goal.
Economics is a science that is qual-
itative, not quantitative. The current
perplexity that some feel when tak-
ing economics courses here occurs
because this point is never acknowl-
edged. So the next time you hear
someone predict that doing policy A
will result in reward B for people C,
know that this is nonsense, because
humans do not - and are not predeter-
mined to - act ina certain way.
And this axiom proves Austrian
economic policies correct.
- Vincent Patsy can be reached
at vapatsy@umich.edu.
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Edgar for
es to Uni-
oleman for
egious) sal-
executives
nuses after
pitchforks,
* The Rupert Murdoch Edgar for hav-
ing a monopoly on journalism goes to...The
Michigan Daily! Today the Ann Arbor
News, tomorrow the world - or at least the
Michigan Review. We hear they don't even
have an office anymore.
IAN SINCLAIR I
A symbol of strength
Since it was installed in the fall of 2008, I
have yet to hear someone say something posi-
tive about the big orange sculpture in front of
the new University of Michigan Museum of
Art - Orion by Mark di Suvero. While I'm not
really offended by this, I do think the sculp-
ture deserves some credit.
What doesn't offend me is how some people
simply find it ugly, grotesque or a "monstrosity
inorange." How can I, or anyone, disagree with
these sentiments? Art is, by nature, subject to
opinion and open to interpretation. What I
find sublime, another may find unsightly. I'm
not writing to convince you that this piece is
aesthetically pleasing - that's a battle even I'm
not foolish enough to instigate.
But what I can do is tell you why Ialike Orion,
and, more importantly, why I think it's signifi-
cant as a symbolic representation - not the
symbolic representation - of the University's
past, present and future.
Located within a triangle formed by the
Michigan Union, Angell Hall and the Law
Quad, the sculpture garners associations with
the University's rich history through its close
proximity to, arguably, the three most recog-
nizable buildings on campus. Acting as the
facade of the University, these buildings are
designed in various architectural styles often
associated with institutions of higher learning
(Oxbridge, neoclassical, etc.) and thus connote
a sense of age and wisdom.
These connotations ground the sculpture
in the University's heritage and give it a meta-
phorical foundation.
The sculpture itself projects what I see as
the University's present and future, begin-
ning with the three supporting legs (the literal
foundation). Leaning away from the Union, the
bulk of the weight rests on the thickest I-beam.
The giant 'X' formed by the other two legs sta-
bilizes the structure and converges along with
three amorphous curves. These three legs give
the piece its literal and metaphorical stability,
a kind of heroic stoicism. At the intersection,
the curves facilitate and frame a transition to
the upper arms and skewed third leg. Project-
ing wildly into space, they stand for Michi-
gan's future, a strong and dynamic beacon,
precariously growing out of its strong foun-
dation. Contrasted against and complimented
by the blue of the sky, the orange arms appear
to soar. I must admit that I can't help but feel
inspired by such a beautiful combination of art
and engineering.
I don't ask that you fall in love with this piece
or even try to think of it as anything other than
ugly, but I do ask that you reconsider your view
that it is a scar on the face of campus. In con-
text, Orion symbolizes what we have to look
forward and reminds us of what we love about
the University of Michigan.
Ian Sinclair is an LSA sophomore.
Michigan Vision Party needs to
deliver on campaign promises
TO THE DAILY:
The Michigan Vision Party assumed power in the
Michigan Student Assembly just about a month ago in one
of the most anticipated elections in recent history. The
party won in large part because it promised fundamental
change to the way business was conducted. We proposed
a new vision for campus based on accountability and
transparency to the students. Success, however, has been
hard to come by thus far.
The Daily has rightly taken note of this, most notably
with its recent editorial about the funding process for
student groups. The current system is indeed flawed and
we are working towards overhauling the process. Student
organizations should take careful note of the consequenc-
es of these changes. As the funding process and the crite-
ria for a good funding request are met by more and more
student organizations, the decisions of the Budget Priori-
ties Committee will become a lot harder. While this will
certainly hurt organizations that have been able to pull
the right levers in the past, we think it's an important step
towards a more transparent campus government.
Committee and chair elections held recently have
shown the Michigan Vision Party's success in this drive
towards transparency. Real competition existed for near-
ly every arm of MSA and we're pleased that this has been
such a deliberative process. The same can be said for the
executive slate. Hardly a rubber stamp of approval, the
Assembly took great care in examining and later con-
firming what MSA President Abhishek Mahanti and Vice
President Mike Rorro believed to be the best team to lead
the assembly. In addition, the promise of a new, revamped
and much more accessible MSA website appears to be on
track. Updates include a blog, a wiki and forms that are
readily available. This is a much welcome and overdue
necessity that will allow information about the assem-
bly and its procedures to be readily accessible to every
student. It has been a long time in coming and its launch
cannot afford to be delayed any longer if this goal of trans-
parency is to remain a credible ambition.
But simply choosing a good team and launching a website
is not enough. The Assembly, minus the summer months
Puzzle connoisseurs disappointed
by Daily distribution problems
TO THE DAILY:
Today, the 20th of April 2009, is my last Monday as
an undergraduate at the University. As I braved the ele-
ments, which in today's case presented an unforgiving-of-
my-new-haircut downpour, to go to my last lecture, I was
sorely disappointed to find that the edition of the Daily
had not yet arrived in East Hall. What was I to do? My tra-
dition of drowning out the professor as I tried to complete
the crossword was ruined. This daily reaffirmation that
my expensive University education has taught me at least
enough vocabulary and trivial knowledge to complete the
easiest of the week's puzzles is nothing to scoff at. The
fact that I was denied the opportunity to flex my intel-
lectual prowess is very upsetting.
Logging onto your website now, I see that there is an
issue and am crushed that your distributors have slacked
in their delivery on this most important Monday of my
collegiate career. It is now 2:00 p.m., and at work, col-
leagues and I have gone on a quest and have not yet locat-
ed an edition in the Natural Science Building, West Hall
or East Hall. I really hope that you guys correct this issue
tomorrow and that I have a tangible copy of the Daily in
my hands. Here's to hoping that the crossword aficiona-
dos can spend the last day of the winter semester enjoying
the quiet respite of the daily puzzle..
Nicolette Ognjanovski
LSA senior
SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU
when the full assembly is not in session, has about eight
months to make a real impact on student life and campus
affairs. One month has already ticked off the clock. The
executives need to make the best of its remaining time.
At this point, they get a C+, yet there is ample time for the
improvement necessary for the assembly to achieve its
goals. University students deserve leadership that is noth-
ing short of an A.
Bradon Smith
Michigan Vision Party Message Chairman
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