Monday, June 15, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 5 A kosher solution CHRIS KOSLOWSKI I |OT TO PASTURE E-MAIL CHRIS AT CSKOSLOW@UMICH.EDU When it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, commen- tary abounds on the subject of who is for and against the idea of a son-called "two-state solu- tion." President Barack Obama - is famously in MATTHEW support of such GREEN an agreement. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is almost as famously opposed to it. Talking heads and ideologues in both the western and Muslim worlds argue the point ad nauseum. They get caught up in the argument and lose sight of what really matters - how Pal- estinians and Israelis actually feel about it. As reported by the Israeli news- paper Haaretz, a recent study conducted by the joint Israeli-Pal- estinian pro-peace organization, The OneVoice Movement, found that 74 percent of Palestinians and 78 percent of Israelis favor a two- state solution. By my rough calcu- lation, this means that upward of 8.5 million people in the region favor the idea of peace through such means. So what might happen if there were a new sort of two-state solu- tion, instead of a Jewish state and a Palestinian state? What if one state was for the 8.5 million people who are optimistic about peace, while the second was for the other guys to duke it out amongthemselves. That would throw the world for a loop. The obviously bigger, more forward-thinking state could call itself "HolyLand" to cater to both groups, while the other state could call itself "SlowlyLand" - a tribute to the mentality of its denizens. HolyLand would attract millions of tourists each year and invest in the continued education and pro- gressivism of its citizens, doing its part to advance humanity. Slowly- Land, however, mired in unending civil war, would probably self-de- struct. Or perhaps in close quar- ters, SlowlyLanders might finally realize that Israeli and Arab falafel taste exactly the same. Either way, after some amount of time with this newstructure, those who currently oppose a two-state solution would no longer obstruct the peace process. And at that time, Arabs and Jews will have been liv- ing side by side in HolyLand long enough to know that the former conflict was silly. Amen. Call it infantile, trivial or meshuggenah, but even this plan makes a lot more sense than what- ever Netanyahu has percolating in his mind for the peace process. Admittedly, just because people like the way a two-state solution sounds, they may be uncomfort- able with letting their guard down in the face of what they perceive as terrorism or occupation. Moreover, the OneVoice Movement's poll didn't ask, "Would you mind living next door to your historical ene- mies or limiting the power of your own cultural group in order to try a new experiment for peace?" If it had, the results probably wouldn't bolster the partition of HolyLand and SlowlyLand. Further, even if there were two states in place, immediate and unequivocal peace wouldn't be expected. Tired of war in Israel? Avoid SlowlyLand. But even if two-state supporters on both sides don't ever aggregate in a new sort of fantastical country, they ought to try harder to make their voices heard. If Netanyahu is strategically holding out before accepting two states at some point in the future, he may accept the solution sooner if there's enough pressure from within Israel. It's apparent that the first step in attaining peace involves Jew- ish and Arab acceptance of each other's existence. Israel isn't going anywhere, and neither are the West Bank and Gaza. The only logical thing to do is to make both places kosher, so to speak, in the minds of both Jews and Arabs by creating two separate, acknowl- edged states. An accord seems timelier now than ever before. Israelis and Pal- estinians favor a two-state solu- tion in unprecedented numbers, and the international excitement of the Obama presidency, particu- larly in the Muslim world, could be a launching pad for meaningful negotiation. Hawks on both sides need to realize the importance of the two-state solution and under- stand that now is the time to strike the penultimate lasting deal. - Matthew Green can be reached at greenmat@umich.edu. Have you baesn noticing al k the orientation kids walking Why is it so easy to make fun Anyone who wears an around? rf them? I mean, that was you M-Card lanyard around their A and ejust a few years ago. neck deserves whatevtr crumb-crunchuers! tsi 0Ltstihest * b {tat'C a D a1 '~j ~ :Q Addicted to aid n Friday and Saturday, the Detroit Free Press published two conflict- ing articles about Michi- gan's future. Saturday's arti- cle discussed the $2 billion in capital the federal govern- ment recently PATRICK announced ZABAWA it will give to Michigan com- munities (Biden announces $2B bond program for Michigan public, private sectors, 06/13/2009). But Friday's was concerned with quite the opposite - the lack of capital available to Michigan businesses (Michigan venture capital is in short supply, 06/12/2009). These articles paint a good picture of the state of Michigan's economy: fail- ing to attract growth while keep- ing afloat on government lifelines. But this kind of economy can't be sustained. Relying on government aid will keep our state's economy stagnant, destroying job opportu- nities for all of the state's residents - including its college graduates. The Saturday article discussed a new federal program announced by Vice PresidentJoe Biden in Kal- amazoo on Friday. It would back $2 billion in bonds for local com- munities in Michigan, adding to the billions in federal financial aid the state has already received since the economic crisis began. Michi- gan received $7 billion in federal stimulus money this year. Two of its biggest companies - Gen- eral Motors and Chrysler - were recently bailed out by the feds. Butwithallofthisfederalmoney pouring into the state, firms are somehow still having trouble get- ting venture-capital money. The Friday article quotes the Michi- gan Venture Capital Association as saying that over 300 companies in the state are short on their ven- ture-capital needs - by about $L3 billion in all. The state's focus is clearly in the wrong place. There are many Michigan residents who have realized this and attempted to make the state more attractive to businesses. After at least 10 years of effort, Michigan's Single Business Tax was finally repealed by the state legislature in 2007 - only to be replaced by another business tax that same year. Later in 2007, the legislature added an additional 22-percent surcharge to this new business tax. Michigan's leaders haven't yet gotten the message that business- es are failing to invest in Michi- gan. They continue to be obsessed with the very aid that is preventing business investment and growth in the state. Government aid isn't helping Michigan residents in the first place. Yes, many residents rely on government aid for income through unemployment benefits. But they can only last so long. And though the government increased the length of the benefits, this requires more taxes, creating an even worse business climate in the state. Keeping the unemployed on government aid so they'll be able to feed themselves is a noble goal. But it's also one that breeds more unemployment. The unemployed do not make any significant invest- ments. They do not buy newhouses or cars. Meanwhile, Detroit's auto- makers' sales have nearly dropped in half - resulting in more layoffs in Michigan. And unemployment aid doesn't do anything for recent college graduates. Without having ever had a full-time job, college graduates are unable to receive a temporary unemployment income or join a health insurance plan for laid-off workers. Michigan needs a more busi- ness-friendly environment so those people can get jobs, not more government aid. And the best way to create this is to reduce the taxa- tion businesses face. Michigan depends on the feds too much. Without such a tax burden, Michigan would be better able to keep its businesses from moving out of state and would look more attractive to businesses that may want to move here. It would allow businesses here to keep more of their own money and invest it in their own expansion - contrib- uting to Michigan's economy and job growth. Michiganworkers whoseunem- ployment benefits have run out and those who never held a full- time job would all benefit from policies that encourage Michigan businesses to grow. And with the new job opportunities, many of the unemployed wouldn't need the government aid provided to them. As the economy continues to weaken, Michigan lawmakers will continue to facetough decisions on the state's budget. Michigan vot- ers, too, will have to make tough decisions as they choose public policies to endorse. Hopefully they'll choose the path that leads to economic growth in the state, instead of one thatkeeps Michigan residents out of work. - Patrick Zabawa is the summer associate editorial page editor. He can be reached at pzabawa@umich.edu.