Common Sense Action is a bipartisan 

political action group here at the University 
that is part of a national movement calling 
for generational fairness, fiscal responsibility 
in government, investment in millennial 
mobility and the renewal of prudent politics. 
The State of Michigan can encourage these 
qualities by reducing spending and increasing 
government efficiency.

One of the ways the Michigan government 

can promote fiscal responsibility is by 
supporting a change from a defined benefit 
to defined contribution pension system for 
state employees. A defined benefit pension 
program guarantees workers a pre-negotiated 
set of benefits, which are funded by a withheld 
portion of the employee’s salary that the 
government matches. The amount of these 
benefits is based on a defined percentage of the 
employee’s salary, which is then apportioned 
to the employee on a monthly basis for the 
rest of his or her life after retirement. The 
government and salary money from a defined 
benefit is placed in a public investment fund 
from which the pension is paid out.

The 
problem 
with 
defined 
benefit 

pensions plans is that they require actuarial 
accounting, which is essentially an estimate 
of the total cost of each of the employee’s 
pension plans based on how long they live and 
an estimate of how the public fund will do in 
the market. Because actuarial accounting is 
often inaccurate, the discrepancy between 
the estimate and the actual pension costs 
can be alarmingly significant, which has led 
to Michigan touting one of the highest debt 
totals in the United States. Michigan has a 
total state debt of more than $142 billion, or 
$14,435 per capita. A large portion of this debt, 
well more than half, is created by liabilities 
derived from unfunded pensions.

CSA opposes the culture of spending 

and passing the bills onto taxpayers in the 
future. We believe that this method of fiscal 
accounting is not only irresponsible but also 
unsustainable. This issue is important for 
millennials to understand because our current 
debt will be passed on to us in the future. 
We are calling for the current generation of 
politicians to act more prudently and to work 
together to solve our current problems rather 

than leaving them for our generation to bear. 
To do this, we need to increase our political 
involvement to persuade politicians that we 
matter and deserve to be represented.

We believe the solution to the pension 

problem is the conversion of the government’s 
pension system to a defined contribution 
pension system, which completely eliminates 
the need for actuarial accounting. In a defined 
contribution system, each employee is provided 
an entirely separate Investment Retirement 
Account into which the government and 
the employee agree to contribute a certain 
amount for later access. Implementing this 
debt-solvent program is important because it 
eliminates the need for actuarial estimates; 
thus millennials will not be responsible to pay 
for the difference between today’s estimates 
and the future’s realities. This means fewer 
tax dollars for our generation to pay after we 
enter the workforce.

Reducing excess pension costs of state 

employees is not the only action we propose 
the legislature should take to decrease the 
burden of unsustainable debt in Michigan. 
Common Sense Action supports the reduction 
of prison costs by reforming and reducing 
sentencing, probation and parole terms. The 
idea is to reduce prison sentences and costs 
while keeping offenders under the supervision 
of the state to ensure a smooth reintegration 
into society. While we believe the prison 
system is vital to keeping crime rates down, 
CSA supports reforming prison sentences to 
significantly reduce the total cost of the prison 
system to taxpayers. If Michigan doesn’t take 
this action now, millennials will end up paying 
for it in the future.

In 
recent 
years, 
though 
the 
prison 

population has decreased significantly, the 
costs of operating Michigan’s Department 
of Corrections have increased because of 
outstanding debt from defined benefit pension 
programs that were guaranteed by previous 
generations and are born by taxpayers today. 
From fiscal year 2007 to fiscal year 2015, the 
number of employed full-time corrections 
officers has decreased by nearly 20 percent, 
yet prison costs have continued to rise because 
of unfunded liabilities. CSA believes that 
this mistake should not be repeated today at 

Opinion

JENNIFER CALFAS

EDITOR IN CHIEF

AARICA MARSH 

and DEREK WOLFE 

EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS

LEV FACHER

MANAGING EDITOR

420 Maynard St. 

Ann Arbor, MI 48109

 tothedaily@michigandaily.com

Edited and managed by students at 

the University of Michigan since 1890.

Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s editorial board. 

All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4 — Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Securing a fair future for millenials

Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Ben Keller, Payton Luokkala, Aarica 

Marsh, Victoria Noble, Michael Paul, Allison Raeck, Melissa 

Scholke, Michael Schramm, Matthew Seligman, Linh Vu, 

Mary Kate Winn, Jenny Wang, Derek Wolfe

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

JORDAN SANDMAN | VIEWPOINT

S

even steps to Spring Breaking 
under $700:

It’s the most annoying time 

of the year, thanks to Facebook. 
Spring technically 
doesn’t start until 
the 20th, and yet 
as we scroll down 
our news feeds, 
it’s clear that here 
at the University, 
vacation 
photo 

uploading 
sea-

son has officially 
begun.

Some 
Wol-

verines can call 
mom and pops and request a $3,000 
transfer for the occasion. What’s 
$3,000 for an all-inclusive vaca-
tion in paradise when you spend 
$100,000 on the damages alone? 
But for most of us living on earth, 
vacationing is a luxury, not a right. 
It is possible to Spring Break Big 
Ten style on a reasonable budget, 
and here are some tips to help you 
do it.

1. Save and book early
If you want to Spring Break 

savvy, it’s crucial to start saving 
early and to book as soon as pos-
sible. Right now, round-trip flights 
from Detroit to Miami are going for 
around $500. Back in October, the 
same flights were $187.

I don’t know about you, but I 

don’t remember the last time I had 
an expendable $700 lying around in 
my bank account, especially during 
the school year working part time.

Your best bet is to put away a 

little bit every week while you’re 
working in the summer. If you’re a 
freshman, put away $5 every week 
into a savings account, and by your 
senior year, you won’t regret skip-
ping that weekly drunken late-
night trip to South U Pizza.

2. Check out a cruise
Cruises are generally a good 

value because they take you to dif-
ferent destinations while feeding 
and entertaining you for free. Four-
day cruises are often advertised 
for $230 or so, but don’t be fooled. 
Before you check out online, Car-
nival is going to add taxes, fees and 

gratuity totaling an extra $100 or 
so. Once you board the ship, they’re 
going to add an extra $50 for taxes, 
or something. I’m not really sure. I 
was way too excited to complain to 
anyone about this.

Also, don’t forget to return those 

beach towels. Lose it and pay $22.

Anyways, $380 is a pretty good 

deal for four days of all-inclusive 
food, a trip to Key West and Cozu-
mel. My friends and I had the time 
of our lives, even though the food 
was questionable.

3. Use Google Maps
If you’re staying at a hotel, loca-

tion is everything. Use Google 
Maps to find something cheap and 
close to the beach or your destina-
tion. If you’re doing Spring Break 
right, you’re not going to be spend-
ing much time in the room other 
than to sleep, shower or recover 
temporarily from a sunburn.

If you’re going to Miami, do 

South Beach, but don’t stay on 
Ocean Drive. It will cost half as 
much to stay on Washington or 
Collins, literally a three-minute 
walk in the sun to the beach. If you 
use Expedia, Priceline or Kayak, 
you could find a room to share with 
your friends for $50 per person per 
night. The more the merrier (and 
the cheaper).

4. Bring a flask
Unfortunately for us millen-

nial ladies, chivalry at most bars 
is either hanging on by a thread 
or dead. Instead of “Can I buy 
you a drink?” we’re lucky if we’re 
asked for a “dance.” From a cost-
benefit standpoint, I’m starting to 
 

understand why.

At bars on South Beach, tee-

ny-tiny mixed drinks are $8, not 
including a tip, and as a former 
waitress, I’m obligated to add that 
a tip is not optional. A bottle of nice 
clear liquor for you and your ladies 
at the party store around the corner 
is about $25. You do the math. It’s 
not trashy, it’s economical.

5. Bring cash (and small bills)
When you’re on vacation, it’s 

essential to bring cash with you. If 
you’re splitting a cab with friends, 
the driver isn’t going to split the 

bill among four credit cards. Res-
taurants on South Beach are the 
same way. At your hotel, you should 
always bring singles to tip house-
keeping and the guys that help with 
your luggage. Michigan’s reputa-
tion isn’t worth stiffing waiters 
or bartenders.

Similarly, if you’re in a foreign 

country, especially Mexico, and 
all you have is a credit card, often-
times businesses won’t accept it. If 
they do, you’re going to be charged 
a 20-percent processing fee for 
everything you buy. If you only 
bring $50 bills, you’re going to get 
ripped off.

6. Bring a Spanish-speaking 

friend

If you go anywhere in southern 

Florida, the Bahamas or Mexico, 
many of the natives are going to 
speak Spanish as their first lan-
guage. Nothing says “I’m a rich 
American with $200 in my pocket” 
quite like buying something at face 
value in English. My roommate 
Danielle, a fluent Spanish speaker, 
talked a shop owner in Mexico 
down to $5 from $17 for person-
alized threaded bracelets. It was 
incredibly entertaining and quite 
the asset. Without her, the tan on 
my wrist would be generic and 
unremarkable right now.

7. Turn on Airplane mode
We’re millennials, and yes, many 

of us are emotionally attached to 
our phones. Spring Break is the per-
fect time to cut the cord. If you’re 
on vacation outside of the United 
States, roaming out of country 
could cost you $2.50 per minute.

No matter where you go, take 

pictures for the memories, but 
remember that every minute you 
spend checking Instagram, Face-
book and Snapchat is a minute you 
can’t spend fully enjoying the sun 
and the environment. I’ll tell you 
right now that the Yik Yak game is 
weak in Miami and Key West any-
ways. Sit back, relax and enjoy. In a 
few days, you’ll be back to parkas, 
snow boots and exams.

 
— Lauren Richmond can be 

reached at lerichmo@umich.edu.

How to Spring Break for $700 or less

LAUREN 
RICHMOND

millennials’ cost in the future.

Common 
Sense 
Action 
also 

supports a change in the philosophy 
of our state government’s policy 
implementation 
and 
spending 

initiatives 
through 
priority-based 

budgeting. Priority-based budgeting 
is the idea that lawmakers and 
bureaucrats work together as one 
entity to focus on the outcomes of 
policy rather than implementing 
idealistic 
yet 
ineffective 
and 

inefficient legislation. Priority-based 

budgeting 
can 
reduce 
spending 

and debt while still accomplishing 
the most essential and beneficial 
functions of state government.

Another facet of priority-based 

budgeting that CSA supports is 
performance 
evaluation. 
Through 

evaluating what works and what 
doesn’t in our bureaucratic functions, 
Michigan can make its governmental 
programs more efficient and less 
costly to Michigan taxpayers. As 
millennials, we need to encourage our 

government to operate in a fiscally 
responsible way so we can change 
our current culture of ineffective, 
exorbitant spending.

While CSA values the functions 

of our state government, we believe 
that it is imperative that we reduce 
our state debt to a more sustainable, 
efficient level that will not be a 
burden to our wallets in the future.

Jordan Sandman is 

an LSA freshman.

I

’m writing this on Sunday, March 8, and I 
am cranky for a handful of reasons, some of 
which are actually relevant. I’m upset that 

I’m on my last day of a Spring 
Break that felt far too short. 
I’m also upset that I some-
how managed to sleep until 
10:30 a.m. without feeling 
particularly rested. When I 
voiced this frustration to my 
mother, she laughed. “Well 
yeah,” she said, “because it 
feels like 9:30.”

Ah. Daylight saving time. 

Winding the clocks for-
ward is an annual source of 
annoyance for me, one that does not get eas-
ier with experience. The older I get, the less 
sense it makes. Why am I subjecting myself to 
an hour less of sleep? Why do I want to spend 
a week readjusting my sleep schedule to fit 
the change? Why do I want to wake up in the 
dark when it’s hard enough to wake up when 
there’s light outside? (And how do I change 
the time on my microwave?)

It has something to do with farmers. At least 

that’s what everyone seems to think.

The “it was started by farmers” thing is a 

very strange collective delusion, particularly 
because farmers are the only group to have 
ever organized a lobby against daylight saving 
time. It gives them fewer daylight hours in the 
morning to get crops to market. Cows appar-
ently don’t adjust well to earlier milking sched-
ules either.

Daylight saving time is a practice that has 

nothing to do with farmers and everything 
to do with war. The first country to use DST 
was Germany during World War I. This was 
an effort to reduce the use of artificial light 
to conserve energy for the war. The United 
States followed suit two years later. The prac-
tice was abandoned post-war and reinstated 
during World War II, during which DST was 
referred to as “War Time.”

And so daylight saving time was created 

in an effort to conserve energy. As much as I 

would like to accuse DST of being an immedi-
ate failure, I’m forced to admit that it actually 
worked — at first. DST saved the day during 
the 1973 oil embargo saving 10,000 barrels 
of oil every day. But, this was before air con-
ditioning was an essential fixture in most 
American homes.

Today, that extra hour of daylight in the 

summer translates into a hotter hour of 
increased air conditioning use. The National 
Bureau of Economic Research found in 2008 
that because of this increase in air condition-
ing, the energy saved by less artificial lighting 
is completely canceled. We actually use more 
energy because of air conditioning costs dur-
ing daylight saving time.

So who’s winning when we turn our clocks 

forward an hour every year? It’s certainly 
not television networks, which dislike DST 
because people tend to start watching their 
shows after the sun sets. When the sun sets 
later, they lose viewers to outdoor activities. 
It is logical that outdoor industries would be 
the winners of daylight saving time, but it still 
seems weird to me that the biggest champions 
are — wait for it — golf courses. Yes, we are sub-
jecting ourselves to the hassles of clock chang-
ing and tiredness for golf people who have a lot 
to gain from increased hours of operation. It is 
a $70 billion industry in the United States, and 
although this is no small sum, I can’t help but 
feel angry that I’m losing an hour of my Spring 
Break for such a boring sport.

Ultimately, daylight saving time doesn’t 

save energy, but it might still promote eco-
nomic growth. America has a history of 
instating and repealing DST, but for now it’s 
here to stay. Regardless, I think I’m with the 
cows on this one: I don’t like adjusting my 
sleep schedule, waking up in the dark for 
what feels like no reason. As irritated as I am, 
however, I’m not quite ready to join the farm-
ers’ lobby against daylight saving time. Prob-
ably because I’m too tired.

 
— Sydney Hartle can be reached 

at hartles@umich.edu.

Why I’m tired

SYDNEY
HARTLE

E-mail GabriElla at GabsmEy@umich.Edu
GABRIELLA MEYER

In support of more 

Meatless Mondays 

 TO THE DAILY:

I am writing to express my sup-

port for East Quad Residence 
Hall’s Meatless Monday event and 
encourage it and other campus din-
ing facilities to make every Monday 
a Meatless Monday. Oftentimes, 
people’s first impression of the 
vegan lifestyle is one of repulsion. 
However, vegan food can be far 

more decadent and delicious than 
it is given credit for. What many 
fail to realize is that anything — 
from ribs to omelets to ice cream 
— can be made vegan. In addition, 
the benefits of the vegan lifestyle 
for the animals, environment and 
one’s health are too significant to 
ignore. Despite this, the apprehen-
sion of changing their diet and leav-
ing behind their favorite foods often 
hold people back.

That’s why Meatless Mondays are 

a great step. This program gives meat 
eaters the opportunity to discover 

new vegan and vegetarian foods in 
a relaxed and experimental atmo-
sphere. As a campus, we have enor-
mous potential to preserve resources 
and save lives by simply eating vegan 
or vegetarian meals one day per 
week. I hope that by taking part in 
Meatless Mondays, students can 
become more open-minded to giving 
the vegan lifestyle a try.

Lia Vallina
LSA freshman, Peta2 campus repre-
sentative and president of the Michi-
gan Animal Respect Society

 Send letterS to: tothedaily@michigandaily.com
LETTER TO THE EDITOR 

SEX. 

 DRUGS. 

SPRING BREAK MEMORIES.

LET’S TALK.

Edit board: Every Monday and Wednesday at 6 p.m. E-mail: tothedaily@michigandaily.com

