Oops! Ahmadinejad's Done It Again.

Iranian "president" Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is back in headlines after the recent protests contesting the legitimacy of his victory in the June 2009 presidential elections. This time, Ahmadinejad is once again touting his denial of the Holocaust. Ahmadinejad is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly this Wednesday and Iran, the United States, and other major powers are scheduled to begin negotiations in part addressing Iran's nuclear program. The United Nations will also be determining soon whether or not to enact stricter sanctions against Iran.

As quoted in the Associated Press, "the president's message during his U.N. visit will be 'peace and friendship for all nations, fighting suppression and interaction with all nations in the framework of justice and mutual respect," said a spokesman for Ahmadinejad's office, Mohammad Jafar Mohammadzadeh, according to IRNA.'" A little ironic given the elements of the government that supported Ahmadinejad and the crackdowns on protestors as recently as this past Friday, September 18, 2009...

In the words of Maz Jobrani:

Silver Lining

The International Energy Agency (IEA) is estimating that CO₂ emissions will fall 2% in 2009, the largest drop in 40 years. The IEA attributes 75% of the decrease to the global recession.

This shows that the best way to reduce emissions is simply to reduce consumption. For instance, reducing the number of pregnancies is "five times as cost-effective as deploying low-carbon technologies." I'm not saying that we should enforce draconian limits on childbirth, but providing condoms and birth control to developing nations would reduce everything from environmental damage to the spread of AIDS to fighting over limited resources. (It's no coincidence that Rwanda has the highest population density in mainland Africa.)

And on that note, Happy Peace Day.

Bad Arguments and No Arguments

Ten days ago in the Michigan Daily, Chris Koslowski politicized the death of Ted Kennedy. But not in a way you might think:

Obama has said again and again that a major factor behind the failure of the current health care system is the execution of needless or futile medical procedures. Among these procedures, Obama specifically mentioned surgeries for terminally ill patients. During a primetime ABC broadcast from the White House this summer, he said, “Maybe you’re better off not having the surgery, but taking the painkiller.”...

Obama, and everyone who is in favor of public health insurance, needs to ask themselves... Would Kennedy, if he were a private citizen of average income under Obama’s public plan, have been able to pursue these life-extending procedures, given his age and condition?

Koslowski makes the point of all opponents of reform: "Obamacare is bad." But that doesn't fully address the relevant point: whether health-care reform will be better than what we have now. The fact that Koslowski doesn't ask whether his hypothetical, average-income Ted Kennedy would have been covered under a current, private plan (Answer: Probably not) shows that he hasn't done this cost-benefit analysis.

The problem is Democrats and proponents of health-care reform have not been making this argument effectively. Yes, whatever plan that comes out of Congress probably won't cover everything. But it will be better than what we have now.

Putting America to Work

From the 127-96 junction near Lansing to I-94 around Battle Creek to some stretch of I-75 in Ohio, road signs are popping up announcing construction season. But one sign in particular stands out.

These signs are politically brilliant. Just as people are starting to wonder where the stimulus money went, these signs pop up saying, "You can thank Barack Obama for these (soon to be) smooth roads."

So Happy Labor Day everybody. Hopefully, we'll all be employed again soon.

Broken Promises

"Please note that because these funds are not yet available and funding is uncertain, you should make arrangements to cover the amount of your Michigan Promise Scholarship with other resources."

~University of Michigan Office of Financial Aid, in an email to students

On June 23, the Michigan State Senate, facing a $1.7-billion deficit, voted to axe the Michigan Promise Scholarship, which provides funds for over 96,000 students across the state, including (for the sake of transparency) me. (The scholarship may be reinstated before the state budget is due on October 1.)

I understand that the state has to either cut something or raise taxes, but I feel I have to respond to this guy:

These kids will just have to work their way through school like the earlier generations did. The days of the handouts are over.

Unfortunately, that's just not economically feasible. Upper-level engineering tuition at U-M is $15,926. How anyone could possibly be expected to pay for that plus rent, utilities, groceries, books, etc. without scholarships while taking on a full course load is beyond me. In my case, the $3300 that would have come from the Promise and the Michigan Competitive (also of uncertain future) is the difference between having expenses covered and taking a serious hit to my savings account. (The no-handouts crowd should note that I'm already assuming I'll work next summer and during the school year.)

Furthermore, financing college education makes good economic sense. College graduates are less likely to be unemployed, poor, or incarcerated, less likely to smoke, and more likely to volunteer, vote, and give blood. But because individuals don't consider the benefits to society when deciding whether to go to college, too few enroll. Government intervention in the college market makes sense, especially in Michigan, the Water Winter 15%-Unemployment Wonderland.

Yes, the state will have to do something unpleasant, but this unpleasantness hurts students now and will hurt Michigan in the future.