4A - Monday, September 30, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4A - Monday, September 3D, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom b Ie Mhdiigan &ail, Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com MELANIE KRUVELIS and ADRIENNE ROBERTS MATT SLOVIN EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS MANAGING EDITOR ANDREW WEINER EDITOR IN CHIEF 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. FR2O M f HDAL One successful nerd? Snyder should stand up against the Tea Party for moderate values Although Gov. Rick Snyder hasn't officially announced his re- election bid for 2014, his campaign machine has begun saturat- ing the airwaves with a new slogan "One Successful Nerd," an update of his original "One Tough Nerd" motto. While the slogan fits a nice narrative, "successful" may be a bit presumptuous. Through tough budgeting and some controversial decisions, Michigan's operating deficit is gone and the economy is on the mend. Snyder has put in much effort to attract businesses to the state of Michigan - some would argue quite successfully. However, Snyder can only claim success if his administra- tion stands up for moderate values and sound policy against the state's This semester I'm taking a strategy class in the Busi- ness school called "The Corporation in Society." The course debates the purpose of the modern-day corporation and ponders if it has an obligation to fulfill a social HARSHA purpose. But, on the first day of NAHATA class we started thinking about the purpose of a university educa- tion and whether that purpose is being served to its maximum. And that's a discussion that isn't had enough. In 1907, psychologist William James delivered an address at Rad- cliffe College titled "The Social value of the College-Bred." It's amazing to see that central themes and questions posed in this address are still relevant. James draws a dis- tinction between a technical school education and liberal-arts universi- ties. He points out that a university education is a way to gain a broader understanding of the world and a place to exercise your thinking in a way that's different than perfecting a specific skill. Yet, university education is increasingly becoming special- ized and skill-oriented. From the start there's pressure to focus on a particular area and excel at build- ing tangible workplace skill sets in a particular department. With pre-professional tracks and com- bined masters/bachelors programs, sometimes incoming freshman Unstuck already have the next four years mapped out. But looking back at my university experience, it's the uncertainty and ability to experi- ment that has contributed to my growth the most. I remember when I started col- lege three years ago: I came in with a clear idea of how I thought it would be. I knew what organiza- tions I wanted to join and what I wanted to study. I was going to be best friends with my roommate. Everyone I talked to told me college was going to be the best four years of my life, and coming in I thought I knew exactly what to do to make sure that was the case. I couldn't have been more wrong. College has still been the best years of my life, but in a complete- ly unexpected way. From orga- nizations I'm a . part of, to the Losing o major I've cho- now and sen, I'm learn- ing about things broader that I didn't even know education existed four years ago, much less was interested in. My passions, interests and goals have all evolved, and I know they will continue to. And each step of the way has been a huge learning experience - even things that I thought were com- pletely irrelevant at the time have played a central role in getting me to the point I'm at now. In fact, I only wish I had come in with less of a plan, and had allowed myself even more free- dom to explore. This past sum- mer, I watched one of Educational Theatre Company's productions at freshman orientation. Watching that performance as a rising senior gave me a different perspective. There isa part in the play that men- tions that, inevitably, at some point everyone coming into college will find themselves "stuck" - stuck to old habits, friends, comfortable things. And to fully appreciate one's college experience one has to become "unstuck." It took me until senior year to realize how stuck I had been. And I only wish I had seen that sooner. One of my favorite quotes says: "Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone." I knew this, and coming into college I fully planned to embody this, and, yet, soon found myself unconsciously slipping back into my comfort zone. The thing is, cus every sometimes even then has once you real- ize that you're ned mys stuck, becoming unstuck is the al outlook. hard part. It's hard because it's so much easier to stay in your comfort zone. It's natural. So often you find yourself falling into it even when you didn't know you were. But slowly ventur- ing out beyond that comfort has led to some of the most formative experiences I've had. And when I look back, I can pinpoint the way in which losing focus every now and then has broadened my educational outlook. -Harsha Nahata can be reached at hnahata@umich.edu. Tea Party-dominated legislature. Despite announcing that Michigan's edu- cational system "does not work" at an educa- tional summit in April, state government has done more to enhance problems for higher education than to fix them. Since Snyder has been in office, funding for public universities has decreased by 11.35 percent, spurring fur- ther privatization of supposedly public insti- tutions and driving up tuition. Michigan's lack of commitment to education is an embar- rassment, and Snyder should use his bully pul- pit to reprioritize it in Lansing. Furthermore, Snyder has done little to attract students to stay in Michigan after graduation from any of the state's colleges. Michigan invests in students and degrees only to have graduates leave and take their talent elsewhere. Providing incentives to companies that hire young people would entice quali- fied students to stay in state after graduation. Improving public transit between Detroit and other Michigan cities, creating a student-loan forgiveness program and properly implement- ing the Affordable Care Act are only a few pol- icies that could help prevent brain drain. Several of the largest failures of Snyder's first term stem from the comically conserva- tive Republicans in the state legislature, and the governor's inability to keep that caucus under control. The controversial right-to- work legislation passed despite Snyder's insistence that it was not a priority policy for his administration. It's difficult to keep young people in the state with restrictive abor- tion laws and policies that are hostile to the LGBTQ community. Some of these laws being pushed through the lame-duck legislature make Snyder appear aloof and outgunned by his more conservative GOP peers. The gover- nor should clarify his social views, and abide by his campaign promise to be socially lib- eral. Whether those views conflict with the far right of his party, Snyder should stay true to his campaign promises and push for more moderate social legislation. Snyder has a lot of work to do if he wants the support of students in the upcoming elec- tion, first by standing up to the Tea Party ideologues in Lansing. More funding for higher education, incentives for companies that hire recent graduates, improved infra- structure and more moderate social views can help the governor go from "nerd" to "suc- cessful nerd." EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Barry Belmont, Eli Cahan, Eric Ferguson, Jesse Klein, Melanie Kruvelis, Maura Levine, Patrick Maillet, Aarica Marsh, Megan McDonald, Harsha Nahata, Adrienne Roberts, Paul Sherman, Sarah Skaluba, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe Thank you., Ted FOLLOW THE DAILY ON TWITTER Keep up with columnists, read Daily editorials, view cartoons and join in the debate. Check out @michigandaily to get updates on Daily opinion content throughout the day. MARION BERGER I Say 'no more' to generalizations On a sunny football Saturday about two weeks ago, I was walking down East Univer- sity Avenue with a few friends when I decided to share an amusing fact I had realized earlier that day: the only maize and blue shirt I had was one that read: "I love girls that love girls." My friends and I laughed, buta male student sitting at a table on the street overheard our conversation and chose to yell at me, "Hey, me too! Hey, are you tryingto lez out?" My friends, being as great as they are, responded with some choice words, and a sarcastic "Oh, I'm so happy we live in such a'progressive' town." Problem solved, right? Not quite. I don't think I can accurately describe the anger this stirred in me. To rewind a little bit, I think I need to explain that I only very recently became comfortable with my sexuali- ty. Nine years of Catholic school plus a lifetime of sexual/sexuality conservatism in my broad- er families, precipitated by a hetero-normative and homophobic culture, left me suppressing my feelings for women for 19 long years of my life. It wasn't until I moved into a co-op last year that I started to come to terms with the fact that I had always been queer, whether willing to admit it to myself or not. Over the past 10 months or so, I've gone through an incredible transformation. I now feel that I have not only "come to terms" with my sexuality, but I actively celebrate it. Years of suppression morphed into pride and a comfort with myself that I never imagined I could experience. Sometimes I want to scream from the rooftops: "I'm a woman who loves women!" Because I really do, and I've never felt so proud of it. Fast-forward to that day on the street wherein my fellow student asked me if I was "tryingto lez out." This language represents a male-dominated culture that fetishizes les- bian identities. Let me just say this to the male population at Michigan once: Lesbians are not here to serve your fantasies. In fact, we, and all women and people, are not here to serve your anything. We want nothing to do with you sexually. And, please, don't even get me started on the confusion around bisexuality - if a woman likes both men and women, her/ ze's/their relationships with women still have nothing to do with you. This situation has been eating away at me ever since it happened. What bothers me most about this language is that the Univer- sity and Ann Arbor at large claim to be hubs of progressive ideologies, and, at the very least, claim to be accepting of all identities. However, I feel uncomfortable every time a class, club or meetingstarts without asking people their preferred gender pronouns. For the record, though I disagree with the gender binary in general, I'm lucky enough to feel comfortable with the sex identity I was born into. But what about my transgender, gender- queer, etc. peers? I feel uncomfortable wear- ing my "LGBTQ" pride shirt to class and club meetings for fear that another club member or professor is homophobic. I feel uncomfort- able with the large portion of Greek life on our campus that reinforces a heteronorma- tive, and often patriarchal, society. To be fair, I don't mean to blanket all of Greek life with generalizations. I merely mean to say that the system is based on antiquated understandings of sexuality and gender. In a country that appears to have made great strides forward in the acceptance of queer identities, represented by the more than 50 percent of Americans who support same- sex marriage, I'm sad to say that I still feel uncomfortable and exiled on Michigan's cam- pus. Perhaps this is indicative of the nature of the argument for same-sex marriage: that it emphasizes tolerance and acceptance over a real understanding of the harmfulness of all binaries. I have to say that I'm unbelievably lucky to live in the co-op I do, where it's explicit that feeling comfortable to be oneself with- out judgment or harassment is the norm. For those who don't have this privilege - all my fellow LGBTQI/A-Z individuals on this campus struggling every day - I'm with you. Pride isstill our parade, so come yell from the rooftops with me sometime. It's only through pride and solidarity that we have a chance of moving forward together. In my last two years here, I'm making it my point to say "no more" to this kind of behavior and thinking on our campus. Nineteen years is a longtime to refuse your own identity. Join me in spending the next 60 years defending it. Marion Berger is an LSA junior. Thank you, Ted Cruz. After the Texas senator's epic, 21-hour floor speech Tues- day in which he advocated defunding the Affordable Care Act, I have nothing to say but thank you. (Side note: we don't call PATRICK Social SecurityPA IC Roosevelt-Care MAILLET or Medicare Johnson-Care. The bill has a name, and it's the Affordable Care Act.) Although a thank you is in order simply because Cruz further exem- plified just how comically divided and reckless the Republican Party is with his 21-hour rant, my gratitude is for something Cruz said during his speech. At 8 p.m., approximately five hours into his remarks, Cruz began reading Dr. Seuss's "Green Eggs and Ham". Although Cruz made the bold claim that his father had invented the colorful dish three hours prior in his speech, the main reason he read the story was for his two young daugh- ters watching back home in Texas. For those unfamiliar with the story, "Green Eggs and Ham" is the tale of a man who refuses to eat green eggs and ham even though the char- acter "Sam-I-Am" relentlessly thinks of odd scenarios in which the man could possibly eat the dish. Eventu- ally, in an effort to get Sam-I-Am to leave him alone, the man finally tries a bite and realizes that he actually loves it. At the end of the dramatized read- ing, Cruz asserted that there may be some similarities between this clas- sic children's story and the ACA. As Cruz explained, "They did not like Obamacare in a box with a fox, in a house or with a mouse." His point was that no matter where or how you implement the contentious 2010 leg- islation, America will not like it. One would assume that some- where along the educational path of a man who graduated cum laude from Princeton and then magna cum laude from Harvard Law, "Green Eggs and Ham" would probably be covered. And yet Cruz - with his impres- sive educational background, self- proclaimed fan-hood of Dr. Seuss and, apparently, the rightful heir to the green eggs and ham recipe - somehow missed the actual mean- ing of the classic children's story and, ironically enough, strengthened arguments of those who support the landmark health-care bill. We don't yet know the entirty of what the ACA will do for America. It could destroy this nation, it could be the greatest step forward in Ameri- can history or it could have absolute- ly no effect on any of our lives - we don't know because it hasn't been implemented yet. What we do know is this: More than 44-million Americans are unin- sured. Approximately 17.9 percent of our GDP is spent on health care costs compared to the European Union average of 8.3 percent. And, accord- Most An ing to the World Health Organi- simply zation, America under ranks 38th in health care qual- the A ity (Costa Rica beat us, but don't worry, we're ahead of Slovenia). Everyone agrees that we have a problem. Well, except for pharma- ceutical and insurance companies who have contributed close to half a billion dollars to political candidates over the last five years. It's weird how you can donate that much money, and suddenly Congress votes 42 times to defund the law that would slash your incomparably high profits, but that's a different column altogether. What people don't agree on is how to fix this problem. Inl2010, President Barack Obama signed the ACA and last summer the US Supreme Court upheld the bill as constitutional. Three years after the bill became law and one year before the law actu- ally goes into effect, Republicans are threatening to shut down the govern- ment unless the ACA is defunded. As r. y , .. Cruz reiterated in his glorified tem- per tantrum, Republicans are say- ing that the ACA must be repealed because of the detrimental effects it has had on America. But other than allowing children to stay on their parents' health-care plan until age 26 andbanning insurance companies from not accepting people with pre- existing conditions, the ACA hasn't been able to actually do anything yet. Republicans claim that busi- nesses are preparing for the bill by making employees work less than the 30-hours-per-week threshold that defines a full-time employee in order to avoid paying for health care. While it is true that America has seen a rapid growth in part-time jobs and millions of Americans remain under- employed, this trend was happening well before the ACA, and economists argue that the economy is mostly to blame for this pattern, not the ACA. Most Americans simply don't understand the ACA. A recent poll in the Wall Street Journal showed rericans that 70 percent of T don't Americans don't know what's in stand the bill. CNBC also released kCA. a poll showing that 46 percent of Americans oppose "Obamacare," yet only 37 percent oppose the bill when dubbed "The Affordable Care Act." I'm going to go ahead and assume those 9 per- cent of respondents who answered differently when the title changed are part of the 70 percent of people who don't understand the bill. Instead of shutting down our gov- ernment, which will likely happen Tuesday night, why can't we try and see the effects of the ACA? Let's learn from Dr. Seuss and actually implement the ACA instead of trying to repeal something that people don't understand. Once America tries a bite and gives a damn, we will realize the ACA isn't so bad, Sam-I-Am. -Patrick Maillet can be reached at maillet@umich.edu. FROM THE EDITOR Readers may have noticed the different masthead on the front page of today's edition of The Michigan Daily. Each year on or around the Daily's birthday, Sept. 29, we revert to the original masthead first used on that date in 1890. We look forward to continuing to serve the University community in our 124th year of editorial freedom. - Andrew Weiner, editor in chief I