4 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, June 2, 2003 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 SRAVYA CHIRUMAMILLA JASON PESICK letters@michigandaily.com Editor in Chief Editorial Page Editor EDITEDAND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THfE Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of UNIVERSiTY OF MICHIGAN SINCE the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other pieces do not 1890 necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. I ast week, Gov. Jennifer Granholm stood before the Detroit Regional Chamber's conference on Mackinac Island wearing sunglasses and declared to awreceptivesaudience that what the state's largest city needs is more youth-appeal. Despite criticism, this, coupled with the upcoming facelift for Detroit's riverfront, is exactly what the city - and the state - needs. It would be too easy to criticize Granholm's idea and even easier to mock her delivery of it. Much like a recent Pepsi commercial, where a kid discovers his parents in a mosh pit, it is often painfully embarrassing when one of "them" tries to act like one of "us." What Granholm is trying to do, howev- er, is long overdue as her predecessor, the un-hip and out of touch former Gov. John Engler, ignored these vital issues for far too long. As she observed at the conference, young people are moving out of Michigan at a higher rate than all but "Team cool" in da house Attention to young workers vital to region's success three other states. It is with the economy in mind that she aims to retain the youth we have now and attract more from abroad. Even if she was "fakin' the funk" with the new rims and the high five to Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, her new "Prime Minister of Cool," she deserves respect for her gutsy performance and an idea so bold it just might work. The time has come for Michigan politicians to begin to pay attention to the issues important to University students. Forces from the past, like U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Brighton), disapproved of the governor's speech and stated that attention should remain focused on tra- ditional political issues, such as crime, education and public services. He claimed that Granholm's plan was "con- tent-free." Rogers is correct in saying that these issues are important, but without a robust economy and a sizeable young constituency, these problems are only destined to worsen. In addition, the crime rate, for example, is a far cry from what it used to be and a few cyber cafes and trendy studio apartments will only continue this trend. Also encouraging is that Smith Group Inc. will be heading a slightly more tan- gible project of urban renewal. The 150- year-old Detroit architectural and engi- neering firm with offices in Detroit, Ann Arbor and across the nation, is in charge of the final stages of designing and engi- neering the new face of a massive stretch of public land along Detroit's east river- front from the Renaissance Center to Belle Isle. These plans promise to create a more friendly and inviting district, affording the state's cherished youth rea- sons to stay in Michigan. Nipping on the heels of this blessing of an urban renewal project is a similar proposal to overhaul the west riverfront from the Cobo Center to the Ambassador Bridge. The combination of the two pro- jects and the governor's new attitude and willingness to work with the Detroit mayor are welcome changes for the city. Apparently, Detroit is in for some serious image counseling. This presents an opportunity for students to get involved and support what could prove to be the repositioning of Detroit into a city that young workers and recent University graduates desire to live in. The governor is singing with perfect pitch on these issues, and the redevelop- ment projects only improve the odds that slowly but surely, Detroit may be undergoing a true renassiance. 4 4 Sensible government role United States should follow Canada's lead Let them in Helping immigrants gain college education important The Canadian government has moved forward with legislation to reduce the penalties imposed on individuals found with small amounts of marijuana while increasing penalties on individuals found with large amounts. Prime Minister Jean Chretien and numerous elected officials are in favor of changing current marijuana laws, but the law has yet to be passed. By taking these developments into account, U.S. governing bodies would create more sensible drug policies and correct the current misplacement of priorities that characterizes U.S. drug policies. Severely punishing an individual for making a choice that harms no one but himself is unfair. Exacerbating the problem is the United States' and Canada's current laws, which make any marijuana possession arrest appear on a criminal record. Canada is attempting to rectify this injustice by making posses- sion of small amounts of marijuana a simple fine, similar to a traffic ticket. Even though a global consensus is forming that the individual has the choice of what to put into his body, not the state, the United States seems to prefer prosecuting, punishing and sully- ing the reputations of individuals who make the choice to use marijuana. The "War on Drugs" that the United States fights is not only futile, but is also incredibly absurd. The United States government spends enormous sums of money to fight a losing battle because of Washington's refusal to reex- amine the situation. It is inconceivable to believe that giving a person a crimi- nal record for possessing a small amount of marijuana is sensible drug policy. The ghosts of the Reagan admin- istration are still haunting U.S. drug policy with the continuation of wasteful programs and policies fighting the exaggerated marijuana problem. The new Canadian legislation threat- ens the Bush administration because of the expected increase in trafficking of marijuana across the border. Canada's new legislation stops placing unfair punishments on users of the drug and the United States would be foolish not to follow suit. Instead of worrying about Canada, the U.S. government would benefit from revising its own marijuana policies. Marijuana is neither destroying this nation, nor are the vast majority of individual users dangerous criminals. Canada's proposed marijuana legisla- tion might not be the best way of improving drug policy, but they are sig- nificantly superior to what currently exists and should serve as a model for what the United States can aspire to attain. The money spent on prosecuting and punishing these individuals would be better spent on one of the many serious problems facing the country - marijua- na use not being one of these. Vilifying marijuana and its users is by no means the best way to spend government time and effort, especially when the current aggressive policies cannot be honestly labeled as anything but ineffective over the two decades that they have been in place. It is time for the United States gov- ernment to follow the lead from our neighbors to the North and realize the ineffectiveness and, at times, the black humor of its marijuana policies. regon may soon join California, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Washington by passing legislation that allows undocu- mented immigrants to receive in-state tuition status as long as they have been residents of the state for three years, grad- uated from an Oregon high school and are making an attempt to become citizens. The state of Michigan should pass similar legislation because it would remove a bar- rier for those seeking a higher education. Without this legislation, many talented and qualified individuals would simply not be able to afford a college education. Critics of the bill complain that it pro- motes illegal immigration and takes resources from legal residents. This bill will do neither because it does not affect a student's eligibility to attend college, but only makes it affordable for him to do so. These students might still attend college, but they would just face an unfair struggle to pay for it. By allowing illegal immi- grants to receive in-state tuition, they can afford to attend college and look forward to a brighter future. These educated Americans will earn more money, pay more taxes and become more productive members of society. During the early part of the 20th cen- tury, many immigrants came to this country with nothing, but the one thing upon which they could rely was that they would be able to receive a public educa- tion. It is a betrayal to these traditions that the United States, the land of oppor- tunity, would place barriers in front of those seeking to improve their lives and the lives of their family members. Many of the adversities faced by immigrants such as crime and poverty can be ame- liorated by obtaining an education and should be encouraged rather than dis- couraged. This country was founded and built by immigrants, and every opportu- nity should be available to those who are willing to work hard. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has said that migrant workers are key to U.S. economic growth because of the huge economic impact that they have. This country depends on migrant workers, and we should offer them the same opportunities to advance them- selves in society. These workers often take jobs that most Americans will not, so instead of showing disdain we should show gratitude. The economic difficulties facing Europe are an example of what can happen as a result of extremely restrictive immigration practices and neg- ative population growth. Legislation such as Oregon's is need- ed in large part because of terrible immi- gration laws. The immigration process in the United States is inefficient and illogi- cal. Quotas placed on certain nations make it almost impossible for citizens of those countries to migrate to the United States. Because the United States has a better way of life to offer to immigrants, such a large number of people are willing to risk their lives to cross its borders. Instead of having laws that make sense, we have labeled honest workers and hon- est employers as lawbreakers. The inscription on the Statue of Liberty does not say give me your strong, your wealthy and your educated. Instead, we have asked for the most downtrodden because it is the mission of this country to take those at the bottom and help them rise to the top.