Monday, July 18, 2011
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
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STEVEN BRAID I
World Cup wonder
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BETHANY BIRON
EDITOR IN CHIEF
MARK BURNS
MANAGING EDITOR
TEDDY PAPES
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflectthe official position of the Daily's editorial board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
Stymying support
Michigan shouldn't cut funding to welfare recipients
Michigan is in a critical economic position. It's no
secret that the state is facing vast deficit problems,
but the measures the current government are tak-
ing to address them seem to ignore the fact that the citizens
of Michigan are also facing the same problems. Last week, the
Michigan State Senate passed a bill to put a 48-month lifetime
limit on the state's welfare programs in order to cut govern-
mental spending. At a time when many Americans, especially
those from Michigan are struggle to find a job, let alone gain-
ful income for their families, this legislation couldn't be less
appropriate. Republican Gov. Rick Snyder must not sign this
bill into law.
There's something magical about
the FIFA World Cup.
How else do you explain a nation
passionately supporting a sport that
it has little to no interest in dur-
ing the in-between years? Paling in
comparison to other sports' fan base
during the non-World Cup years,
the soccer fandom in America sud-
denly comes to life at the sight of
seeing the red, white and blue take
on the world. Whether watching
the men or women's team, Ameri-
cans find themselves sitting on
the edge of their seat during every
World Cup game.
Most American sports fans will
say they like watching soccer. But if
they were at home in search of some
good quality time with their televi-
sion and a sports game, the sport of
choice probably wouldn't be soccer.
Given the choice between watch-
ing the Major League Soccer or
any other sport, most people would
choose the NFL, NBA, MLB or even
the NHL. Most Americans would
probably prefer to watch at least
half a dozen other sports before
being forced to watch MLS.
But why is it that when USA is
competing in the World Cup, the
sport has America's full attentioni
Sports fans who couldn't care less
about soccer suddenly have up-to-
date knowledge of the sport and
think they are expert analysts and
strategists. Non-sports fans are
suddenly intrigued by sports and
delighted to be able to participate in
water-cooler conversations at work.
Not only do non-sports fans rise
from the dead during the World
Cup, but there also isn't another
sporting event that ignites such
enthusiasm and fervor among them.
Everyone knows what Brandi
Chastain did in 1999. Her penalty
kick goal that won the Women's
World Cup and her celebratory dis-
robing is an iconic moment in Amer-
ican sports.
And any person with a capable
memory won't be forgetting what
Landon Donovan did any time soon.
His dramatic goal against Algeria
during the group stage of last year's
World Cuphadthe whole nation run-
ning around their houses screaming
with pride and excitement.
And now, Abby Wambach is
the latest soccer player to receive
instant fame through the World
Cup. Her miraculous header against
Brazil mesmerized the nation and
cemented her into American sports
lore, as athletes and even the presi-
dent tweeted about her goal. Her
repeat performances against France
and Japan only made the legend
grow.
So what exactly is it about the
World Cup that gets America
watching?
Well, it definitely has nothing to
do with our love for the sport, that's
for sure.
Some might answer that we're
enthralled because of our patrio-
tism. But when's the last time a
United States National team was
as celebrated as when the men's or
women's national soccer team is in
the World Cup? It definitely wasn't
the USA Basketball team - nick-
named the "Redeem Team" - that
finally won the gold medal at the
2008 Olympics after countless
failed efforts at various interna-
tional events. Nor was it the USA
women's soccer team that won the
gold medal at the last two summer
Olympics, two achievements that
received little fanfare.
You might have to goallthe back
to the 1980 Olympics, when the Unit-
ed States Hockey team won the gold
medal at Lake Placid, to find a time
when most Americans were invest-
ing so much effort into following a
national team. But still, they were
mainly celebrated for just beating the
Soviet Union, our cold war rivals and
hockey powerhouse.
While the Olympics might have
us all cheering for USA, the multi-
tude of events divides our unity.
The FIFA World Cup is different.
Our undivided attention is focused
on soccer, and soccer only. The com-
petition electrifies the whole nation,
creating an inextinguishable unity.
During group stage games, fans
are preoccupied by soccer, glued
to their televisions. And during
Knock-out round games, American
flags and USA soccer jerseys can be
seen draping even the most casual
fans. We watch because it unites us.
In unity, we all watched USA's
agonizing defeat to Japan. It was a
crushing blow, but also a feel-good
story. For Japan, the win lifted the
spirits and hopes of a nation that
had been crushed by disaster. It
brought immense joy to a country
that hasn't had many reasons to
smile of late.
So maybe there is something mag-
ical about this tournament after all.
Steven Braid is a Daily sports writer.
The new lifetime limit will
not only affect future recipients
of welfare, but also the current
families who receive benefits.
No families will be grandfa-
thered in and those who expect-
ed to receive benefits into the
next year will suddenly see their
monthly income drop by an aver-
age of $515. 12,600 families will
lose benefits on Oct. 1 and the
majority of the people affected
will be children. Many adults in
this program already have jobs
and are struggling to re-enter or
stay in the workforce, but can-
not earn enough money to sup-
port their families. These are
not people who should be cut off
from welfare.
Officially, the national unem-
ployment rate is just under 10
percent. But most economists
estimate that the percentage of
people who do not have full-time
jobs or are not currently seek-
ing work is closer to 15 percent.
At a time when even the most
experienced professionals are
out of work and filling jobs they
are overqualified for, it's going
to be extremely difficult for low-
income families to find employ-
ment that provides enough money
to cover their basic cost of living.
The current economic crisis has
placed many people in a financial
situation that they couldn't antici-
pate. They're not just freeload-
ers, as some lawmakers suggest.
Many of these people are victims
of recent economic troubles and
abruptly slashing their income
supplements could be disastrous.
These are families with children,
and cutting them off from welfare
is one of the most callous ways for
the state to save money.
Welfare has been reformed
and adjusted since its inception.
Unfortunately, there will always
be people who take advantage of
loopholes in governmental ben-
efits if they can. There is good
language in the current welfare
bill that disallows the spending of
benefits onthings like alcohol and
the lottery, but this hardly makes
up for the detriment it imposes on
struggling families. Michigan's
welfare system may need further
revision, but reducing lifetime
limits at a time like this is the
wrong solution to save money.
Democrats suggested providing
exceptions to the 48-month limit
in communities where unemploy-
ment is greater than 25 percent,
but Republicans passed on the
offer. Michigan citizens deserve
more than a tough-luck attitude
from its government. This aus-
tere legislation will cost Michigan
families and children far more
than the government will save.