4- Tuesday, March 8, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4 - Tuesday, March 8, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@nmichigandaily.com ELAINE MORTON E-MAIL ELAINE AT EMORT@UMICF-LEDU STEPHANIE STEINBERG EDITOR IN CHIEF MICHELLE DEWITT and EMILY ORLEY EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS U4M~v lY1 } t ooetsloU la S4we to 'toyPA s t si e~k~r VJ1 It's not the economy, stupi KYLE SWANSON MANAGING EDITOR 0 Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors. FROM THE DAILY Don't share the sacrifice Snyder shouldn't make drastic cuts to education There are few things college students hate more than tuition increases. But as the University tries to cope with Republican Gov. Rick Snyder's proposed cuts to higher education funding, students may be in store for disap- pointment. The premise behind Snyder's budget pro-, posal was all about "shared sacrifice." The state is facing major budget shortfalls, and changes need to be made to ensure that Michi- gan has a healthy economic future. This is a pointthatmoststateleaders agree on.Another point of agreement is the importance of help- ing Michigan businesses succeed in order to foster job production and bring innovative minds to the state. State leaders, including University President Mary Sue Coleman, also believe strong education systems are impor- tant for the future of the state. When it comes to budget cuts, there are clear financial priorities and places that need to be "sacrificed," but universities should not be one of them. Whereas Snyder cut taxes for businesses by more than $1 billion, he also cut funding for Universities by 15 percent - with the poten- tial for more cuts if schools don't keep tuition increases under 7.1 percent. Businesses see huge financial relief, and schools see major financial setbacks - not quite the attitude of "shared sacrifice" that Snyder likes to discuss. Cuts need to be made and spending needs to be controlled, but it's difficult to listen to speeches about the importance of education when the state's true attitude about what's will be below the 7.1percent mark when tuition is decided this summer. An increase of that magnitude would translate to a tuition hike of $827 for in-state students and $2,542.66 for out-of-state students paying lower division LSA tuition, according to a March 7 Michi- gan Daily article. While testifying before the state Senate and House Appropriations Sub- committees on Higher Education last week, Coleman discussed the University's value to the state and the importance of education. But for students and parents facingthe potentially staggering tuition increases, her words are takenwith a grain of salt. When 2011-2012 tuition rates become avail- able for public universities throughout the state, some students will be forced to take out additional loans, place an even heavier finan- cial burden on their parents or decide that higher education is simply not a viable option. Either way, students will certainly feel their share of the sacrifice. The University - and all 15 public univer- sities in Michigan - need to be recognized as an asset to the state, not an undue expense. For businesses to fill the new jobs that their tax breaks will hopefully allow them to cre- ate, they will need a well-educated Michigan work force, and those people should come n rsssn~ras xiroveita ihie~rnt During the November 2010 midterm election cycle, we Americans found out that Republicans are serious about reducing the def- icit. Of course, the GOP must have decided on this position only after former president George DAR-WEI W. Bush left CHEN office because he ran up record deficits by engaging in two wars and not raising taxes - but that's a story for another time. This new com- mitment to fiscal responsibility has materialized in Wisconsin where Republican Gov. Scott Walker wants to force public sector unions to pay more for their benefits and to receive pay cuts. Sounds good, right? Unions should have to pitch in like everyone else to help the state and the country weather this recession. As it turns out, the unions agree. In fact, they have made all the financial concessions that Walker has asked for in his new bill. So, what is the ruckus about? Appar- ently, Walker also wants to strip unions of collective bargaining rights. Financial benefits for the state from doing this would be... almost nothing. So, why does Walk- er want to do this to unions that are important to average working-class Americans? Wasn't this bill sup- posed to be concerned only with fiscal issues? Good question. The fact, thatWalkr insists on stripping --tnion-of collective-bar- gaining rights even when his financial derhands are met - shows that he isn't actually concerned about deficit reduction. His goal, deep inside, is to bust the unions. He might say this bill isn't about our cherished unions and that it's all about budget, but that mantra is a facade. Busting the Democratic- leaning public sector unions would be a huge political boon for the GOP because unions are the last reli- ably liberal group that can compete with typically conservative bigbusi- nesses interms of political influence. For Walker, this move is a political "power grab" that has'nothing to do with the deficit. Even if you believe Walker is really only concerned about the deficit and that he sees breaking up unions as a necessary evil, this move seems to be antithetical to GOP "principles." When President Barack Obama was trying to pass his health care reform law, Repub- licans complained loudly about how the bill was being "jammed down our throats" against the will of the people. Their point was that Wash- ington shouldn't legislate without consent of the governed, and aver- age Americans should have a say - a very American idea indeed. But when it comes to those same average Americans union work- ers, the GOP suddenly doesn't want the voices of those workers to be heard anymore. Instead, Republi- cans would prefer that they be run over roughshod without the right to collectively bargain. By the way, if you still believe Walker is a deficit hawk, please know that he recently passed tax cuts that would add $100 million to Wisconsin's projected budget deficit. Perhaps one of the worst things t, pome, Put,.f,,theWisconsin union battle is th desonization of teachers as people who live off the proverbial "gravy train." When did America get the reputation of treating its public school teachers extremely well? One of the reasons that American students are lagging behind their counterparts in other countries is that teaching isn't avery appealingjob, leadingtotoptalentin America often looking elsewhere for work. That's not to say we don't have great teachers - the point is that their lifestyles are nowhere close to lavish. But for the sake of debate, let's say that teachers have extrava- gant livelihoods that the GOP feels should be limited. Then why do they say in the next breath that we need to protect the people making more than $250,000 per year and that they should receive bigger tax breaks than everyone else in this economic climate? According to Fox News, those top 2 percent of house- holds aren't as well to do as many think and need help. But teachers? Let's take down those fat cats. Walker isn't concerned about deficit reductions. Republicans dream of cycles like these: lowering taxes for the wealthy, running up deficits and then cutting benefits for the mid- dle and lower class in the name of deficit reduction. It's unpatriotic, and now the GOP isn't even being honest about it. Using deficit reduc- tion to disguise their union-crush- ing power grabs is clever, but that doesn'tjake it right The American pedplesee that it's dt the ecnomy, stupid Itfs about killing the unions. And unions are as American as apple pie. -Dar-Wei Chen can be reached at chendw@umich.edu. 0 0 impogtapt,,4.evgent in the bjudget.,A ad wip .:rom iwicnigan univer~sities. tifstuaentsare the state and~thT University e tryingmi - being'priced out of higher edtcation;that goal age thei iies, students are struggling to will not become a reality. The state and the manage theirs. University Board of Regents - who ultimately Coleman recently spoke with The Michigan decide tuition increases - need to make sure Daily about the University's tuition increases they prioritize education and make it finan- and said she can't guarantee that the figure cially accessible for all Michigan students. EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Aida Ali, Will Butler, Ellie Chessen, Michelle DeWitt, Ashley Griesshammer, Melanie Kruvelis, Patrick Maillet, Erika Mayer, Harsha Nahata, Emily Orley, Harsha Panduranga, Teddy Papes, Asa Smith, Seth Soderborg, Andrew Weiner ASHLEY GRIESSHAMMER V E 0 NT Adderall isn't harmless LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor. Letters should be fewer than 300 words and must include the writer's full name and University affiliation. We do not print anonymous letters. Send letters to tothedaily@michigandaily.com WILL BUTLER |VIP0 9 Import to Detroit It's midterm season, and every student's life has been a little hectic lately. When it comes time for finals, we don't have class during the week, allowing more time for students to study. During midterms, however, students still have to attend regularly scheduled class- es, on top of participating in extracurriculars and other activities. I can understand it's very difficult and stressful to squeeze in study time during all these things. But many students still manage to do so successfully and pass their exams with flying colors. So how do they do it? They know that school is a priority and sometimes that means making sacrifices like staying in on a Friday night or skipping this week's episode of "Jersey Shore." But some students still can't seem to find time to adequately prepare for their tests, so they end up cramming the night before - or even the day of - their exam. Thankfully, I've never had to do this. I've been able to find additional time to study well in advance for my tests so I'm not stressing right before. But students who do end up cramming obviously need some sort of artificial help to stay focused and stay awake. For many, the solution to this problem is caffeine, whether it be in the form of coffee or Pepsi Max. Some will take small breaks, lis- tening to music to refocus, or watch a funny You-tube video before they go back to study- ing. But what if you wait so long to study for an exam that you don't even have time for that? Well, there is one other solution that is becom- ing increasingly popular - Adderall. Adderall - originally a drug prescribed to patients with attention deficit hyperactiv- ity disorder (ADHD) - is now being used by college students who need to sit down for six hours or more and cram for an exam. Accord- ing to a 2006-2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 7 percent of full-time college students are using Adderall illegally. This number may not seem like a lot, but in my freshman class of about 6,000, that means 420 students are abusing Adderall. And college students ages 18 to 22 are twice as likelyto use the drug illegally than those not enrolled in college. Though not expensive - pills sold at the University of Oregon have been reported to go for $5 to $15 per pill - this drugcan lead down a dangerous path. Adderall is perceived as a quick fix to stay awake and get some work done. And it seems harmless - after all, it's legally prescribed to many people - but it has the potential to further an individual's drug use. There have been multiple depictions in the media of a Wall Street banker snorting a line of cocaine in the bathroom to stay up all night and party after working an 18-hour day. That person didn't walk into his job thinking, "I'm going to need to become a coke user to get through these next few years." He started out think- ing he would be able to handle it, and when he became overworked and was left with no other option, he turned to drug use. Cocaine might be a bit of an extreme example, but it has the same basis as using Adderall. Stu- dents who feel like they have no other option will turn to this drug to get them through midterms and finals. It may prove to be a good idea in the short-run, but drugs are never a good idea in the long-run. If students can't be successful at the Uni- versity without using artificial means, will they be able to be successful in life? It's unrealistic to think that you can depend on Adderall to get you through a particularly busy week of work or a long meeting you need to focus on. Students shouldn't use this drug as a quick-fix. In the real world, drugs can't solve your problems - they will only make them worse. Ashley Griesshammer is a senior editorial page editor. It might be a little too early to call, but I'm saying it anyway: Detroit has officially become cool. It must have happened somewhere in between Eminem driving with the guitar track to "8 Mile" playing, a gospel choir sign- ing powerful chords in the background and the news that a Robocop statue would indeedbe coming to Detroit (If you think I'm kidding, look it up. It's happening, get excited). But despite the new post-industrial, resilient and rugged makeover the city received from Chrysler's Super Bowl commercial, Detroit still faces major struc- tural and planning problems. And while the stylistic remake is nice, and certainly is a necessity to the overall reinvention of Detroit, it doesn't solve the material prob- lems that Detroit faces - specifically population decline and abandoned neighborhoods. The Chrysler commercial ends with what should become an iconic phrase: imported from Detroit. But what Detroit needs to concern itself with is how to also import people into Detroit. That is, how to make equi- librium in a region that essentially is a donut - a met- ropolitan area without a hub city. Michigan residents overwhelmingly choose to live in the suburbs, and those who do reside in Detroit only find work outside its city limits. But Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and Republican Gov. Rick Snyder have introduced new programs to help solve that problem and entice more residents to live in the city. If you have ever played Sim City, you'll recognize that municipal and citywide issues usually have a cyclical effect, and just like your virtual city, the same is true for Detroit. Population decline causes the loss of the tax base and tax revenue. This in turn causes a dip in city services, which causes more population decline. When population declines, businesses leave. When busi- nesses leave, jobs leave. With no employment in the city, residents default on their homes, and neighborhoods become abandoned. Abandoned neighborhoods cause a decrease in property value, leaving no incentive for people to return to the city. It's a complex succession of events that would probably better be described in an ever useful flowchart. What Bing and Snyder's plans attempt to do is to break the cycle by providing financial incentives for buying homes in specific neighborhoods that have the greatest chance of development. Bing's plan, entitled Project 14, has received a lot of criticism from Detroit's City Council, but is actually a valid and beneficial program. Project 14, using funds from the Federal Neighborhood Revitalization Initia- tive given to Detroit, plans to renovate 200 homes in the Boston-Edison and East English Village and then offer them to the 53 percent of Detroit police officers who don't live in the city at reduced costs. The genius of the plan comes in its ability to address two problems atonce. Not only does Project 14 work to bring in more residents to Detroit - specifically financially stable and middle class residents - but since the incentive is for police officers, Bing is also addressing the problem of crime. Having police officers live and work in those neighbor- hoods fosters community and an environment of safety - something that would certainly incentivize others to move as well. Snyder also mentioned in his State of the State address a new initiative called "Live Midtown." The project is part of a greater program called 15x15, which is designed to get 15,000 young people to move to Detroit by 2015. "Live Midtown" offers incentives to employees of the Henry Ford Health System, Detroit Medical Cen- ter and Wayne State University to buy apartments or homes in the Midtown Detroit area, another burgeoning neighborhood in the city. The hope is that these financial incentives will encourage young professionals who work for those employers to move to Midtown. The program has been highly touted and has high expectations for being successful. Detroit had previously tried a residency requirement for public employees that ended up causing strife, anger and tension between the suburbs and Detroit until its repeal in1999. So, it'sgood to see the leaders of this state, Bing and Snyder, recognize bad policy and take a differ- ent approach to entice people to live in Detroit. If the Robocop statue or Eminem's sleek driving skills weren't enough, programs like Project 14 and "Live Midtown" will work to incentivize moving to Detroit and further a professional youth movement to move back to the city and help with its revitalization. For me personally, though, they had me at Robocop. WillButler is an LSA sophomore.* I a