Opinion
Wednesday, October 12, 2022 — 9
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Kyrsten cinema continues to be astoundinly terrible
T
his week, Sen. Kyrsten
Sinema, D-Ariz., paid a
trip to the McConnell
Center, named after Republican
Senate Leader Mitch McConnell,
R-Ky.
The
move
sparked
righteous anger from many on
the left, given the Republican
senator’s legislative history that
spans decades.
Though
it’s
fair
to
take
exception to any visit to the
center
from
Democrats,
the
larger problem with this trip
was the timing of the visit and
the comments she decided to
make. Take the fact that now-
President Joe Biden visited the
center as vice president, or that
Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s, D-Minn.,
visited just this year. Those
moves sparked little backlash at
the time.
For
starters,
Sinema
took
the trip in the heart of the
midterm elections. That sort
of timing does not look good.
The upcoming midterms are
extremely
competitive,
and
Sinema’s Arizona partner in
the senate, Mark Kelly, is in a
critical re-election battle. Sinema
somehow managed to find time
to visit the man orchestrating
the Republican takeover of the
Senate, while at the same time
failing to appropriately campaign
for Democratic candidates in her
home state. Business Insider
pointed to a tweet by U.S. Rep.
Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who
is seen as a potential primary
challenger to Sinema come 2024.
“Now that I think of it. I have
been traveling the state and
country. Donating, raising funds
and encouraging people to come
out and vote and I have seen you
nowhere @SenatorSinema,” said
the Democratic representative
from Arizona.
When it comes to the comments
made by Sinema herself, one is
not hard-pressed to come up
with a litany of complaints. First,
she heaped delusional praise on
the Kentucky senator, outright
claiming that “we do share the
same values.” These values could
be numerous, but perhaps some
are their mutual support for a
starvation wage, tax loopholes
for the richest Americans or
minority rule.
She
also
claimed
that
McConnell shared her “pragmatic
approach to legislating.” It’s
one thing to say that Sinema
herself is a pragmatic senator.
But McConnell? In what ways
did voting against convicting
a
man
who
fomented
an
insurrection against the United
States government as president,
recklessly
holding
open
a
Supreme Court seat for over a
year for nothing but partisan
gain (only to be hypocritical
about the matter years later
when a Republican had the
opportunity to appoint a justice)
and claiming that “The single
most important thing we want to
achieve is for President Obama to
be a one-term president,” effuse
sensibility and realism?
Beyond gross miscalculations
of character, Sinema also made
sure to roll out an awful legislative
proposal as well. A staunch
supporter of the filibuster, an
arcane Senate rule that enables
minority
rule
and
Capitol
gridlock and disproportionately
benefits Republicans who seek
the status quo, Sinema made a
proposal to actually expand the
60-vote threshold, an idea she
herself admitted is incredibly
unpopular.
Apparently,
the
senator is in favor of partisan
nonsense that would keep crucial
judicial seats open, starve future
presidents of cabinets of their
preference and increase Capitol
Hill political games and delays.
Lastly, the senator found it wise
to opine negatively on Democrats’
chances
in
the
upcoming
midterms, when she suggested
that Democrats are likely to lose
control of the House and Senate.
While losing the House is likely,
Democrats are actually favored
to win the Senate, according to
FiveThirtyEight. Moreover, it
simply does not make sense to
be pessimistic on your party’s
chances as a major political
figure of that party. There is
a reason that Rick Scott has
predicted 52 or more Republican
senators post-2024 and that he
was 100% certain they will take
the Senate. It is the same reason
that Nancy Pelosi insisted that
Democrats would gain House
seats. While both are unlikely,
projecting confidence is key
to base enthusiasm and donor
interest.
Unfortunately for Democrats,
Sinema’s fiasco this week is just
another page in her disappointing
and confusing recent political
career.
She
sides
with
Republicans not only when her
party takes extreme positions,
but also when Democrats are on
the side of public opinion. She
has, with no moral explanation,
insisted on awful policies that
gutted
progressive
proposals
on excise taxes and the carried
interest
loophole.
She
has
chopped up Democrats’ plans
on drug pricing, gone against
immigrants’ rights in political
show votes and cozied up to
dangerous special interests. And
of course, she has not been willing
to do what it will take to protect
women’s reproductive freedom,
voting rights and democracy
itself by siding with Mitch
McConnell and Republicans on
the filibuster.
In all of this, Sinema has failed
to adhere to any sane logic for
her actions. It certainly can’t
be that she is catering to her
constituents. Vote after vote,
Sinema has gone against what
the majority of Arizonans have
wanted. As a result, she has
also positioned herself as an
incredibly unpopular politician
for whom re-election would
be of great difficulty. She has
done what is often impossible in
politics: united a state… against
her.
She is 17 points underwater
among likely voters, 20 points
underwater among Democrats,
10 points underwater among
Independents
and
18
points
underwater among Republicans.
In fact, Sinema has double-digit
unfavorable percentages in every
single major demographic.
What
makes
Sinema
problematic is not simply that
she is a fan of bipartisanship at
large. The issue with Sinema
is her insistence on associating
with bad-faith Republicans over
the goals of the Democratic
Party and its base, often doing
so in a way so overt she seems
to merely be seeking status as
an influential kingmaker with
favorable standing among the
Republican Party. More often
than not, her focus on appealing
to the opposite side of the aisle
goes beyond crafting effective
policy, and instead props up
Republicans who are at fault for
much of the dysfunction and
political rhetoric she claims to be
so concerned about.
Kyrsten Sinema is in office until
at least January 2025. And while
her presence in Arizona is infinitely
better than any Republican who
may replace her, Democrats can
expect her dumbfounding and
infuriating hijinks as we saw at the
McConnell Center to continue, all
the way until a primary opponent
finds success against her.
DEVON HESANO
Opinion Columnist
New Michigan Medicine contract reveals
a nursing system in critical condition
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Rushabh Shah
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Alex Yee
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VANESSA KIEFER
AND KATE WEILAND
Managing Editors
A
ccess to clean and reliable
water is something that
we often take for granted.
However, for the approximately
150,000
residents
of
Jackson,
Mississippi, clean water is not a
guarantee. This summer, the city’s
long-struggling water system broke
down, leaving the city without
safe running water for even basic
services to this day. The crisis
in this overwhelmingly African
American city serves as a stark
reminder of the disproportionate
impact of infrastructure issues
on communities of Color and
how governments often fail to
provide basic services to their most
vulnerable residents. The situation
in Jackson also reminds us of
Michigan’s water issues, where
communities like Flint and Benton
Harbor have had to continually
fight for the fundamental right to
clean water, a fight they have still
yet to win.
The current water crisis in
Jackson started in August when
torrential
rains
caused
major
flooding of the Pearl River, which
runs through the city. The flooding
decreased the water quality going
into the city’s main water treatment
plant, which put a major strain on
the plant. Soon there were concerns
about low water pressure and the
possible growth of harmful bacteria.
Backup water treatment plants and
secondary pumps also failed across
the city. This catastrophic failure
of the system led to many residents
having no running water for several
days, and a warning from the
governor that they would not have
water for even basic services like
fighting fires and plumbing.
Eventually, water services were
restored, but the water quality was
severely diminished. For months,
residents were told they had to boil
water before using it, even for basic
actions like brushing their teeth.
Long lines formed at National
Guard water bottle giveaway sites
as Jackson residents struggled to
obtain clean water. Eventually, water
service was restored and the boil
water notice was lifted, but many
residents are still understandably
extremely wary about drinking the
water. The city still recommends
that young children and pregnant
women not drink the water because
of possible lead exposure, showing
that the larger issues about water
quality are ongoing. Many residents
have also reported water quality
issues, with images of foul-colored
water going viral on social media.
The issues plaguing Jackson’s
water supply are not new. The city’s
entire municipal water system
has long been plagued with issues,
including over 300 boil water
notices over the past two years
because of concerns of E. coli and
other bacteria in the water. The
water system has been deteriorating
for years due to mismanagement,
underinvestment and the shrinking
of the city’s population. Like many
other urban cities, such as Detroit
and Flint, Jackson has faced
continued population decreases.
The decreasing population has led
to a shrinking tax base, making it
hard to maintain a water system
that includes pipes that are over 100
years old.
It is impossible to look at
the situation in Jackson and
not recognize the clear issue of
racial inequities. Jackson is an
overwhelmingly majority-minority
city where 80% of the residents
are Black. It is also a city that
experiences poverty at a higher
rate than the rest of the nation. The
median household income is about
$40,000, which is $25,000 less than
the median income nationwide, and
25% of the residents of the city live
in poverty.
Communities
of
Color
are
often
most
impacted
by
structural
inequities
in
our
nation’s infrastructure. A recent
investigation of Chicago’s tap water
found that the majority of Black
and Hispanic neighborhoods had
higher levels of lead in their water
than white neighborhoods. In the
predominantly white suburbs of
Jackson there are no water access
issues, as these residents have newer
water treatment plants.
Jackson
also
faces
the
unfortunate reality of being in the
deep red state of Mississippi. For
years, Republican administrations
in
Mississippi
have
promoted
the idea of small government by
turning down federal dollars and
voting for low taxes and low public
investment. In 2022, the state
legislature did not approve a bill that
would have authorized $4 million in
bonds for Jackson water and sewer
improvements. A separate proposal
that sought to increase the sales tax
by 1% in order to fund infrastructure
improvements also died in the
state legislature. It is worth noting
that there have been many issues
under the Democratic leadership
of the city for decades with regard
to the water system; however, the
problem of infrastructure spending
is something that is dealt with
primarily on the state level.
This situation also demonstrates
the impact of climate change on
our nation’s infrastructure. As was
seen in Jackson, climate change
caused- issues such as intense
flooding can have a major impact
on already struggling infrastructure
and
disproportionately
impact
communities
of
Color.
With
more and more “historic and
unprecedented”
weather
events
happening, we will see more of our
infrastructure unable to survive
our changing climate. If we do not
take meaningful steps to address
the climate crisis, we will continue
to have these dangerous and
disruptive infrastructure issues.
The situation in Jackon hits
close to home here in Michigan,
where we have seen major lead
issues in the water supplies of both
Flint and Benton Harbor. The story
of these cities is so similar, where
communities are left behind and
denied access to clean water. It is
critical that people continue to shine
a light on the situation in Jackson so
that this vulnerable community is
not left behind.
The fight for water
ISABEL SCHINDLER
Opinion Columnist
On Oct. 1, with the ratifica-
tion of a new agreement by the
University of Michigan Profes-
sional Nurses Council, a months-
long period in which nurses at
Michigan Medicine had been
working
without
a
contract
came to an end. The extended
negotiation period was due to
hospital
administration
and
Michigan Medicine nurses’s fail-
ure to reach a new contractual
agreement that would properly
resolve the workplace problems
that had permeated throughout
the hospital.
The new contract was hailed as
an achievement by both staff and
administration alike; a major-
ity of nurses voted in favor of
the new contract, and Michigan
Medicine spokesperson Mary
Masson called it “a fair agree-
ment that recognizes the value
our nurses bring to our patients
and the organization.” While this
is a cause for hope, it goes with-
out saying that the current chal-
lenges and hardships that nurses
face are not few and far between.
The union strike vote was
spurred by a combination of fac-
tors, including staffing difficul-
ties, wage issues and scheduling
complications.
Many
nurses
within Michigan Medicine have
faced unfair labor practices such
as mandatory overtime, which
was detrimental to the work-life
balance of Ann Arbor nurses.
Also notable are the conditions
in which nurses and other health
care professionals work. Many
health care professionals have
had to face various pathogens
running rampant while fight-
ing on the front-lines to keep our
communities safe.
Despite the importance of
the work they do, nurses, both
at the University and nationally,
still lack the payment and wages
they deserve. The strike vote
by Michigan Medicine nurses
aimed to fight back against these
unfair practices, and, while many
of these problems have been
resolved on a local level with the
recent contractual agreement
reached, these issues extend far
beyond Michigan Medicine.
Additionally, due to the gruel-
ing nature and financial burden
of nursing school, it is important
to note the challenges and sacri-
fices many nurses have to make
to go through the proper educa-
tion and licensing to practice in
general.
The discontent nurses have
had with Michigan Medicine
is reflected nationally within
the healthcare industry. Vari-
ous other strikes and protests
are taking place throughout the
United States because of this
national shortage. The effects
and reverberations of COVID-19
still resonate within the nursing
profession, and it has caused a
shortage of available nurses will-
ing to work under these unfair
conditions
and
insufficient
wages.
These problems are all indica-
tive of a greater, systemic issue
within the healthcare industry
in the U.S. With nursing being a
predominantly female occupa-
tion, issues of systemic sexism
and other forms of workplace
abuse should be considered.
Despite the severity of the sit-
uation, there are still manageable
action steps toward an improved
working environment for nurses.
Certain
pragmatic
solutions,
such as paying nurses more, are
still Band-Aid solutions over a
gaping wound. A structural prob-
lem requires structural solutions,
and, with hospitals at the root of
this problem, we should look to
them for the solution.
The first step is to stop treat-
ing nurses as interchangeable.
Nurses can have very specialized
roles. It’s commonplace for the
criticality of the patient to exceed
the expertise of a nurse in a unit.
This issue is compounded when
the nurse has multiple patients.
Having a non-ICU nurse oversee-
ing the care of ICU patients is an
example of this kind of misallo-
cation of resources. This leads to
burnout, which can take a toll on
their performance at work.
Hospitals must start prioritiz-
ing measures for infection con-
trol. For instance, more money
should be allocated toward per-
sonal protective equipment, or
“PPE,” for some of the most front-
line workers: nurses. Employ-
ers also have a responsibility of
ensuring the proper use of PPE,
which requires the implementa-
tion of a PPE program.
While
workplace
changes
within hospitals are necessary,
part of the problem also lies in
the education system. As older
and more experienced nurses
move on to other roles or retire,
a large educational apparatus is
necessary to keep a steady flow
of replacements entering the
system. Colleges and universi-
ties, however, lack the teaching
staff and resources to accept all
of the large number of qualified
people applying, with nearly
80,000 prospective nursing stu-
dents being refused admission to
schools in 2012.
For a field with a turnover rate
as high as 27.1%, these educa-
tional limitations spell disaster.
Without new nurses, jobs cannot
be filled and patients will suffer.
In 2021, the number of registered
nurses in the U.S. shrank by 3%.
After the COVID-19 pan-
demic and more recent monkey-
pox scare, we cannot afford to
be caught this understaffed and
unprepared. To keep supply in
line with skyrocketing demand,
state and federal funding is nec-
essary to shore up our nursing
education infrastructure. A key
first step was taken this year in
Michigan when Gov. Gretchen
Whitmer and the legislature
pushed through $56 million of
funding for nursing education.
This is an excellent start that
needs to be built upon in the
future.
With more than half a million
nurses projected to leave the field
by 2024, the problem will only
get worse the longer we wait. In
the meantime, while new nurses
are educated and trained, we
must focus on retention of the
current labor force.
As nurse unions here at the
University
of
Michigan
and
across the country push for bet-
ter contracts, hospital adminis-
tration must be receptive. Better
working conditions will help
relieve much of the burnout and
stress these health care workers
often suffer from. But monetary
compensation and reduced over-
time are not the only changes
that must be made.
Despite their important role
in health care, nurses often
complain they feel disrespected
at work. A job in nursing must
also come with the dignity and
gratitude it deserves. An atmo-
sphere of support and apprecia-
tion would keep nurses on the job
for longer and boost floundering
ranks at hospitals nationwide.
Many deep-rooted problems
must be addressed, both within
the hospital system and the nurs-
ing education system. However,
Michigan Medicine’s new con-
tract marks a significant first
step toward better serving and
appreciating our valuable nurs-
es. Laying the groundwork for
future progress, the contract is
a beacon of hope — not only for
nurses within Michigan Medi-
cine but for nurses across the
nation.
MICHIGAN DAILY
EDITORIAL BOARD
TESS CROWLEY/Daily