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
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The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A — Thursday, September 24, 2015
S
anitary products including tampons,
pads, panty liners and even the cost-
conscious, eco-friendly DivaCup are
items taxed in all but five
U.S. states. Besides Massa-
chusetts, Maryland, Min-
nesota, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania, the United
States considers the tam-
pon to be a nonessential item and a luxury (like
a yacht or Lady Gaga’s dog’s collar). As if being
a female isn’t costly enough, we pay to have our
periods like it’s something we enjoy. “Wow, I’m
sooo looking forward to this new box of pads.
I can’t wait to get home and try one on!” an
eager PMSer exclaims. Or, “Girl — could I trade
you a regular for a super? That’s one rare rag I
must get for my collection,” because feminine
hygiene is just that fun.
It’s like we are all in this club, and we keep
paying the same union dues, but there are no
visible changes being made to improve our
group’s experience. Instead, we continue to
fight for equality, basic rights for our own
bodies, respect for our existence, health care,
access to contraception — all the while pay-
ing a tax on something that is considered dis-
pensable by a group of males in power. At this
point, who wouldn’t jump at the idea of invol-
untary muscle contractions and fluctuating
hormones? Sign me the “F” up.
This is an essential part of being a woman;
it isn’t an accident or something we choose
to have. Females bleed, we have periods, and
affordable feminine hygiene has always been
a necessity. This should not even be in ques-
tion. As basic as they are, tampons are expen-
sive (with an average box costing about $6.99).
What makes an already fundamental need out
of reach is placing a tax on it, which discrimi-
nates against women for having menstrual
cycles in the first place. This sanitary tax puts
women in a position of irregularity (no allu-
sion intended) where we pay to acknowledge
our biological differences from men. If you can
agree that our reproductive systems are our
own business and not the government’s, the
sooner we can all agree that no gender should
be taxed. This brings us closer to the necessary
separation of body and state/body and nation.
Over the course of a lifetime, the amount of
money we spend on tampons and pads proves
that having a period isn’t cheap. I mean it’s
actually ridiculous. Let’s be real. For the sake
of progress: Canada recently passed a motion
to drop the tax completely. Yet in the United
States, the sales tax for sanitary products still
ranges from 4 to 9 percent. This is a nation-
wide dilemma and I hope these facts motivate
more petitions and women who fight for rep-
resentation. We have a long way to go, ladies
— but don’t forget how luxurious periods are
in the meantime. “WOMEN FOR GLITZ: We
put the bling-bling in reproductive systems!”
“Period? MORE LIKE SURPRISE PARTY!”
“Period? Let’s celebrate with these decorative
plates. I hope you like them.”
Let’s do something about this.
Gabrielle out.
— Gabrielle DeCaro can be reached
at gbricker@umich.edu.
Shove it: A rant on tampon taxes
PAYTON
LUOKKALA
FROM THE DAILY
O
n Friday, the U.S. House voted to defund Planned
Parenthood (248-177) based upon false beliefs surrounding
its abortion services. The Center for Medical Progress,
an anti-abortion group, recently released several videos depicting
Planned Parenthood workers discussing the sale of fetal tissue for
profit, an illegal act under federal law. Shortly after their release, the
videos were criticized for unethical reporting, misleading edits and
referred to as contributions of a prolonged campaign of deception.
Unfortunately, the videos were the basis of many Republican
arguments to defund the organization in their recent House vote.
Their vote to defund Planned Parenthood is deplorable and we
strongly encourage the House of Representatives to consider the
facts and popular opinion before making such rash decisions.
A house misled
Representatives must consider facts, opinions before voting
F
ast and brash, Donald Trump
has certainly succeeded in
enrapturing the American
public with his
unconventional
presidential cam-
paign. We have
watched
him
before,
hosting
“The
Appren-
tice” and “Celeb-
rity Apprentice”
as he cashed in
for
providing
us with raucous
entertainment
disguised
as
legitimate business. We should ask
ourselves how he would cash in
armed with the disguise as the dem-
ocratically elected American presi-
dent. Because he would cash in.
What lies beneath the show is the
quagmire of this campaign. Accu-
sations of associations with the
Italian-American mafia, running
an alleged scam known as Trump
University and shepherding four
businesses into bankruptcy bring
about questions regarding how he
would run the country.
First, if the mob association accu-
sations made by Pulitzer Prize-win-
ning journalist David Cay Johnston
and journalist Wayne Barrett are
true, Trump has done business with
Philadelphia and New York crime
families. He purchased the future
site of Atlantic City’s Trump Plaza
for twice its market value from
Philadelphia
mobster
Salvatore
Testa and constructed the casino
using two firms controlled by Phil-
adelphia mob boss “Little Nicky”
Scarfo. Additionally, Trump Tower
and other New York City proper-
ties were constructed with con-
crete from a firm owned by NYC
bosses “Fat Tony” Salerno and “Big
Paul” Castellano. These ties reveal
Trump’s resolve to achieve business
at any cost and a potential presiden-
cy marked by cronyism and corrup-
tion. The price for our country could
be steep if Mr. Trump facilitated
organized crime as America’s leader.
Furthermore, Trump ran an
alleged scam himself. Trump Uni-
versity
enrolled
students
who
lost up to $35,000 each in fees for
courses and seminars that failed to
provide them with degrees or par-
ticipation in an accredited program.
Trump is accused of overcharging
former students for services that
were not delivered.
Trump launched Trump Univer-
sity in 2005, offering courses and
seminars in real estate. Fees ranged
from $1,495 for a three-day seminar
to up to $25,000 for individual coach-
ing. Investors’ software packages
cost $2,000 and a “Gold Elite” pack-
age for $34,995 promised to provide
the mentorship necessary for jump-
starting a real-estate business, but
often the mentors were unreachable.
Controversy began when the
New York State Bureau of Education
declared that calling the organiza-
tion a university was possibly illegal
in 2010, leading to the organization
to change its name to The Trump
Entrepreneur Initiative.
The Trump Entrepreneur Initia-
tive lasted until 2013, at which time
the Office of the New York Attorney
General had gathered enough evi-
dence from its 2012 investigation
to file the civil lawsuit. The now
defunct Trump Entrepreneur Initia-
tive was embroiled in a $40 million
civil lawsuit filed by New York Attor-
ney General Eric Schneiderman and
was found guilty of not obtaining
a license for a for-profit university.
The organization continues to face a
class-action suit in California.
The ongoing Trump University
fiasco indicates that Trump hasn’t
followed all of our country’s laws and
has been keen to take advantage of
the more vulnerable. A Trump presi-
dency could include tax breaks and
incentives for for-profit vocational
schools and a reduction in Pell grants
and government loans for nonprofit
universities.
As college students, we must ask
ourselves what a man who ran a for-
profit university into destruction
would do for us. He has stated on
numerous occasions that he wants
to cut the U.S. Department of Educa-
tion down, perhaps as a way to ease
regulations. He isn’t afraid to leave
behind his messes.
Additionally, four of Trump’s
businesses in Atlantic City declared
bankruptcy, including: Trump’s Taj
Mahal (1991), Trump Plaza Hotel
(1992), Trump Hotels and Casino
Resorts (2004) and Trump Enter-
tainment Resorts (2009). When
asked about these bankruptcies by
ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in
2011, Trump remarked, “I’ve used
the laws of this country to pare debt
… We’ll have the company. We’ll
throw it into a chapter. We’ll nego-
tiate with the banks. We’ll make a
fantastic deal. You know, it’s like on
‘The Apprentice.’ It’s not personal.
It’s just business.”
Well, Mr. Trump, continue to
use the laws of this country to your
advantage. It seems to be work-
ing out. The Republican candi-
date has masterfully marketed an
image of a blunt businessman who
has achieved “greatness” through
obtaining an exaggerated amount
of wealth, but in actuality he is hus-
tling us all. His past of cutting deals
with the mafia, scamming students
and running his Atlantic City busi-
nesses to the ground highlight his
lack of empathy, the most impor-
tant quality for our country’s com-
mander in chief.
— Ashley Austin can be reached
at agracea@umich.edu
Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Ben Keller, Payton Luokkala,
Aarica Marsh, Adam Morton, Victoria Noble, Anna Polumbo-Levy,
Melissa Scholke, Michael Schramm, Steph Trierweiler,
Mary Kate Winn, Derek Wolfe
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Trumped and scammed
Though most of the talk surrounding
Planned Parenthood is based on the abortion
services that some branches of the organiza-
tion offer, it should be noted that abortions
only account for 3 percent of the services
Planned Parenthood provides. In fact, the
organization is responsible for many other
basic sexual health services such as contra-
ception, family planning, HIV and STI testing,
and breast exams, to name a few.
Though much of Planned Parenthood’s
financial support comes from private dona-
tions, removing federal funding from its bud-
get may hinder access to basic sexual health
care for those who wouldn’t regularly be able
to afford it. According to the Guttmacher
Institute in 2010, “Planned Parenthood pro-
vided about a third of the services to women
who obtained contraceptive care at federally-
subsidized safety-net centers.”
Lawmakers who support the sudden end of
federal funding to Planned Parenthood seem
to have a skewed perception of the nonprofit
organization. For example, Diane Black (R–
Tenn.) recently said, “Planned Parenthood
can get their money back if they fully commit
to what they talk about, women’s healthcare,
and stop performing abortions for this year.”
Federal funding given to Planned Parent-
hood is prohibited by Title X to provide abor-
tions to those who are not in medical need or
in cases of rape or incest. Essentially, those
who voted to defund Planned Parenthood cut
money that did not even go toward the issue
they are trying to stop.
Planned Parenthood dissenters simply are
not thinking about any of the consequences to
removing funding for a pivotal, national orga-
nization. While the cause and effect aren’t
necessarily directly linked, closing Planned
Parenthood facilities across the country has
been closely correlated to various HIV out-
breaks. For example, Scott County, Ind., has
been battling a recent HIV outbreak since the
closing of its only Planned Parenthood back
in 2013; the clinic that was closed didn’t even
provide abortion services.
Aside from the increase in HIV cases,
unplanned pregnancies will inevitably rise as
well. Unfortunately, these are only a few of the
unintended consequences of defunding such
an important organization. Other repercus-
sions may be more severe.
Furthermore, polls taken by Hart Research
associates found that 63 percent of registered
voters are opposed to defunding Planned Par-
enthood, causing one to wonder why the deci-
sion was made in the first place. The recent
House vote seems like a strategic political
move with no regard for what the public actu-
ally supports. Basing their argument solely
on accusations made against Planned Parent-
hood that were proven false further makes the
Republicans’ case irrational. Any videos made
by anti-abotion activists posing as Planned
Parenthood patrons were proven to be heav-
ily edited to contain material that was not in
fact related to what was actually happening at
the time.
Investigating leadership within Planned
Parenthood or any corruption that is hidden
under the core of the institution is valid. U.S.
citizens, including those who are registered
Republicans, are well within their rights to call
out any wrongdoings of Planned Parenthood
and demand corrections accordingly. However,
the move to completely remove federal funding
from Planned Parenthood was wholly preemp-
tive and brash. The House needs to thorough-
ly rethink such decisions and withhold any
impulse to make such an ill-advised political
statement at the expense of millions.
ASHLEY
AUSTIN
Seeing social skills
“Y
ou don’t need peo-
ple,” I told my sister’s
strained
self-esteem
on
the
phone
one
afternoon.
“They
aren’t
necessary to the
life we live. We
are
indepen-
dent.”
I could hear her processing the
information on the phone. “But if
you want some, find the people you
want to be with; if they are more
trouble than they are worth, let
them go.”
I took a few seconds to listen to
my own advice, “Call Mom and run
that advice by her, will you? I’m not
sure that it is healthy.” She mum-
bled she would as I hung up and
walked to class.
Looking back, it seems that in
addition to giving poor advice, I
was right. It isn’t healthy.
Though I pride myself on being
independent, it’s undeniable that
social support has a positive impact
on health. Having people to depend
on, to relax with, to stop you from
studying yourself into an early
grave, lowers your stress, which
affects every aspect of health, men-
tal and physical.
A Harvard University study,
found that a lack of strong rela-
tionships increased the risk of pre-
mature death (by all causes) by 50
percent. This is to say, even though
relationships
may
take
effort,
they’re imperative.
You
hear
that,
Brooke?
I
was wrong.
She never asked my mom, by
the way.
If you’re not one to care about
your health, it might persuade you
if I said fellow human beings are
also critical in learning. This is
something I find immensely more
important than health, but I’ve
never been quite right that way.
Community, it’s called. While the
interpretation of the word may be
the members of the town you grew
up at, or members of the University
you now attend, communities are
much more. My definition of a com-
munity is people who are bonded
by similar action. Whether paint-
ing, running, learning Spanish or
embracing a common culture, the
people with whom you share pas-
sions are important because of how
you can grow from one another.
As a member of the Lloyd Hall
Scholars Program, a Michigan
learning community dedicated to
writing and the arts, I have been
exposed to new interests such as
slam poetry and journalism, things
I believe have made me a better
writer. Without community, what
knowledge am I to cultivate?
I’ve never been all that great at
making friends. I’m not trying to
seem pitiful, it just seems that way.
Independence is my scapegoat, and
while I love the friends I have, it
takes the pressure away when I tell
myself there isn’t a requirement to
be sociable. But I’ve been wrong
before.
The other morning I was sitting
in the dining hall shoveling in some
watermelon before heading off to
class. Some boy, oblivious to my
solitude and my still-sleeping brain,
sat across from me emitting cheer.
“How are you doing?” he asks me. I
breathe out a “good,” my voice still
adjusting to the sunlight. “How’s
your first week at U of M?” I didn’t
tell him I was a sophomore, because
it didn’t really matter. I tried to
muster a little enthusiasm, but plain
pleasantries have a way of bringing
me down. “Great,” my answer had
no voice inflection. He wanted more
from me: “You aren’t convincing.”
With the same flat sound I replied,
“That isn’t my job.” I got up and
walked away in awe of myself, but
now I cannot stop thinking, some-
day, it will be.
Aside from peer relationships,
socializing with people has become
even more crucial to our existence,
now more so than ever. Network-
ing is necessary for entering many
career
fields.
The
University’s
Alumni Association even states,
“(Eighty) percent of a job-seeker’s
energy should be focused on net-
working.”
Our futures are held in strangers’
hands, and so, if we want to amount
to anything, we need to impress
them. Luckily, our dear University
must sense our newly adult awk-
wardness, because be it Health
Management and Policy’s Griffith
Leadership Center or the Tauber
Institute for Global Operations,
events are frequently planned to
meet the important people with
these strange hands. These events
are
decorated
with
appealing
phrases like “informal conversa-
tions with senior executives” and
“interact in a small-group setting.”
To me, those words are not
comforting, but intimidating and
sweaty. Whatever my personal
comfort level, these opportunities
are nonetheless important, and stu-
dents should take advantage of the
generosity by practicing network-
ing at the play dates organized for
us.
The advice I should have given
sounds a little more like this: You
don’t need to be a people person,
however, you do need some people.
Remember, though, that no relation-
ship you have should be the same.
While you may rely on people, you
don’t need everything from them and
certainly not everything from one
person. There should be people you
rely on for loyalty, others for the pas-
sion of shared interests. Some people
can only be relied upon when you
need a good time (a very important
type, I must add). There will be those
who teach you, those who help lift
you and those you just have to sur-
vive being around. All are important,
but none are all-encompassing.
Life would not be impossible
without social networking; it would
just be a lot harder.
— Payton Luokkala can be
reached at payluokk@umich.edu
GABRIELLE
DECARO
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