2008 Woodie Awards
In Amherst. an Obama plan
John Glaser is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at jwglaser@student.umass.edu.
Issue date: 9/2/08 Section: Editorial / Opinion
Barack Obama has a plan to fix the tax system in this country. He would raise the capital gains tax from 15 percent to 28 percent, set the rate for estates of more than $1 million to 55 percent, raise the income tax for those earning over $200,000 to 36 percent and of some higher brackets to nearly 40 percent of an individual's income. No longer, he says, should the tax burden be laid on those who earn modest incomes. We need to further progressivize our tax system so that the rich pay more and redistribution of benefits becomes a higher priority.
Since the overwhelming majority of University of Massachusetts students will undoubtedly vote for Obama, I'm confident most of you will find yourselves in agreement with the following, consistent with Obama's plan for the country: a New Deal for UMass.
I propose the institution of a progressive grading system here at UMass Amherst. The wealthiest of earners would have a certain percentage of their hard earned GPA points taken by school administrators to be redistributed to students in need of more stable grade-point averages for the greater collective good. The growth of grade inequality at this University is such that we can no longer allow the high earners to capitalize from their privileged positions.
Obama frequently points out the gross figures from Exxon's income of $11 billion last quarter. Exxon paid 41 percent taxes on that income. The top 1 percent of income earners in this country pays nearly 40 percent of income taxes and the top 10 pay 70 percent. It is only just for the government to jack up those taxes on high earners even further, and UMass should follow suit.
Performance in college can have implications for the rest of one's life. Do we really want to leave that up to some invisible hand to work out? Do we really want to leave the inherent biases in the grading system unaddressed by administrative oversight? We can't let this competitive dog-eat-dog mentality of every man for himself determine the trajectory of success in our students' lives. Without a safety net for those who can't make it we will continue to exemplify that evil capitalist approach that each ought to be afforded according to his ability rather than his need.
Since the overwhelming majority of University of Massachusetts students will undoubtedly vote for Obama, I'm confident most of you will find yourselves in agreement with the following, consistent with Obama's plan for the country: a New Deal for UMass.
I propose the institution of a progressive grading system here at UMass Amherst. The wealthiest of earners would have a certain percentage of their hard earned GPA points taken by school administrators to be redistributed to students in need of more stable grade-point averages for the greater collective good. The growth of grade inequality at this University is such that we can no longer allow the high earners to capitalize from their privileged positions.
Obama frequently points out the gross figures from Exxon's income of $11 billion last quarter. Exxon paid 41 percent taxes on that income. The top 1 percent of income earners in this country pays nearly 40 percent of income taxes and the top 10 pay 70 percent. It is only just for the government to jack up those taxes on high earners even further, and UMass should follow suit.
Performance in college can have implications for the rest of one's life. Do we really want to leave that up to some invisible hand to work out? Do we really want to leave the inherent biases in the grading system unaddressed by administrative oversight? We can't let this competitive dog-eat-dog mentality of every man for himself determine the trajectory of success in our students' lives. Without a safety net for those who can't make it we will continue to exemplify that evil capitalist approach that each ought to be afforded according to his ability rather than his need.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
rkm
posted 9/03/08 @ 12:20 AM EST
excellent.
JOAN
posted 9/05/08 @ 11:12 PM EST
very good article. i like the idea.
my GPA is 2.1. I'm not a fan of studying, and my light bulb blew out so now my room is dark.
so I'll need someone to give me 1. (Continued…)
John
posted 9/06/08 @ 11:18 PM EST
It's a shame that individuals truly think Obama can do anything at all if elected president. He doesn't know anything, and his past is one of the most petrifying, scary, and unsettling of all. (Continued…)
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