4 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, May 16, 2005 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 STEPHANIE WRIGHT DONN M. FRESARD tothedaily@michigandaily.com Editor in Chief Editorial Page Editor EDITED AND MANAGED BY ikIi 4STUDENTS AT THE Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of UNIVERSITY OF MIC HIG AN the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other pieces do not SINCE 1890 necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. 4 In a closed meeting held last week, the University's Dispute Review Board found the Coca-Cola Company guilty of two of Coke Coalition's four allegations: the presence of pesticides in Coke products in India and labor violations in Columbia. In light of the board's findings, Coke is in direct violation of the University's Code of Conduct for University Vendors, and the University should immediately terminate its contracts with Coke and only consider renewing them after Coke can prove that it has properly addressed both violations. It currently appears, however, that the DRB will unwisely recommend that the Univer- sity maintain its contracts until September and then renew them on a month-by-month basis, pending Coke's efforts to improve its human rights policy. The final decision to renew the contracts, totaling about $1.3 million annually, rests with the University's executive vice president and chief financial officer, Tim Slottow. It is not too late for Slot- tow to do what his counterpart at New York University recently failed to do: cancel all 12 contracts with Coca-Cola immediately while + + + openness in such proceedings. Whether or not the University ultimately holds Coke accountable for its practices, the students driving the Coke Coalition - as University must terminate Coke contracts now well as their predecessors, whose activism resulted in creation of the DRB and the Code of Conduct for University Vendors -should offering the possibility of renewal when the to reinstate its contract. The University be commended. And the efforts of student violations are rectified. administration also played an important activists propelling the anti-Coke movement Six colleges and universities in the United role by joining the Workers Rights Con- here and on other campuses have uncovered States so far have dropped their contracts sortium and inserting a clause regarding violations that otherwise would have gone with Coke in response to the allegations. This workers wages which incited Nike to tem- unnoticed and unpunished. The presence pf leaves the University with the opportunity to porarily pull out of negotiations. By taking this institution will be a true asset at the Uni- be the first major university to put significant decisive action against Coke, the Univer- versity for years to come, giving it a viable pressure on Coke to promptly address its sity could again play a leading role in a mode of resolving conflicts like this one. human rights practices. University students nationwide movement; cutting its contracts The University must act quickly to cancel led the way in boycotting Nike in the late now would galvanize student activists on its contracts with Coca-Cola or risk losing 1990s, and the University administration's campuses across the nation and force Coke the power to change Coke's unacceptable pressure on Nike combined with the efforts to address its practices. treatment of its workers. While compla- of students at other schools to create the In addition to what will likely be a disap- cency with the status quo may be the path mountain of negative publicity that ulti- pointing outcome, it is unfortunate that the of least resistance, issues like these must mately motivated Nike to improve worker hearings regarding this matter were conduct- take precedence over the profitability and conditions. In hopes of regaining the lucra- ed behind closed doors. While such secrecy convenience of a long-term contract. Like tive university contracts and restoring its may not be a technical violation of the state's Nike, Coke will only remedy its practices tarnished reputation, Nike disclosed the Open Meetings Act, it is unnecessary in a with significant pressure and the fear of a locations of its plants and raised wages matter that affects the entire student body, tarnished image, and the University must -- sufficient conditions for the University and the decision goes against the spirit of not delay in sending a clear signal. 1 1 Empty pockets Detroit should avoid taxing its own residents Ganging up Mandatory minimums are unfair, discriminatory Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick proposed a citywide two-percent tax on fast food last week as a part of his plan to pay the city's $300-million budget shortfall. This tax is inherently regressive; it would primarily affect the poor, who must often resort to fast food, and it would fail to address the deeper economic troubles besetting Detroit. A recent study found that Detroit already places the 10th-largest tax burden on its residents out of the nation's largest cities. Further taxation would only drive more residents and businesses out of Detroit and discourage new investment, imped- ing economic recovery. As the city strug- gles to fund its current deficit, it must find alternative ways to raise money and cut costs without increasing taxes on its own residents. The city of Detroit has faced serious financial troubles throughout the past few years, and the coming fiscal year is no exception. City employees will see severe pay and benefit reductions, and city ser- vices face drastic cuts. Most of Detroit's museums and cultural centers, including the Detroit Zoo, have lost their city sub- sidies, and the Belle Isle Aquarium was closed this year. Because additional taxation would not be fair to Detroit's residents or sufficient to remedy its budget woes, the city and state governments should explore alter- native measures to fix the budget deficit. Although Michigan itself is strapped for money, any aid that could be earmarked for Detroit would benefit the entire state. A growing, successful Detroit would improve Michigan's image as well as its economic health. Additionally, neighbor- ing suburbs could be important sources of support for the ailing city. Although voters rejected a regional arts millage in 2000, other efforts could be made to encourage regional cooperation. Oakland County is one of the richest counties in the nation, and there are other affluent communities in nearby parts of Wayne and Washtenaw counties. The wealthier residents of these areas enjoy Detroit's historical areas, athletic events and fine- arts venues. A modest tax increase on these urban attractions would generate more revenue without taking more money from the city's residents. Another possible way to rectify Detroit's financial woes would be a reform of its internal institutions. Due to popula- tion losses over the past several decades, Detroit's city government is adequate for a city nearly twice its current population, and out of the country's 15 largest cit- ies, Detroit currently ranks fourth in city employees per thousand residents. A care- ful "right-sizing" of the city's workforce and a greater emphasis on efficient spend- ing by the city government could bring Detroit closer to an appropriately sized city government that reflects its population, its tax burden and its economic situation. Such a set of solutions will require a more fiscally responsible mayor - one who can set an example of efficient and responsible spending for the rest of the city. Recent reports of Kilpatrick's reck- less use of city funds are disheartening, and reform of the city government will be difficult without a leader who can exercise the same restraint the city must demonstrate. At a time when Detroit's government needs to tighten its belt, the city will need a leader who is capable of tightening his. The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill last Wednesday that establishes mandatory sentencing minimums for gang-related crimes, the first step in a Republican-led movement to extend the scope of federal mandatory minimums since the Supreme Court ruled in January that judges did not have to adhere to federal sen- tencing guidelines. These minimums sidestep the ruling, however, replacing judicial discre- tion with generalized sentencing restrictions for serious crimes which cannot adequately address the nuances of individual cases. While support for the bill has fallen along party lines, Republicans must recognize that the sentencing for gang violence, along with other criminal acts, should be left to judges. Pending Senate approval, the bill expands the definition of gang violence to include any group of three or more individuals commit- ting two crimes, at least one being violent, and mandates a 10-year prison sentence for any such "gang crimes." Harsher penalties are required for more severe acts, and the bill would expand the number of instances to which the death penalty could be applied. For 16- and 17-year-olds accused of gang violence, the bill authorizes that they be tried as adults, increasing the number ofjuveniles subject to the adult criminal justice system. The passage of these minimums would worsen the overrepresentation of minorities in American prisons - according to the American Civil Liberties Union, 70 percent of those receiving mandatory sentences in 1999 were black or Latino. While Con- gress focuses on harsher sentences for gang crimes, white-collar financial crimes for which whites are overrepresented too often receive lenient treatment in court. Further- more, the threat of these harsh sentences may motivate even innocent defendants to negotiate plea bargains rather than risk wrongful conviction in a jury trial. Amidst the recent flurry of congressional attacks on supposed judicial activism such as congressional interference with the Terri Schiavo case, mandatory minimums unfair- ly restrict the power of judges to administer guidelines according to the severity of the crimes. Such legislation diverts the power to sentence criminals from the judiciary to Congress, weakening the federal separa- tion of powers. The United States prison population is already the world's largest, and it has grown an average of 3.5 percent annually over the past 10 years despite significant drops in vio- lent and property crimes. Mandatory mini- mums would only exacerbate the problem, especially if Congress approves pending bills that would establish mandatory mini- mums for drug offenses and violent crimes against judicial officials. While supporters claim the bill will act as a crime deterrent for young people, the money that the govern- ment will spend enforcing the longer prison sentences would be better spent on social programs that target poverty reduction and crime prevention. Gang violence is a serious and growing problem, but it cannot be solved by sim- plistic "tough-on-crime" legislation; its root causes must be addressed and rehabilitation programs should be improved to reduce recidivism rates. Mandatory minimums are unfair and discriminatory, and they and will worsen overcrowding in prisons. The Senate rejected a similar bill last year, and it should do the same with this one. The signing of this bill into law would overload the penal system due to the eventual rise in inmates and subject convicts to unfair and discrimi- natory sentencing.