4 4A -Wednesday, December 7, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com fi tidhiian &4~l Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com MICHELLE DEWITT STEPHANIE STEINBERG and EMILY ORLEY NICK SPAR EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS MANAGING EDITOR 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. Imran Syed is the public editor. He can be reached at publiceditor@michigandaily.com. FROM THE DAILY Drive awav sales tax Senate shouldn't adopt infrastructure proposal Republican Gov. Rick Snyder presented a report in late Octo- ber from the state House of Representatives Transporta- tion Committee that found the costs to meet Michigan's infrastructure needs would exceed the current budget allotment by $1.4 billion. In an attempt to account for this discrepancy, the state Senate is considering a proposal to increase infrastructure funding by replacing the current gas tax with an increased sales tax. The proposal would unfairly tax residents and should not replace the current gas tax. HANNAH DOW E-MAIL HANNAH AT HDOW @UMICH.EI)U 4 'Tis the season to ask for absolutely -eore. covete preposterous things, in order to get the usual socks, underwear and the °,occasional electronic device Gbson Les Paul -Gol olex Sustainable jobs U nemploymentin the state ronment for Michiganders and supporting the car industry to bring of Michigan is the fourth specifically Detroiters. It is impor- labor jobs back from foreign soil to highest in the nation at tant to keep in mind that Detroit's the United States. 10.6 percent. unemployment rate, at 12.7 percent, The unemploy- -~ is higher than the state's already ment rate has upsettingly high rate - illustrat- been higher inghow imperative it is to focus our Green collar jobs than 10 percent - efforts on Detroit. for longer than These efforts include transform- can help restore any other state. ing and re-opening old automobile Those are the manufacturing plants - that were the economy. cold, hard, dis- NORA once the epitome of the Detroit, heartening, facts. STEPHENS and Michigan, economy - into But who plants that manufacture items like In addition to supporting the are the unem- electric vehicles and wind turbines re-opening of old plants for manu- ployed? I find these numbers are that are environmentally friendly, facturing environmentally friendly often thrown at us without explain- though there is some debate as to items, we can also support the ing the true demographics of how effective electric vehicles are in weatherization of low-income people who are having difficulty terms of reducing the use of natural homes to cut-down homeowners' putting food on the table for their resources, they are an effective way heat costs. An initiative by non- families. In Michigan, the chron- to eradicate some of the country's profits WARM Training Center and ically-unemployed come from disgustingly high fossil fuel usage. Southwest Solutions aims to cre- working class communities, where And what better place to mass- ate jobs for the chronically unem- even people who have jobs are not produce these vehicles than in the ployed by refurbishing the homes receiving a livable wage. Over two- Motor City? of low-income senior citizens in thirds of workers in the state earn a An e-petition, titled "Electric the Detroit area. Southwest Solu- median wage that is considered low Vehicles: Built by Michigan," is cir- tions works with WARM Training income for a family of four. cling around and calling for people Center, which offers free, unpaid, In the recent weeks there have to "urge Governor Rick Snyder 10-week long skill-trainings in been several Michigan Daily articles and the state Legislature to sup- home repair, green building and written about the importance of port the success of Michigan's energy-efficient building. These sustainability. So propose we talk emerging electric car industry." By trainings have created 11 corps of about combining the two - let's contacting our local and state gov- workers who are skilled in making start a conversation around sustain- ernment, we can voice our support homes more energy efficient at a ability and working-class jobs, or for "Senator Stabenow's proposed low cost. We can support the work what esteemed environmental and legislation that would allow electric of programs like these, which cre- civil rights activist Van Jones calls a vehicle buyers to receive a direct ate working-class jobs, cut down "green collar economy." rebate instead of a tax credit" and the heating bills of low-income citi- So what can be done? And how "implementing clean fuel standards zens and improve the energy effi- can college students have an effect that require an increasing percent- ciency of homes. on improving the state's unemploy- age of electricity and other alter- Supporting green collar jobs is a ment rate? native fuels for powering vehicles key piece in supporting an economic My work as an intern with a within Michigan" - just to name a recovery in Michigan. The work Southeast Michigan branch of Jobs few of the petition's proposals. By is currently taking place, but more for Justice, a coalition-building supporting the growth of the elec- supporters are necessary, so let's community organizing group, has tric car industry and the manufac- rally around the creation of jobs and given me some firsthand insight turing of these vehicles in Detroit, sustainable initiatives. into what could fundamentally we are supporting the necessity to improve employment levels and open more plants and create more -Nora Stephens can be have positive effects on the envi- jobs for workers - not to mention, reached at norals@mich.edu. CLARE TOENISKOETTER E Make local food affordable for all I 0 In Michigan, infrastructure funding comes from a 19 cent per gallon state tax on gas. The proposal put forward by state Sen. Howard Walker (R-Traverse City) last week would replace the revenue lost from cutting the gas tax by increasing the state sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent. The extra rev- enue - estimated at $830 million in 2012 by the Senate Fiscal Agency - would go to the Michigan Transportation Fund. According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, the state would lose $962 million if the gas tax were repealed. The rev- enue from Walker's proposal would increase to an estimated $1.14 billion in2013, but costs associated with implementing the measure could lower the potential revenues, accord- ing to the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association. A gas tax is a logical way to raise revenue for state road repairs. Under the current system, when drivers buy gas, they pay for their vehicle's fuel and use of the road. This system makes sense because drivers who use the roads are the people paying to upkeep them. By increasing in the sales tax, the Legislature would be putting the burden on all Michigan residents instead of those who use roads the most. In order to raise the sales tax, voters would have to amend the state constitution. As the recession has been particularly harsh in Michigan, it will be difficult to convince residents to voluntarily raise taxes. The cam- paign for the proposal would be costly and time consuming, and no back-up plan to gen- erate the funds lost by repealing the gas tax currently exists. Michigan's already deterio- rating infrastructure would be set back even further if voters rejected the measure. Proponents of repealing the gas tax say cities along Michigan's border are hurt when drivers go to neighboring states to fill up their vehicles, but there is little evidence of signifi- cant economic impact. The proposal does not solely impact border cities, and justifications based on the impact to border cities alone fail to account for the good of the state. Lowering the price of gas would also nega- tively impact the environment. The gas tax and high gas prices discourage people from driving, which means less greenhouse gases from tailpipes are released. A repeal of the gas tax would likely increase gas sales, and it would not discourage people from making environmentally conscious driving decisions. There is no doubt that the state's infra- structure must be addressed, seeing that Michigan's roads are consistently voted some of the worst in the nation. But this proposal puts Michigan in a worse position to fix the problem. Other proposals - including rais- ing vehicle registration fees - should be explored to return Michigan's roads back to favorable conditions and to fund the project the right way. a 0 6 0 EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Aida Ali, Michelle DeWitt, Ashley Griesshammer, Nirbhay Jain, Jesse Klein, Patrick Maillet, Erika Mayer, Harsha Nahata, Emily Orley, Teddy Papes, Timothy Rabb, Vanessa Rychlinski, Caroline Syms, Seth Soderborg, Andrew Weiner JESSE KLEIN IE Pass on English grades For most classes, I know what I have to do to get a good grade. Math, do more practice problems. Science, study the book and make flashcards. But with English classes, I feel powerless to increase my grade through sheer hard work. Writing is an extremely important skill for all majors. If you are able to write well, you will succeed in more jobs and be more valuable to your field of study. It is important to be able to communicate your ideas to other professionals, but students should be focusing on improving this vital skill instead of pleas- ingthe professor. English classes are extreme- ly subjective, and 100 level classes should be taken pass/fail. of course, it is possible to take any class pass/fail, but that option tends to look bad on a transcript. Most students, pro- fessors and professional or graduate schools see a pass/fail class as a way to hide a C-. There is such variance in English profes- sors. English 100 level classes are taught by a variety of instructors, from graduate stu- dent instructors to lecturers and professors. Each level has different standards for A, B and C papers because of their differences in experience. English professors also do not put papers through a scantron - there is no formulaic standard for grading and instead, the grade is based off the specific professors' nuances. The best way for students in differ- ent English classes to be treated equally is to change the format of the classes to be taken pass/fail. It is usually easy to tell if a student has put effort into a paper. If the paper meets require- ments, has insight, an interesting thought pro- cess and has been edited, itusually will receive at least a C. The variances come in the passing grades, Cs through As. But this can be the dif- ference in getting into a good graduate school. An A paper for one professor may be a C to another. Students applying to medical school, the Ross School of Business or any graduate school in general, need a high GPA. Some stu- dents enroll in the College of Literature Sci- ence and the Arts to go into the sciences and do not need to be the next Hemingway. They need to be able to communicate their ideas clearly, not tell amazingstories in fantastically creative ways. Most students expect English to be a class that can boost their GPAs and, for some it is, but for others who are stuck with hard graders it can cause their GPAs to suffer. The difference in English professors' grades can artificially inflate or deflate a student's GPA regardless of the academic ability of the student. Graduate or professional schools do not know which students had harsh graders and which had easier ones. The schools might pass over a student with a lower GPA for a higher one - unaware that the student with the lower GPA was writing better papers for a more-difficult-to-please professor. The point of English classes is to increase. the writing ability of students. Professors stress that the class is not about getting an A but exploring oneself through interesting top- ics. Grammar and clarity can be improved by learning the rules, but a person's writing style is entirely their own and should not have to be compromised to fit the likes of a professor. Writing is an art form and personal opinion on how something should be communicated. Making English 100 level classes pass/fail would allow students to keep their creative license without sacrificing a good grade. Jesse Klein is an LSA freshwan The Farmers Market, the People's Food Co-op, the Produce Station, Harvest Kitchen, the Homegrown Fes- tival, the Jolly Pumpkin - inAnn Arbor, the list of places where residents can buy and eat locally grown food goes on and on. But is it as easy for residents of other cities to buy community-based agriculture? And how affordable is this lifestyle? Take two Michigan communities: Ann Arbor and Pon- tiac. Residents of Ann Arbor tend to be wealthy and white. With a population of 113,934, 73 percent of residents are white, the median income for a family is $71,293 and only 4.6 percent of families are below the poverty line, accord- ing to the U.S. Census Bureau. Pontiac, on the other hand, is a less wealthy city made up of more minorities. Pontiac has a population of 59,515, of which S1.1 percent are Afri- can American, 26.6 percent are white and 16.5 percent are Hispanic or Latino. The median income of a family is only $36,391 with 18 percent of families living below the poverty line. Comparing the two cities, local food options are dras- tically different. Ann Arbor offers dozens of regional food options year-round, including grocery stores, mar- kets, restaurants and cafes where patrons can buy and eat local. Looking for local food in Pontiac? Good luck. Two small grocery stores feature "Market" in their name and sell some produce from nearby farms, but for a true farmers' market or restaurants featuring dishes from community farms, Pontiac residents would have to commute to affluent neighboring communities such as Rochester or Birmingham. Even if Pontiac did offer the cornucopia of choices seen in Ann Arbor, it is unlikely that Pontiac residents could bear the price tag that often goes along with local pro- duce. However, the prices are not exorbitantly expensive - at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market, a dozen eggs can be bought for $3, 8 pounds of potatoes for $4 and a head of lettuce for $2. Still, this is more expensive than buy- ing similar products at Meijer where a dozen eggs is only $1.68, 8 pounds of potatoes are $2.30 and a head of lettuce is $1.29. A few dollars in savings can go a long way for low income residents. Perhaps economically struggling people would resort to the even cheaper $1 McDouble hamburger at McDon- ald's or 89 cents cheesy double beef burrito at Taco Bell, which are not local or healthy, yet they flaunt a much more affordable bill for impecunious residents of Pon- tiac. This dilemma was recently looked at by researchers at the University of Washington who found that nutrient- dense, low-calorie foods are pricier than their high-fat, unhealthy counterparts. Additionally, each year nutri- ent-dense foods are becoming more expensive at a quick- er rate than the calorie-packed foods. With this price discrepancy, we can only expect people with financial problems to become more reliant on cheap, unhealthy food like McDonald's and Taco Bell. Yes, buying local food has its benefits, including sup- porting the regional economy, knowing where your food comes from, lessening your environmental impact and, depending on the person, even enjoying better tasting food. However, locally grown food options tend to be not only more expensive, but also simply not present in slightly poorer communities. Cities like Pontiac should look to expand local food options and offer this food at equal or lower prices to grocery stores. To make food affordable, local farms could accept food stamps, make donations to food pantries, encourage community pro- grams where people can volunteer on farms and receive food in exchange for their services or the government could offer subsidies to lower prices. Pontiac, and other cities in similar situations, can also turn to Detroit as a model for improvement. In addition to farmers' markets and local food vendors, Detroit has spearheaded an urban farms initiative. One of these farms, the D-Town Farm, is 4 acres and grows 35 kinds of fruit and vegetables. Planted by volunteers, the farm helps feed a community and bring people together. Farms like this make Detroit a progressive city when it comes to providing affordable alternative food options to its residents. Urban farms are bringing jobs, healthy local produce and a better environment to the struggling city of Detroit. Would a similar program succeed in Pontiac? For urban farms like those in Detroit to expand to other poverty-stricken areas, word needs to spread about the benefits of urban farms. Through schools, commu- nity programs and media, the success of urban farms in Detroit should be stressed to residents of other strug- gling areas. This will create a demand, and once Pontiac residents want these farms, the farms are more likely to succeed. Though the situation in Detroit is looking up, let us not forget Pontiac. Pontiac is only one example of an econom- ically struggling community that offers few local food options due to both availability and affordability. There are many more cities in Michigan and across the country in similar situations where residents have no option but to buy unhealthy imported food. Cities should start look- ing to Detroit as an example and make local food afford- able not just for the affluent, but for all. Clare Toeniskoetter is an LSA junior * A