The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Monday, September 12, 2011 -7A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Monday, Sephember 12. 2011 - 7A
Obama's jobs plan met with
mix of optimism and doubt
Court of Appeals to rehear
affirmative action case
'U' officials say effect
of policy will be
too delayed
By ANDREW SCHULMAN
Daily StaffReporter
Americans across the country
watched President Barack Obama
deliver his much-anticipated speech in
front of a joint session of Congress on
Thursday - some watching with hope,
others with skepticism.
Since Obama of ic-e
unveiled the Ameri- office
can Jobs Act, Uni- H O R
versity professors H JJI
have shared mixed
responses of hope and caution about
the act. They say the plan could prove
effective but is perhaps too modest or
may not register the country's desired
immediate impact.
University officials lauded Obama's
package of proposals, which includes
the extension and expansion of a cut
in payroll taxes, investments in infra-
structure and schools and aid to states
to prevent mass teacher layoffs. How-
ever, some worry Obama has pandered
to Washington's political gridlock in
suggesting a plan with effects that may
not appear until next year.
Don Grimes, senior research asso-
ciate at the University's Institute for
Research on Labor, Employment and
the Economy, said citizens will need to
wait until 2012 for an economic uptick.
"I think people are looking for this
to turn around the economy in the next
month or two, and I think they're going
to be disappointed because it's not
going to have any effect on the econo-
my for the next three or four months,
and the real effect will be even longer
term," Grimes said.
He emphasized that many fac-
ets of the policy have already been in
effect for some time.
"In the end I sort of realized as I
was listening (to Obama's speech) that
we're just going to go forward with
what we've already got baked in the
cake and that this fiscal policy pro-
gram, whether it's good (or) bad, is not
really going to have much of an effect
on the short term."
Public Policy Dean Susan Collins
said she is optimistic Obama's plan may
improve the economy. The act's "main
pillars," including tax incentives for
small businesses and aid to states, are
"very sensible," she said.
"There was a real focus on some of
the tax incentive pieces and some of
the infrastructure types of expendi-
tures, which have really been support-
ed in a bipartisan way historically,"
Collins said.
She added that she is especially
hopeful about the bill's incentives for
small businesses. Among other tax
measures, the plan will expand cuts in
payroll taxes for small businesses and
provide a tax holiday for small busi-
nesses that hire new employees.
"It's clear that the small businesses
are the ones that are more, kind of con-
strained, and so trying to focus assis-
tance in that area makes a lot of sense,
especially because better job creation
does in fact come from small and medi-
umbusinesses," Collins said.
She also praised parts of Obama's
plan that offer aid to "hurting" states
to prevent teacher layoffs, modernize
schools and repair the nation's infra-
structure.
"If you're trying to do something
that's going to have any impact in
the relatively short run, some public
expenditures need to be there," Col-
lins said. "And the idea of assistance
to state and localities, for example, for
teachers - that's something that could
move pretty quickly and I think is real-
ly important to do.
But while Collins noted that the
plan could reduce unemployment by as
much as 1 percent nationwide within
the year, she said some of Obama's pro-
posals might not be directly linked to
job creation.
"I might have liked to see a little
more explicit tie-in (with) some of the
tax incentives to job creation than is
actually there, so I think that creates a
little more uncertainty in terms of how
much of the incentives will make a dif-
ference," Collins said.
She added that continuingeconomic
uncertainty is among the factors that
will affect the impact of the propos-
als. However, Doug Neal, managing
director of the University's Center for
Entrepreneurial Programs, wrote in an
e-mail interview that the plan could be
key in restoring consumers' faith in the
economy.
"It doesn't appear to be a long-term
fix but may increase consumer confi-
dence, which is key to helping us stim-
ulate the economy," he wrote.
Neal suggested that even if the plan
doesn't prove to be a long-term solu-
tion, it could still stimulate industry in
Michigan and lower the state unem-
ploymentrate currently at 10.9 percent,
according to July 2011 data from the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"The American Jobs Act, if
approved, should provide at least a
temporary increase in employment in
Michigan for construction-related jobs
and may even allow some small busi-
nesses to add some employees more
easily as we enter the shopping holiday
season," Neal wrote.
The plan may also be a boon for Uni-
versity students seeking jobs in Michi-
gan's growing entrepreneurial sector,
Neal added.
"The American Jobs Act may make
more internship opportunities possible
for our students at start-up companies,
and that is one way that can help," he
wrote.
Despite his optimism, Neal
explained more work would need to
be done to make Michigan hospitable
again for entrepreneurs and small busi-
ness owners even if Obama's proposals
spur a recovery for small business.
"Michigan has a tremendous oppor-
tunity to rebuild and be a leader in
innovation and entrepreneurship,"
he wrote. "Making it easier for expe-
rienced entrepreneurs who want to
relocate back to Michigan, and join a
start-up and join the momentum we
are building would be an additional
way we can continue to accelerate our
efforts."
Law lecturer: 'It's not
just unconstitutional, it's
un-American.'
By BRIENNE PRUSAK
Daily News Editor
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
decided today to reconsider its July ruling
to lift the state's ban on affirmative action
- potentially reinstating the prohibition of
considering race and gender in public uni-
versity admissions.
Proposal 2 originally passed in 2006
with a 58 to 42 percent vote, which dem-
onstrated Michigan residents' desire to
prevent preferential treatment based on
race and gender and thus ban affirmative
action. On July 1, a three-judge panel of the
6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed
the ruling in a 2-1 vote, calling the pro-
posal the cause of dwindling diversity on
campuses.
Since 2005, the number of underrepre-
sented minority students at the Univer-
sity has decreased each year despite more
admission offers to minority students and
an increase in underrepresented students
applying to the University. Last year, how-
ever, there was an increase in the percent-
age of underrepresented minority students
in the freshman class - with 10.6 percent
compared to 9.1 percent in 2009. This
could be partly attributed, though, to dif-
ferent ethnicity reporting instructions set
by the Higher Education Opportunity Act.
University Law lecturer Mark Rosen-
baum, an American Civil Liberties Union
lawyer who argued against the ban on
affirmative action in the 6th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals case, said he doesn't sup-
port Proposal 2 because it limits the power
of minorities.
"It's not just unconstitutional, it's un-
American, because it leaves out citizens
of color," Rosenbaum said. "It makes it
impossible to talk about race as one part of
the American mosaic."
He added that Proposal 2 subdues diver-
sity at universities and affects the discus-
sions of race and ethnicity that occur on
campuses.
"Proposal 2 locks out Michigan citizens
of color fromtalking about race asa diverse
student community," Rosenbaum said.
While Rosenbaum said he supports the
consideration of race. in college admis-
sions, he welcomes the chance to address
the court.
"I think the three-judge panel decided it
correctly, but I welcome the opportunity to
present the entire case to the entire court,"
he said.
George Washington, an attorney with
the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action,
Integration, and Immigration and Fight
for Equality By Any Means Necessary, said
BAMN's brief for the case is due on Oct. 11
and Attorney General Bill Schuette's brief
on behalf of the state is due on Dec. 12.
Washington, a plaintiff in the case, said he
expects the case to be heard in the spring.
While Washington said he would have
preferred the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals to not re-hear the case, he believes
his cause will prevail.
"I think we're going to win," he said. "I
think they decided to take it because it's an
important case for the entire county. Now
I think there will be a mass mobilization."
Washington emphasized that even if
affirmative action isn't outlawed when
the case is heard, minority students who
would have been admitted in the spring
will be the ones who "pay the price."
Kate Stenvig, a Rackham graduate and
leading member of the Coalition to Defend
Affirmative Action by Any Means Neces-
sary, said today's decision to hear the case
again will spur much activity by support-
ers of affirmative action.
"We're just going to keep fighting until
we win," she said. "We're determined to
build a movement strong enough to win
and increase minority enrollment now."
Stenvig added that BAMN will organize
marches at the University and around the
state as it has in the past. She pointed to
the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court case in which
it ruled in favor of the University's use of
affirmative action in admissions.
"In 2003, everyone was telling us we
couldn't win in the Supreme Court. We
organized 50,000 people to march on
Washington - 20 busloads of students
from the University, and more from all over
the country," she said. "We won because of
that movement and that mobilization."
* * RAINY DAY RECRUITMENT
Displaced residents grow
impatient after wildfires M
1,554 homes
destroyed, 17
people missing
in Texas
BASTROP, Texas (AP) - The
number of homes destroyed by
a Texas wildfire has risen to
1,554 and is expected to further
increase as firefighters enter
more areas where the blaze has
been extinguished, officials
said yesterday. Seventeen peo-
ple remain unaccounted for.
Bastrop County officials
joined by Democratic U.S. Rep.
Lloyd Doggett sought to pro-
vide new information to hun-
dreds of residents evacuated
from their homes a week ago
when blustering wind whipped
up by Tropical Storm Lee swept
across parched, drought-strick-
en Texas, helping to spark more
than 190 wildfires statewide.
The worst of the fires has cons
sumed more than 24,000 acres
in this area 30 miles southeast
of Austin.
While sharing the bad news
thatthetallyofdestroyedhomes
will increase, officials also told
some 100 residents who gath-
ered at a news conference yes-
terday that people would begin
going back into the scorched
areas today. A detailed plan will
allow residents to slowly enter
the evacuated areas over the
coming week as firefighters and
emergency responders ensure
the land has properly cooled,
hotspots are extinguished and
the blaze is contained.
Tensions and frustrations
boiled over at a similar gather-
ing on Saturday when residents
demanded to be allowed to
return to their neighborhoods
to see what remains of their
homes and attempt to salvage
a few belongings. Many people
were given only minutes to
evacuate as the raging blaze
surrounded homes and neigh-
borhoods. Some had time to
only gather a few important
belongings. Others left with
only the clothes on their back.
Still, Bastrop County Sher-
iff Terry Pickering said there
was no immediate concern for
the lives of the 17 people who
remain unaccounted for.
"They could have been on
vacation," he said.
George Helmke, 77, a retired
Delta airlines gate agent, is
scheduled to return to his home
on Thursday. A police roadblock
some 150 yards from his home is
preventing him from accessing
his property even though there
is no fire damage.
"It's almost inhumane and
I'm very frustrated," Helmke
said. "They've had us out eight
days already."
Engineering junior Steven Polowy advertises his club, Michigan Submarines, to students walking through this years Festifall
on the Diag on Sept. 9.
Evacuati on order i fted in
days following Penn. flooding
Thousands allowed
to return to their
homes as waters
recede
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -
Tens of thousands of people
forced from their homes in Penn-
sylvania were allowed to return
Saturday as the Susquehanna
River receded from some of the
highest floodwaters ever seen,
swollen by remnants of Tropical
Storm Lee.
Other residents evacuated
from river towns in New York
and Maryland were waiting for
permission to return as officials
surveyed flooding damage.
In northeastern Pennsylva-
nia, officials lifted an evacua-
tion order Saturday afternoon
for as many as 60,000 of 70,000
residents in and around Wilkes-
Barre. The rest would likely be
able to return later Saturday
and into yesterday, said Luzerne
County Emergency Manage-
ment Agency Director Stephen
Bekanich.
The Susquehanna's level had
dropped to about 32 feet Saturday
morning and was expected to be
back within its banks at about 29
feet, Luzerne County Commis-
sioner Maryanne Petrilla said.
Bekanich estimated damage
was in the tens of millions - but
could have been more than $3 bil-
lion if levees hadn't held.
"The levees held," Bekanich
said. "The levees performed mag-
nificently."
Much of the Northeast was
still soggy from Hurricane Irene
and its aftermath a week earlier
by the time Lee's rainy remnants
arrived.
The Susquehanna crested
Thursday at nearly 42.7 feet in
Wilkes-Barre, higher than the
record set during catastrophic
Hurricane Agnes in 1972, and at
25.7 feet in Binghamton, N.Y. The
river reached a 15-year high of
32.4 feet Friday at the Conowingo
Dam in northeastern Maryland.
At least 15 deaths have been
blamed on Lee and its aftermath:
seven in Pennsylvania, three in
Virginia, one in Maryland, and
four others killed when it came
ashore on the Gulf Coast last
week. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom
Corbett said Saturday state offi-
cials had received reports of five
additional deaths from the storm,
but that the circumstances of
those deaths had not been con-
firmed.
President Barack Obama
declared states of emergency
in Pennsylvania and New York,
opening the way for federal aid.
Binghamton Mayor Matt Ryan
said officials were working on
modifying evacuation orders
issued in flood-prone neigh-
borhoods so that people whose
homes weren't flooded could pos-
sibly return over the weekend.
Some of the 20,000 evacuated
Binghamton-area residents had
begun returning Friday.
a MAYRA BELTRAN/AP
Montgomery fire firefighter Reed Griffith crosses the fire south of Todd Mission, Texas in Waller County on Wednes-
day, Sept. 7,2011.