4 4 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, June 12, 2006 Ulie diwa n t g FROM THE DAILY JEREMY DAVIDSON Editor in Chief IMRAN SYED Editorial Page Editor JEFFREY BLOOMER Managing Editor Coulter's wayward church Author's remarks inflammatory, but hardly alone EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890. 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their author. Editorial Board Members: Amanda Andrade, Emily Beam, Jared Goldberg, Theresa Kennelly, Christopher Zbrozek FROM THE DAILY Funding guaranteed K46 initiative logical for state's ailing economy T f you had one guess as to who wrote a new book titled "Godless: The Church of Liberalism," what would that guess be? Yep - it's that hostile and embittered poster girl of everything that is wrong with present-day political dialogue, Ann Coulter. Her latest addition to the literary hotspot that has become the "liberals-hate-our- freedom" section of your local bookstore will no doubt build upon divisive, polar- izing and irrational storylines outlined in previous books from the far right. But as if questioning the patriotism of fellow Ameri- cans based on their political ideology isn't enough, Coulter goes the extra mile in her new book by actually decrying widows of the men who died on Sept. 11, criticizing them for taking advantage of their hus- bands' deaths. In an interview with Matt Lauer on The Today Show, Coulter, the barefaced, angry neo-con commentator we're sad to report is an alum of the University's School of Law, pulled no punches and actually went even fur- ther in her criticisms of the widows. Discuss- ing a passage from her book that brands them "self-obsessed" women "lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by grief-arazzies,' it failed to dawn on poor Ms. Coulter that perhaps, just perhaps, a person has the right to speak out about the deaths of their loved ones. You'd think she would get that, given that even her usual brothers in inimical arms, like MSNBC anchor Joe Scarborough, refuse to stand by her on this one. The expected firestorm surrounding Ms. Coulter's incendiary comments aside, the rhetoric the author employs goes to the root of the problem with our current debate-sti- fling political atmosphere, which is fed by demagogues on both sides of the political spectrum. While this sort of hyperbolic tan- trum has become customary for a shock art- ist as experienced as Ms. Coulter, the real question we should ask in the wake of her rant and its subsequent controversy is how it applies to many issues in the political forum today. By relying on extreme and polarizing rhetoric to get a point of view across, many public figures have contributed to a political climate where there is no room for healthy debate about real issues. An onslaught of partisanship and party-line attacks take its place, while the initial starting point for the discussion gets lost in the mix. Debate on the core issues that shape the political sphere today is essential, and such divisive, fanatic dialogue has no place in this discussion. As outraged reports on Coulter's attacks pervade the national media, perhaps it's time we take a step back and simply address her comments for what they are: belliger- ent, unfounded and extreme. Politicians and onlookers of every political persuasion would do well to learn from her flagrant example, and remember that as citizens of an open-forum democracy, we have a responsibility, not just a right, to debate fairly and critically about the issues that define our political atmosphere. Is that really all that "godless"? 6 I 6 For all the recent chatter about Michigan's urgent need for a brain- based economy, little of it has trans- lated into policy changes. But now, finally, that may be changing. A proposal to guarantee at least inflationary increases in funding for Michigan's school districts, com- munity colleges and public universities will likely appear on the ballot next fall. Yet far from backing a proposal that promises to pre- vent the state from cutting funding from the public universities, the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan recently with- drew from the group pushing the initiative. It is true that the K-16 initiative could further complicate the state's budget process and threaten funding for other state programs. But it is also true that the state desperately needs to increase its commitment to educa- tion, particularly higher education - and the K-16 initiative may be the only way to ensure that investment occurs. The K-16 Coalition for Michigan's Future has presented the legislature with hundreds of thousands of signatures petitioning for mandatory funding increases for the state's public schools to ensure that education funding keeps up with inflation. While the legislature has 40 days to act on the initia- tive before it is automatically placed on the November ballot, Republican leaders have indicated that they have no intention to bring the proposal to a floor vote. With the ongoing demise of Michigan's manufacturing base an unavoidable real- ity, the state needs to build a better educated workforce able to attract and work in the knowledge-based jobs of the 21st century if it hopes to return to prosperity. Yet the state government, faced with a structural budget deficit and unwilling to increase taxes, has instead failed to adequately fund the state's schools. The budget woes have been particu- larly harsh on its public universities, which are only now seeing small nominal boosts in funding after years of cuts. Opponents of the K-16 initiative have focused their arguments largely on K-12 schools, claiming that those schools have been funded well enough. They invariably decline to address the positive effect the ini- tiative would have on funding for the state's universities, which have been forced to raise tuition drastically in recent years due to the lack of sufficient state support. Indeed, a recent Detroit News article reported that Michigan families shell out twice as much of their income for state university tuition than those fortunate enough to live in states with adequate university funding. It is against this background that the curi- ous announcement came last month that the Presidents Council, which represents the leadership of the state's 15 public universities, has withdrawn entirely from the K-16 Coali- tion for Michigan's Future. While the Coun- cil will not oppose the K-16 initiative, it will not support it either. Mike Boulus, the execu- tive director of the Presidents Council, told the Gongwer News Service that the initiative would threaten the state's general fund by taking more of it out of lawmakers' control. Abstruse concerns over the integrity of leg- islative control of the general fund seem out of place given the dire situation facing Mich- igan's economy and schools. It is true that a petition drive supporting a legislative initiative to require mandatory increases to education funding is a blunt and dangerous instrument. In a republican government, the people's rep- resentatives should generally be trusted to handle their constituents' business responsibly. Yet Michigan's legislature, paralyzed by par- tisan politics and bickering over insignificant issues, has been unable to address the state's structural budget crisis effectively. The passage of the K-16 initiative could con- ceivably make that crisis worse. Faced with a requirement to keep school funding in line with inflation, legislators - particularly those afflicted with the unfortunate conviction that just one more tax cut will restore Michigan to a lost golden age - will be tempted to slash other necessary programsratherthanraisetherevenue needed to fulfill the state's many obligations. That's a risk, however, that Michigan may have to take. Past appeals to get the legislature to enact adequate funding for education on its own have fallen on deaf ears. Any reasonable assessment of what the state needs to do to revive itself points to the central importance of improving education. The grassroots K-16 initiative may not be the best public policy ever cre- ated, but it's far better than anything that's come out of Lansing in recent memory. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Daily's editors should use torture to ensure accuracy To THE DAILY: In John Stiglich's column The Politics of Tor- ture (06/05/2006), he argues that, despite Sen. John McCain's (R-Ari.) arguments against tor- ture, McCain himself broke when tortured in Vietnam and is therefore himself a powerful argument in favor of torture. Anyone who took the time to read McCain's article in Newsweek would know that McCain did break and sign a document stating that he was an "air pirate" and had no right to be in Vietnam. However, when asked to provide the names of people in his squadron - the type of useful information Stiglich asserts could be obtained by torture - McCain gave his interrogators the names of the Green Bay Packers' offensive line. The example Stiglich provides explicitly disproves his own argument. In the future, the Daily editorial staff should consider employing some torturous tech- niques to ensure that the information Stiglich provides in his columns is both pertinent and accurate. Might I suggest waterboarding? Andy Braaksma LSA senior Sports editors prove specter of sexism still alive at 'U' TO THE DAILY: I'm disappointed by The Michigan Daily. On the final page of last week's edition was Daily Sports' Point/Counterpoint - Michigan sports year in review (06/05/2006). While I'm not a huge sports fan, I thought this section would be a fun read. What did I learn? Sexism reigns supreme, even here in the 21st century. Of the five teams discussed, only one was 'a women's team - softball. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but there are many women's sports here at the Uni- versity that are talented and nationally recog- nized. What about women's gymnastics? Or how about women's tennis? Let's not forget women's basketball, which struggled this year given the inexperience of a very young team, but I think we can look forward to better things in the near future as they learn to play together. Can you think of any others? I can. Women's soccer, volleyball, cheerleading, field hockey, etc. Surely, among all these sports that include women, there was something interesting to report about their seasons of competition? Somehow, I suppose, I'm not surprised. But I still feel disheartened. The University is supposed to be a progressive place, where the finest minds come together and embrace new and exciting ideas and concepts. Instead, it appears many are still bogged down in outdated ideas about what makes for good entertainment or sport spectacle. The female athletes at the University certainly deserve more than a grudging footnote in an over- view of the year's athletic accomplishments. They work hard, practice, make sacrifices and struggle to balance school and sport as much as any male athlete. Keri Allen Rackham 0 0