4A - Monday, November 12, 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4A - Monday, November12, 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. A420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 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. 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 affilia- tion. We do not print anonymous letters. Send letters to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.