4A - Monday, September 28, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 0 J11 1Jtdgan &i3 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu GARY GRACA ROBERT SOAVE COURTNEY RATKOWIAK EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITORIA( PAGE EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR Unsigned editorials reflectthe official position of the Daily's editorialboard. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors. A smarter loan system Senate should pass bill to make college more affordable hile the state government's commitment to education hangs inthe balance withthe Michigan Promise Schol- arship, at least things are looking better for students nationwide. The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed an education bill with plenty of benefits for students, including more Pell Grant aid, a simpler FAFSA form and funding for numerous educational programs. With education the key to economic recov- ery, not just in Michigan but across the country, the necessity of this bill is clear. The Senate should approve the bill immediately so that students of all ages can finally catch a break. You know what, you stood up for yourself, and I fuckin' love you for that." - New Saturday Night Live cast member Jenny Slate, accidentally using the f-word in a live skit during the SNL season opener yesterday. It was the first time the expletive has been heard on the show since 1981. ELAINE MORTON E-MAIL ELAINE AT EMORT@UMICH.EDU eBSONCO$tV IRISH AGLES ' ooS1iRSd'SPAsRtANd5 0 Subsidized sports fans The House of Representatives voted Thursday to pass a bill that would overhaul student financial aid. The Senate has not yet voted on the legislation, which would end subsidies to private lenders for college lend- ing and replace private lending with direct government loans. The elimination of the subsidies would free up an estimated of $87 billion over the next decade for educational purposes by cutting private lenders out of the picture. Much of the additional money that would be available from the implemen- tation of this bill would be used to increase Pell Grants by $40 billion. Pell Grants are the main source of federal college scholar- ships for low and moderate income students, and under the bill, the maximum award amount is set to rise from $5,350 per student to $5,550 next year, eventually increasing to $6,900 in 2019. With students facing tuition increases and an ailing economy, increased financial aid is a must for college students. A greater avail- abilityofPellGrantswill allowmore students to go to college and make it more affordable for others. Opponents of the bill worry that the elimination of the private college lending sector would also cost almost 30,000 jobs. But if the choice is between keeping college affordable and propping up private middle- men at students' and taxpayers' expense, it's clear that Congress needs to put educa- tion first and support students' aspirations to attend college. As an added bonus, the House bill also includes provisions to streamline the cum- bersome FAFSA form, which currently creates bureaucratic obstacles for many stu- dents seeking financial aid. The unnecessary complexity of FAFSA paperwork discourages many of the students in greatest need of aid from applying for aid at all, effectively mak- ing college less accessible for low-income families. Simplification of the FAFSA is both obviously necessary and long overdue. But the proposed bill doesn't stop with financial aid. It would also provide fund- ing to modernize public schools ($4 billion), enhance early education programs ($8 bil- lion) and assist overcrowded community colleges ($10 billion). In doing so, the bill will almost certainly raise the quality of child- care and the pre-school system. It would also provide support to community colleges struggling with an increased number of stu- dents due to the economic situation. Funding education at all levels is vitally important, and these provisions will help the United States improve its primary education system and community colleges. A concerted government effort to improve the quality and affordability of the educa- tional system is critical for the growth of the national economy and the success of students at all levels. The Senate should pass the House's bill without delay - the future of our education system is depending upon it. Picture the first game of the 2010 football season: As hordes of excited fans make their way to_ their seats in the Big House, an IRS agent waits by the VIP elevator that whisks elite ticket holders to their exclusive club seats. As they enter the lift, the agent PATRICK gives each one a crisp $100 bill. O'MAHAN Smiling, he says, "The U.S. govern- ment appreciates your support of Michigan athletics." A donor acknowledges the agent, adding, "Thanks, it really is a finan- cial burden to show off my superior social standing and watch big-time college-football in world-class com- fort." Sound far-fetched? Well, thanks to the marvels of federal tax deduc- tions, luxury seating options at Big Ten football stadiums alone will cost U.S. taxpayers $17 million this year. The only differences between this scenario and reality are that the well- heeled athletic boosters use direct deposit, and they get a much bigger break than $100. Here's how the scam works: In order to obtain any of the new lux- ury seating options, a fan has to pay the price of a season ticket, which is $400. On top of that he makes a mandatory "donation." For one of the club indoor seats, that donation runs $4,000 a year. Essentially, the cost of season tickets are $4,400, but with one catch - since the $4,000 is technically a donation to a non-profit organization, he doesn't have to pay income tax on 80 percent of his con- tribution. As a result, Uncle Sam kicks in $1,120 toward the cost of the extra- wide club seat specifically cushioned for our donor's extra-special poste- rior. Oh, and remember those 82 luxury boxes at the Big House? Those man- datory donations range from $42,600 to $72,600. That means taxpayers will shell out between $12,000 and $20,000 per box year to the business or individual leasing each one. If the club seats and boxes sell out, kickbacks - by which I mean "tax benefits" - from the IRS to Michi- gan's premium seat holders will total roughly $3.5 million for 2010. But wait - it gets worse. Seven of the other Big Ten schools are due to bring in at least $1 million in subsidies from premium seating this year. The total cost to the U.S. governmentwill top $17 million. That money would be enough to provide more than 3,000 additional needy students with the maximum Pell Grant of $5,300 a year. Instead, we use the cash to build exclusive pal- aces at athletic stadiums so that fat- cat donors don't have to wait in line for the bathroom with the "regular" fans. Says a lot about our priorities, doesn't it? The Big Ten is just the tip of the iceberg. The other big football con- ferences - the Pac-lO, the ACC, the Big 12, the SEC and the Big East - all have similar premium seating options for their donors. Darrel K Royal Sta- dium at the University of Texas, for example, has 113 luxury boxes in addition to five tiers of exclusive club seating for big donors. And don't forget that other sports, notably men's basketball, baseball and hockey, have premium seating options of their own with similar pay- ment plans. Many schools also make regular season ticket holders provide a mandatory 'donation" along with their season tickets. At Michigan, all new football season-ticket hold- ers fork over from $50 to $500on top of the price of a ticket to get seats. Of course, 80 percent of that donation is tax deductible. All those deductions add up to an annual drain of several hundred million dollars on the U.S. Treasury. Game day tickets for the rich, paid for by taxpayers. There is one reasonable objec- tion to my argument - the Michigan Athletic Department will pay out $15 million in scholarships to athletes this year, a significant chunk of its projected $85.6 million budget. 'Fine - maybe we should carve out a tightly capped exemption for athletic scholarships not connected to premium seating. But since big- time college sports like football are essentially a for-profit enterprise, at least judging by the plush stadiums we build for our teams, let's at least make the boosters pay for the fair market value of their club seats to support it. - Patrick O'Mahen can be reached at pomahen@umich.edu. 0 6 JASON MAHAAKAN E-MAIL JASON AT MAHAKIAJ@UMICH.EDU AoN, 4AVIU SEEN PJVN 4Hi Vk TpxTI-N 6 ?S N GEN Its?- - /-( THAN 0Wo! lj U4 aVNIN>H1 6 6 The Daily is looking for a diverse group of strong, informed, passionate writers to join the Editorial Board. Editorial Board members are responsible for discussing and writing the editorials that appear on the left side of the opinion page. E-MAIL ROBERT SOAVE AT RSOAVE@UMICH.EDU FOR MORE INFORMATION. EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Nina Amilineni, Emad Ansari, Emily Barton, Harun Buljina, Ben Caleca, Brian Flaherty, Emma Jeszke, Raghu Kainkaryam, Sutha K Kanagasingam, Erika Mayer, Edward McPhee, Harsha Panduranga, Asa Smith, Brittany Smith, Radhika Upadhyaya, Rachel Van Gilder, Laura Veith 6 SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@UMICH.EDU Medical marijuana may be poor as painkiller TO THE DAILY: A much more important issue than the one of marijuana access addressed in The Statement article is if marijuana is a use- ful medicinal substance (How Michigan marijuana patients get their medicine, 09/23/2009). Marijuana's active ingre- dient, THC, is available orally and is approved by the FDA as an antiemetic, usually for nausea induced by cancer che- motherapy. One needs to understand the THC con- tent of marijuana. When smoked, small amounts of THC are no big deal. But with large amounts, the smoker is "spaced out." Marijuana differs from alcohol and tobac- co because of its unusual mind-altering effects. When a person is "high," they do not care about the pain of migraine or their leukemia. Depending on the THC dose, the psychic effects include eupho- ria, emotional changes, altered asso- ciations, altered time and space sense, altered auditory and visual sensations, illusions, memory loss, disorientation and somnolence. If smokers do not obtain the altered sensations and illusions, they have probably used a poor grade of marijuana with little THC content. The danger of smoking or ingesting marijuana is that some people will con- tinually increase its use. Eventually, they become "potheads" with an amotivation- al syndrome. A recent study of Universi- ty-related students indicated that even 36 hours after smoking marijuana, the users had reduced regional brain activ- ity, as measured by fMRI methods. The gray matter neocortical areas of the brain affected involve error detection. The users mistakenly thought they were doing great on various tests, whereas the non- smokers could detect their own errors. Clearly, it is much better for most people to use more rational forms of medically approved drugs than marijuana. Edward Domino, M.D. Professor of Pharmacology Obama correct to take his time on Afghanistan TO THE DAILY: In his column, Mr. Koslowski states that President Obama may be stalling a change in the Afghanistan war strategy to prevent derailment of domestic plans (The forgotten fight, 09/24/09). He argues that American lives may be lost and our country will appear weak for this. But a Harvard study estimated that 45,000 Americans die each year as a result of being uninsured. How many- Americans did Al-Qaeda kill last year? Our health care policies kill more Americans and make the country seem weaker than any terrorist organization could dream of. The number of American civilians dying from cancer is the equiva- lent of 9-11 occurring every two days. I believe that Mr Koslowski, despite his "if _,the terrorists will have won" rhetoric, holds a true desire to save American lives and have a country deserving of pride. For this end, strong health care reform, a public option and government-funded research can accomplish a thousand-fold what any military operation could. Dominic Terenzi LSA senior World education fund needs U.S. support TO THE DAILY: The U.S. government awards the Presi- dential Medal of Freedom to those who have strenuously worked to positively influence the world. Desmond Tutu, Mary Robinson and Muhammad Yunus, promised $2 b three "agents of change," were among cation fund a those to be presented with these med- of State Hillar als on August 12. But these global lead- All Act. Obam ers have something else in common: they to creating int are ardent supporters of the creation of a Global Fund ft Global Fund for Education. your local men In the poorest communities of the President Oba world, families of 75 million children are ment to Educa unable to spend 50 U.S. dollars to send act, 75 million their children to school. More than 50 have the oppor percent of them are girls and many are living among civil unrest. The Global Josh Lee Fund for Education is essential to produc- Businessjunior ing healthier children, creating stronger communities, and building an improved world economy. Education is also strong- ly associated with the prevention of HIV/ AIDS in these impoverished countries. LETTER! Desmond Tutu, Mary Robinson, and Readers ar Muhammad Yunus urged world leaders, including President Barack Obama and letters to the the G-8 leaders, to support a Global Fund less than 300 for Education. Thankfully, leaders of the G-8 confirmed their commitment to the the writer's f fund and agreed to raise over $1 billion to affiliation. Le support basic education in the developing length, clarit world. But their financial commitment is by no means close to the $16 billion nec- missions beco essary to achieve universal education this We do not p year alone. Send letters Even after 10 years of commitment to a Global Fund for Education, progress is often stagnant. President Obama has illion for the global edu- nd support for Secretary ry Clinton's Education for a's action will be integral ternational attention for a or Education. Write or call mbers of Congress to urge ma to fulfill his commit- tion for All. If we do not children will never even tunity for education. 6 6 6 S TO THE EDITOR: encouraged to submit editor. Letters should be words and must include ull name and University tters are edited for style, y and accuracy. All sub- me property of the Daily. rint anonymous letters. to tothedaily@umich.edu.