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Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The Daily Cougar
opinion THE DAILY COUGAR
EDITOR Andrew Taylor E-MAIL opinion@thedailycougar.com ONLINE www.thedailycougar.com/opinion
A DEFICIT OF COMPROMISE AND IDEAS Courtesy of USBICEF
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& ARTS EDITOR
OPINION EDITOR
Jack Wehman Newton Liu, Christopher Losee Jose Aguilar, Cristi Guerra John Brannen, Joshua Siegel Mary Baak Andrew Taylor
STAFF EDITORIAL
Congressional tug-of-war puts Houston in trouble
T
he battle between Republicans and Democrats continues — but this time the battlefield is Houston, and what’s at risk is our future metropolitan transit. Conservatives on Capitol Hill are threatening to chuck a federal mass transit program that promises at least $900 million for Houston Metro, according to an article published in the Houston Chronicle. The New Starts program, which is one if the infrastructure investments Obama mentioned in his State of the Union, would pour $2 billion through the Federal Transit Administration, according to the Chronicle. The $900 million that would come to Houston is something that would be great for the city. It would allow Houston residents more options when it comes to getting around town. It would also cut down on traffic and the amount of fuel we use in the city. Those houses that used to stand along Wheeler Street were bought by Metro and are part of a light rail plan for the University. Those plans depend on the money that is at stake. But what is right is clearly not the same when it comes to party identification. “Republicans elected from suburban and rural congressional districts are targeting federal mass transit programs that traditionally benefit Democratic metropolitan congressional districts on the West and East Coasts,” the Chronicle wrote. If the money fails to come to Houston, expect to see a lot of unused land and vacant lots. Don’t expect plans to change soon, either — if we miss our chance another one will be a long way off due to the budget deficit in Texas. Annise Parker believes that the government will act in good faith and continue to fund or reimburse the cities that have already spent money on these transit projects. “We believe that Congress would not act in bad faith for cities — not just Houston, but cities across the country — that have expended funds with the expectation that those funds would be reimbursed,” Parker said. The outlook of any expansions for Metro and Houston’s transit scenario are bleak. For these programs not to be cut the Republicans would have to cut something else, something they might like or something that would infuriate their voters.
E D I TO R I A L P O L I C I E S STAFF EDITORIAL The Staff Editorial reflects the opinions of The Daily Cougar Editorial Board (the members of which are listed above the editorial). All other opinions, commentaries and cartoons reflect only the opinion of the author. Opinions expressed in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Houston or the students as a whole. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Daily Cougar welcomes letters to the editor from any member of the UH community. Letters should be no more than 250 words and signed, including the author’s full name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major. Anonymous letters will not be published. Deliver letters to Room 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to letters@thedailycougar.com; send them via campus mail to STP 4015; or fax them to (713) 743-5384. Letters are subject to editing. ADVERTISEMENTS Advertisements published in The Daily Cougar do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the University or the students as a whole. GUEST COMMENTARY Submissions are accepted from any member of the UH community and must be signed with the author’s name, phone number or e-mail address and affiliation with the University, including classification and major. Commentary should be kept to less than 500 words. Guest commentaries should not be written as replies to material already printed in the Cougar, but rather should present independent points of view. Rebuttals should be sent as letters. Deliver submissions to Room 7, University Center Satellite; e-mail them to letters@thedailycougar.com; or fax them to (713) 743-5384. All submissions are subject to editing.
Power struggle siezes Middle East
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he recent protests and revolutions in the Middle East started in Tunisia. Mohamed Bouazizi, a college graduate forced to sell fruits at a street corner, was harassed by government officials who wanted to confiscate his meager source of income. In desperation, the young man burned himself to death. Thus began the “Tunisian Dignity Revolution,” a mass uprising Dana of people from all walks El Kurd of life demanding jobs, freedom and democracy. Two weeks after Bouazizi’s tragic death, the brutal dictator of Tunisia, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, fled the country, bringing an end to 24 years of political repression and exploitive economic policies. Protests then erupted in countries all over the Middle East, including Yemen, Libya, Algeria and Jordan. All of these countries suffer from similar issues:
economic exploitation, political repression and a young population that expects lives of hardship and poverty regardless of educational background. Many of the protests were quickly extinguished through mass arrests. Media pundits (and government officials) all over the world assured the Arab dictatorships that the revolution in Tunisia would not have a domino effect. That is, until Egypt erupted. Over 100,000 Egyptians took to the streets on Jan. 25, calling the uprising a “Day of Rage” and demanding that their 82-year old dictator Hosni Mubarak resign immediately and let democracy run its course. The protests quickly escalated when the police force found itself unable to smother the dissenters as it had done in the past. Unfortunately, our government is the main reason such repressive regimes have survived in the Arab world for this incredible length of time. The U.S. sends billions of dollars in aid to support and influence
these Arab governments despite the fact that they are openly authoritarian. In an effort to maintain our short-term interests, we have helped these dictatorships stay in power. We need to realize that our current strategy is a losing one. Brutalized people won’t remain silent for long, and no amount of funding will silence dissent. Such revolutions are inevitable and these governments will eventually reflect the wills of their people. For the sake of our long-term interests, America needs to respect the national aspirations of the Arab people by supporting their uprisings and cutting funding to their oppressors. And for the sake of people like Mohamed Bouazizi who are fighting for their freedom, let’s hope we do it soon. Dana El Kurd is a economics and political science junior and may be reached at opinion@ thedailycougar.com.
Little hope for change in Congress
L
ast week, President Barack Obama addressed the State of the Union and told everyone that we need to “Win the future.” In a display of leadership, he touched upon many of the issues that are currently facing our great nation. The downside was that despite his leadership skills and his ability to create an illusion of bipartisan eagerness, our Congress is poised Andrew to be an ineffective one. Taylor The most pressing issue for our nation is the budget, and our enormous deficit that is ever growing. Obama’s plan for the economy is to invest in domestic projects and alternative energy sources. This won’t be easy and is less foreseeable when at the same time the president is proposing a 5-year domestic spending freeze. Another factor that will surely work
against any of his investment ideas or plans for growth is the attitude and control of the Republican majority within the House of Representatives. Republicans have labeled anything that is said to be an investment as something wasteful. Increasing research among any of our promising technologies for the future or spending more on domestic infrastructure will be impossible if the Republicans continue their policy of saying no. Reaching reasonable solutions to any of the other issues Obama spoke of last Tuesday isn’t likely when you look at what the other side has to offer as far as ideas. Rep. Paul Ryan from Wisconsin gave the rebuttal to the president’s address. Ryan hammered relentlessly on the topic of the economy and the deficit. Ryan, who is the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, spoke mainly
of Obama’s stimulus and healthcare bill. “All of this new government spending was sold as ‘investment,’” Ryan said. “Yet after two years, the unemployment rate remains above 9 percent and government has added over $3 trillion to our debt.” As the newest Republican poster boy, look for Ryan to label anything that Obama speaks of as investment as something poisonous and wrong for the country. The rest of his party will follow suit. Of course their solution to the economic problems is to cut spending and decrease the size of government. How do they plan to do this? Well, the truth is, they don’t know either. All they know is that anything Obama does is sure to be our country’s downfall, and what he’s passed so far hasn’t worked. Andrew Taylor is an economics senior and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com.