4A - Monday, November 12, 2012
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
4A - Monday, November12, 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
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the University of Michigan since 1890.
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tothedaily@michigandaily.com
TIMOTHY RABB
JOSEPH LICHTERMAN and ADRIENNE ROBERTS ANDREW WEINER
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.
FROM THE DAILY
Deservede Sfense
Legal counsel shouldn't vary throughout Mich.
Due process of law and the right to a fair trial are key indi-
cators of a functioning democracy. The U.S. Constitution
specifically guarantees "assistance of counsel" for every
defendant. Yet this right is not always guaranteed, even in the state
of Michigan. Some people are wrongly convicted and incarcerated
because they can't afford skilled legal advice or a certain county is
unable to provide representation due to a lack of funding. Citizens
being denied the right to afair trial because of inadequate resourc-
es is an unacceptable reality. On Thursday, the Michigan House
of Representatives - with bipartisan support - passed a bill that
would create a new system to oversee proper legal representation
for low-income defendants. This is a positive step toward ensuring
all citizens, regardless of their financial status, receive a qualified
attorney and a fair trial.
The fact is that there's a large group of
people who like Donald Trump and what
Donald Trump says. I have no regrets."
- Donald Trump said in response to his Twitter tirade, in which he called Obama's victory "a sham,
travesty and disgusting injustice," according to Businessweek.
The'United'States ofAmerica
Michigan has been widely criticized for an
inadequate job of assignment of legal counsel.
Much of the criticism is due to the decentralized
process of assigning lawyers to those who can-
not afford their own. House Bill 5804 proposes
centralizing the process, creating a 14-member
Michigan Indigent Defense Commission. This
commission will be responsible for overseeing
the appointment and performance of lawyers
representing low-income defendants.
Reports show that 45of83 Michigan counties
are spending below the state average of $7.83
per resident for indigent defense. As a result,
innocent people may have a greater chance of
incarceration simply because their county can't
spend enough money to provide them appro-
priate defense. The commission would seek to
level the playing field between public defenders
and prosecutors, while providing good attor-
neys for low-income defendants.
Since counties are struggling to correctly
appropriate funds on their own, this com-
mission would better the system and provide
defendants with a fair trial. Without proper
legal defense, it's quite possible that innocent
individuals are being incarcerated. This does
not line up with the justice system that our
founding fathers had in mind.
This commission will ensure proper spend-
ing to send the guilty to jail, while providing
satisfactory defense for all. It will also save
taxpayer money in the long run, as it is more
costly to fund incarceration of innocent indi-
viduals than to pay for a competent representa-
tive to begin with. Each year, the costs and fees
associated with incarceration of one person
is $35,000. Even providing each low-income
individual with a well-paid and qualified law-
yer would not match the price of incarcerating
innocent individuals. This money can be used
elsewhere in our struggling state.
As citizens, and as human beings, we have
the moral obligation to do anything possible to
ensure that innocent people are not wrongly
convicted. This commission takes a positive
step toward making this horrifying scenario
less likely to occur. All people deserve a fair
trial with proper legal representation, so if
counties can't provide a fair trial, it is the state's
responsibility to rectify the practice.
Wt e are not a collec-
tion of red states
and blue states -
we are, and for-
ever will be, the
United States of
America."
I first heard
these words on
July 27, 2004
during the
Democratic
National Con- PATRICK
vention's key- MAILLET
note address.
I watched a
youthful, black senator from Illi-
nois - whom I had never heard of
before, and whose name I couldn't
pronounce - enchant the crowd
with this simple, yetbrilliant creed.
Watching the speech on TV, my
mom and I just looked at each other
and said, "Whoa, who is this guy?"
1,272 days later, my mom and Isat
at the steps of the U.S. Capitol Build-
ing crying with a crowd of 2-mil-
lion people as we watched President
Barack Obama once again reiterate
this inspiring mantra during his
inaugural address.
And last Tuesday night, I could
do nothing but smile, teary-eyed, as
I watched Obama preach this creed
once more in his victory speech.
Although it has taken this coun-
try far too long to appreciate these
words, we are finally on the brink.
In the President's first term, par-
tisanship handcuffed our govern-
ment and ensured that little got
achieved. Nothing exemplified this
better than Senate Minority Leader
Mitch McConnell's daunting words
from 2010: "The single most impor-
tant thing we want to achieve is for
President Obama to be a one-term
president."
During the debt crisis last sum-
mer, we -watched as a desperate.
Speaker of the House John Boehner
seemed to be torn between sensible
Republicans willing to compromise
and radicals more focused on cutting
Planned Parenthood than actually
solving the nation's pressing prob-
lems. Terrified of mutiny, Boehner
refused to even consider the possibil-
ity of raising taxes and allowed the
Tea Party radicals to overpower the
Old Guard Republicans.
Although Obama won a second
term as president, Tuesday night's
real winner was Boehner. Of the 16
Senate candidates endorsed by the
TeaPartyExpress, 12 lost, and some
of the more radical Tea Party repre-
sentatives also lost their reelection
bids. The Tea Party movement was
able to hijack Congress in the 2010
midterm elections, but America has
finally woken up and realized these
radicals' only accomplishment is
dividing our government even fur-
ther. Boehner has finally regained
control of his party, and with that
newfound power the opportunities
of these next four years are truly
endless.
Now, hopefully, Boehner and
other Republicans will understand
that a Tea Party-dominated politi-
cal conversation is no longer savvy.
The American people have loudly
proclaimed their distrust and dis-
appointment in Tea Party-grid-
locked government.
Do I expect Boehner and his
majority to suddenly become a pack
of wild liberals who rubber-stamp
everything the President puts in
front of them? Absolutely not. How-
ever, the message was made loud
and clear last week by the American
people: radicalism will not be toler-
ated and compromise isvital. Finally,
the adults in the room can have a civil
conversation without the disobedi-
ent brat that is the Tea Party getting
in the way of reliable legislation.
Whether it's tackling the
impending "fiscal cliff,"- a fast
approaching expiration date for
many tax cuts and deductions -
lessening our dependence on for-
eign oil or finally taking on the
perils of climate change, compro-
mise between the President and
levelheaded House Republicans is
essential to effectively deal with
the issues we face. Without the
fear of Tea Party backlash, perhaps
Republicans will finally be will-
ing to couple modest tax increases
with spending cuts, the only realis-
tic way to eliminate our deficit and
begin to pay down our debt.
A lot of people accuse me of being
far too idealistic. They claim that
Washington D.C. will just go back
to being what it has been for the
last two years. There's definitely a
chance this will happen. Many are
already losing faith in our govern-
ment in response to Boehner's Fri-
day ABC News interview when he
stated that any tax rate increases
are "unacceptable" in terms of bar-
gaining with the President.
The U.S. could
be on the brink
of a bipartisan
breakthrough.
This interview was somewhat
ominous, but politics is also a lot
like poker - you never show the
other guy your cards. Boehner may
eventually be coerced into agreeing
to modest tax increases, particu-
larly on the wealthy, but he would
never reveal that prior to the onset
of the negotiations - that would
just be poor bargaining skills.
America could very well be on
the brink of a major bipartisan
breakthrough. The odds are cer-
tainly stacked against us - the
markets don't have faith in us, the
credit rating agencies are skeptical
and most Americans have already
lost hope. Obama and Boehner must
seize their respective opportunities
and help lead this country.
After all, if debt ends up crush-
ing our future or if climate change
ends up reshaping our country, the
effects won't only be felt by red
states or blue states, they will be felt
by all of us. Unity has always been
the key to America's success, and
although many believe America's
best days are behind us, I look to the
future more hopeful than ever.
- Patrick Maillet can be
reached at maillet@umich.edu.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Barry Belmont, Eli Cahan, Nirbhay Jain,
Jesse Klein, Melanie Kruvelis, Patrick Maillet, Jasmine McNenny,
Harsha Nahata, Timothy Rabb, Adrienne Roberts, Vanessa Rychlinski,
Sarah Skaluba, Michael Spaeth, Gus Turner, Derek Wolfe
JOANA MCKEOUN i
Beyond pnthe pk ribbons
This past month, you've probably seen the
color pink everywhere on campus - on the
Diag, Angell Hall club tables, the "Go Blue,
Wear Pink" t-shirts, Facebook pages and
even a "Best Chest" competition at a sorority.
The color pink has successfully been asso-
ciated with breast cancer awareness in our
minds. Have you ever seen another cancer
advertised? Even if you have, its visibility is
nowhere close to breast cancer's.
Don't get me wrong; the color pink has led
breast cancer to needed improvement, even
though it's still the second leading cancer in
women. But now it has turned into a market.
The survival rate of breast cancer is continu-
ously improving, and more women are get-
ting check-ups yearly. In the last 60 years,
survival rates have tripled. True, awareness
helped this upsurge, but the breast cancer
market has shifted. Breast cancer isn't just a
cancerous disease any more. It's marketable,
profitable and even exploitative. For example,
Sextoy.com offers a "Breast Cancer Aware-
ness" vibrator. Other products that have used
the pink ribbon include Evian water bottles,
guns with pink handles, Panera, Fuze bottles,
the National Football League, Yoplait yogurt,
pepper spray, Hungry Howie's pizza, Mike's
Hard Pink Lemonade and flowers at Kroger.
The list goes on and on. Attaching the color
pink encourages a purchase done for the com-
pany's own benefit.
If you're somehow associated with a differ-
enttype ofcancer,continuallyseeingthe color
pink may create a negative opinion towards
the way breast cancer awareness is handled.
If you search "cancer awareness" on Google
images, you are greeted only with pink, pink
and more pink. This doesn't just happen dur-
ing breast cancer awareness month.
Karuna Jagger, an executive director of
Breast Cancer Action, is offended by the cur-
rent state of awareness. "Pink has become a
distraction. You put a pink ribbon on it, (and)
people stop asking questions," Jagger said.
The color pink isn't serving its purpose of
working against breast cancer anymore - it's
simply being used now for publicity.
Research and awareness is needed for
more than just breast cancer; breast cancer
is no longer the highest leading risk and now
many women repeatedly get mammograms.
It has been the most funded cancer for years.
The American Cancer Society gets the major-
ity of its donations for breast cancer. Spread-
ing the news that September is Childhood
Cancer Awareness Month or that dark blue is
for colon cancer - which causes more deaths
that breast cancer - could start a change.
Promoting more than only the color pink,
could be so powerful.
I will admit to being biased because I per-
sonally battle a cancer with only a 33 percent
survival rate (Breast cancer has nearly an 80
percent survival rate). It's beyond stressful
being a cancer patient and seeing nothing but
pink advertised everywhere.
If other cancers were given support, would
their survival rates increase? Yes. There are
people who aren't surviving cancer because
there aren't as many funds available to find a
cure for their disease. It's a confusing reality
that needs to change - cancer shouldn't be
diminished to just a profitable pink ribbon.
Joana McKeoun is an LSA junior.
,ust like all s
have been deE
forward to ti
23rd James Bond
movie, "Sky-
fall." The third
Bond film star-
ring Daniel Craig
opened to rave
reviews similar
to his first film,
"Casino Royale,"
from 2006.
Craig, who
offered the series
a reboot by por-
traying a younger,]
Bond, flourishes in t
directors along wit
The New York Tic
Manohla Dargis put
contract that the B
with its fans long a
basics approach alot
tive innovation has
new additions to ch
chises for years to cc
"Skyfall" has bee
office success. Aftei
toric numbers in t
dom and Ireland,
Reporter projected
could open in the $1
After the film's criti
triumph, it's safe t:
Craig restart to the
is an overwhelmini
nately for us Bond f
that Craig has airea
two more films.
The, success of t
has only recently
second biggest stor
On Nov. 1, Disney p
Lucas' Lucasfilm f
including rights to
series. And Disneyr
ed writing the Epi
Entertainment Nev
will be a completel
line which sent ma
Bond sets the bar
py movie fans, I through the industry. Speculation
sperately looking and rumors about the upcoming
he release of the film, scheduled for 2015, have sky-
rocketed. Lucas, the creator of the
series and director of five of the
six films, will be on call as a cre-
ative consultant but will primarily
be uninvolved in the project. Some
fans see this as a positive shift after
the overall negative reception of
Episodes I, II and III, while others
worry "Star Wars Episode VII" will
TIMOTHY stray too far from its roots.
BURROUGHS Regardless of the creative direc-
tion of the film, Disney has made
a huge financial investment in the
less experienced thought-to-be-dead franchise. The
he role. The new precedent for this type of deal was
h Craig have, as set in 2009 when Disney purchased
mes movie critic Marvel, creators of "The Aveng-
t it, "honored the ers," "X-Men" and "Spiderman" for
ond series made $4 billion. The deal has been a huge
go." This back to economic success for Disney, high-
ng with new posi- lighted by the May release of "The
set the bar for Avengers." The film has become the
assic movie fran- third highest grossing of all time
ome. at $1.5 billion worldwide. Further-
n an instant box more, with the release of "Iron Man
r putting up his- 3" scheduled for May 2013, Disney
he United King- is already reaping the benefits of the
The Hollywood deal. This is clearly the same out-
I that "Skyfall" come the company executives are
80-million range. hoping for with the Lucasfilm deal.
ical and financial The true debate and frustration
o say the Daniel occurs when fans of these huge
Bond franchise movie franchises feel the entertain-
g success. Fortu- ment companies are simply turn-
ans, it's rumored ing out movies just for the profits.
ady signed on for I can hardly point a finger at the
firms with billion dollar profits on
'he Craig restart the table for making the movies, but
dominated the fans worry, and are consistently cor-
y in Hollywood. rect, that the quality of these mul-
urchased George tiple sequels are subpar.
or $4.05 billion The obvious example of this
the Star Wars occurred in the "Indiana Jones"
has already start- franchise. Grossing $786-million
sode VII script. worldwide, the fourth film in the
ws reports there series, "Indiana Jones and The
y original story- Kingdom of the Crystal Skull",
jor shock waves was met with extremely negative
high
reviews from critics. However, the
$786 million earn is about $300
million more than "Indiana Jones
and The Last Crusade", the second
highest total for the franchise. The
negative critical receptions clearly
didn't translate to the same gap in
box office earnings.
Fans are often
distraught when
subpar sequels
disappoint.
This realization has worried
many Star Wars fans including
myself, who have already had to suf-
fer through the acting of Hayden
Christensen and the addition of Jar
Jar Binks, which surprisingly still
resulted in the franchise's highest
box office earnings.
Bond has set the bar high for the
rejuvenation mark for movie fran-
chises. Disney is clearly confident
that they can top that effort and re-
kindle the love for Star Wars many
of us share. Probably regardless for
how Disney proceeds creatively, the
box office results will be there and
shareholders will be pleased. For
the shareholders, this is a great sys-
tem because regardless of quality
the financial numbers will be stag-
gering. However, we can hardly put
the blame for this lack of emphasis
on creative quality on the industry.
Maybe we should prepare for anoth-
er painful mark on the Star Wars
legacy, but it's irrational to accuse
Lucas, Lucasfilm or Disney for their
clearly savvy financial move.
-Timothy Burroughs can be
reached at timburr@umich.edu.
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