41 Monday, July 27, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu JAMIE BLOCK EDITOR IN CHIEF ROBERT SOAVE MANAGING EDITOR RACHEL VAN GILDER EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR Unsigned editorials reflect theofficial position of the Daily's editorialboard. Allother signed articles and illustrations represent solely theviewsof their authors. Banking on success Land Bank offers opportunity for community development These tumultuous economic times have paved the path for a new brand of banking in Washtenaw County - one free of deposit slips and PINs. Say hello to the Land Bank. A surge of foreclo- sures caused by the recession has burdened local communities with unused properties that are inefficient and diminish the value of nearby properties. The freshly-formed Washtenaw County Land Bank Author- ity is sure to help with this problem. To do that, the Land Bank should concentrate on providing affordable housing for county residents and encourage important environmentally friendly initiatives. Ethics always affect consumer decisions TO THE DAILY: Last week, Jeremy Levy argued that"single producer-to-consumer transactions" should be morality- free zones where "our sense of social responsibility shouldn'tmat- ter" (Not buying it, 07/19/2009). Whether or not Americans have a responsibility to purchase Ameri- can cars, Levy's principle goes too far. What about the exchange of cash for a product immunizes participants from the ethical con- sequences of their actions? Levy's claim that consumers should maximize their own per- sonal benefit in any transaction is itself a kind of ethical principle - and a selfish one at that. The issue isn't whether or not ethics should govern our economic behavior, butwhich ethics should influence our decisions. Daniel Trump Law School Corruption claims lack real credibility TO THE DAILY: In his latest column on the corruption of the Environmen- tal Protection Agency, Patrick Zabawa's first sentence is, "as a reader, you expect the news stories in this newspaper to be balanced and unbiased" (The cov- er-ups continue, 07/13/2009). Had Zabawa used these themes as his guide and bothered to dosa Google search, he would have found that John Davidson and Alan Carlin, who authored a report on global warming discarded by the EPA on global warming that Zabawa ref- erenced, aren't climate scientists. I found and read the "gagged" draft report. In summary, it immediately states that the report's theoriestcould be wrong. The main theme is that the Earth's climate is so incred- ibly complex that the possibil- ity exists that man-made carbon dioxide increases may not be the sole cause of global warming. Until we know for sure, I would allow that this is possible, but the General Secretary of The World Meteorological Organization wrote in response, "It is a misin- terpretation of the data and of sci- entific knowledge to point to one year as the warmest on record... and then to extrapolate that cool- er subsequent years invalidate the reality of global warming and its effects." I am disgusted that the jour- nalistic ethics and ideals I stud- ied at the University are being corrupted by the likes of Fox News and writers more inter- ested in a political agenda than in the truth. All governments are going to suffer corruption at some point. That is expected. But, the exam- ple provided in Zabawa's column is weak at best. That said, the "gagged" report and subsequent media spin achieved its right wing goal of injecting FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) into the debate on the environment as Obama tries to move this country toward agreen, energy-independent future that big oil corporations oppose. Now there's a place for a good journalist to look for political corruption. James Mersereau Staff The Washtenaw County Land Bank was established on July 8, just in time to meet the dead- line to receive $300,000 in fed- eral stimulus funds to help with start-up costs. A specific busi- ness plan has yet to be gener- ated, but the Washtenaw Land Bank will probably follow a fair- ly standard model. Generally, after acquiring foreclosed prop- erties, land banks collaborate with local officials to determine their best use on a case-by-case basis. This could mean renova- tion, demolition, beautification or other projects. Properties are then sold to private owners who agree to develop the land along the land bank's suggestion. The Washtenaw Lank Bank is expected to be modeled after the Genesee County Land Bank, which has earned the 2007 Harvard University/Fannie Mae Foundation Innovations in American Government Award for Affordable Housing. The over- all impact of the Genesee Land Bank has been overwhelmingly positive - Genesee has produced a cost-conscious program that softened the blow of the Flint area housing crisis. There is no reason why Washtenaw County can't replicate this success. But for the Lank Bank to work here, officials will have to tai- lor its objectives to Washtenaw County's needs and values. For example, here in Ann Arbor, students and residents alike have long been in need of more affordable rental units. Afford- able housing located centrally in downtown Ann Arbor helps combat socioeconomic strati- fication in the city. It allows people of various means to live in close proximity, rather than forcing the less fortunate to live further from the city proper and commute. And if the Land Bank takes initiative to encour- age the development of this kind of affordable housing, the city wouldn't have to foot the bill. Local residents and especially students have also expressed their enthusiasm for more envi- Editorial Board Members: ronmentally friendly initiatives. The Land Bank could support this cause by encouraging pri- vate owners to include features approved by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. Perhaps even environmentally friendly high- rises could be on the Land Bank's agenda -- these could also facili- tate low-income housing. And even less functional uses - like vegetable gardens or play- grounds -could prevent further degradation of the already bur- dened housing market by turn- ing blighted properties that pull down property value into useful spaces. This project has potential. But the officials in charge of the project should proceed with cau- tion - wasteful uses of property or delayed development could be disastrous. It's up to the officials in charge of the Land Bank to make sure this doesn't happen and see that the project creates the facilities the city needs. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Let us know what you think. Send letters to tothedaily@umich.edu or visit michigandaily.com and click on 'Letter to the editor.' DANIEL GOLD E-MAIL DANIEL AT DWGOLD@UMICH.EDU It'sonMlyMfrorentatn Q It's only fassrentation..C ROOMMATES Raghu Kainkaryam, Sutha K Kanagasingam, Erika Mayer, Asa Smith, Brittany Smith, Vivian Wang, Patrick Zabawa