Re: If your wages increase, you might have to thank Donald Trump

Opinion

TECHNICIAN

PAGE 5 • MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018

Re: If your wages increase, you might have to thank Donald Trump

Politics is a game: it has winners and losers, and at the end of the day politics is a contest of interest where concepts such as morality and integrity take second place. My colleague — the assistant editor for the Opinion section — wrote an opinion piece that I thought I would add on to, because I feel like there is a perspective missing in her piece.

First, let’s address this false narrative that the tax bill redistributes wealth: as it stands, the oligarchy that is our current administration opened the door for the rich to get richer. Yes it may be true that corporations are raising their wages, although a recent poll says differently; however that is half the truth and a half truth is still a lie.

While these companies did raise their wages and benefits, they used the savings from the GOP tax plan to fund layoffs. Walmart, on the very same day it announced raising wages, also closed 63 Sam’s Club locations, laying off thousands of workers.

Kimberly-Clark, the owners of Kleenex, also cut 5,500 jobs — approximately 13 percent of its workforce — and is using the savings from taxes for restructuring.

Layoffs are one thing, but there are even more corporate shenanigans; the fact that, despite rhetoric by business leaders saying they are investing in their workers, they’re actually investing in their shareholders. Companies gave the proceeds from the corporate tax cut to shareholders through share buybacks. These benefits from the tax plan favor shareholders, not workers as promised by Trump and business leaders.

The rich getting richer is not a shocking concept; it’s capitalism as usual, or as others like to romantically phrase it, “business” as usual. Class conflict is a fundamental part of capitalism. While we do live in a mixed economy, for all intents and purposes, this is a capitalist nation. Whether you like that or not does not matter — the facts are still the facts.

Wealth inequality, as American history has shown, is intrinsically linked with capitalism. The rich use their economic power to grasp political power, swaying the interest of public servants to serve the private interest.

Second, it’s impossible to evaluate Trump’s policies since it’s only been one year. It is very unbecoming, especially when dealing with economics, to look at short-term consequences of policy. In the words of lauded economist Henry Hazlitt, “The art of economics consists in looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy; it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups.”

There is also the fact that Trump has been passed down a good economy, which should be nothing new for the Donald, as he should be used to being handed and enjoying the fruits of other’s labor. All jokes aside there is short-term good news with this tax plan but that is what it is — short-term — and economics is a long-term game.

Third, I agree that the corporate tax rate should go down; however, lower corporate taxes should be paired with raised taxes for the rich, along with estate taxes which would make the corporate tax cut revenue neutral, reduce waste and move some of the tax burden from the middle class to the rich.

That is, however, a Band-Aid for a very wicked problem. American economics is still in need of reforms. Reforms such as a land-value tax, and other reforms to the economy need to happen so the economy can finally serve the people. As Noah Smith explains in an article in Bloomberg, “A land-value tax, or LVT, is like a property tax, but with a deduction for the value of buildings and other improvements. The tax would reduce land prices and increase the incentive to build more, which in turn will help drive down rents, making a city more affordable.”

The economy is booming, there is no denying that, but there are also some trou-

bling trends that are not getting enough attention. Allison Schrager explains in her article at Quartz, “The economy may be booming now, but there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical it will last. ProShawn Fredericks Correspondent ductivity numbers don’t justify the headline growth figures. Many people think the stock market is overvalued and due for a correction. It has been eight and a half years since the last recession, and the natural oscillation of the business cycle suggests we may be due for another one soon. Low saving rates are often seen before a recession.” Also, as I was writing this, the Dow Jones dropped 666 points amidst wage growth picking up. The Department of Labor has reported 200,000 jobs were added. Great news, but it all sets the stage for the Federal Reserve to continue raising inflation rates, making credit cards, mortgages and car loans more expensive. In fact, the next hike is predicted to happen in March. This tax plan is a political victory for the Trump administration and the GOP. Whether this is a win America can celebrate, only time will tell. Yes, thank Trump for the small handout he adds to your check and please save it, but do not let desperation blind you. Wealth is still in the hands of the elite, not the people. While this tax bill has many winners, it also has many losers, so let’s hold on celebrating until all Americans win.

Don’t underestimate the power of the flu

According to a Technician news article in the past week, there have been 66 laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu among NC State students. It all started with the spread of norovirus at the beginning of last semester’s finals in December. Before you think, “It won’t happen to me,” think again.

Dr. Julie Casani, the medical director of NC State Student Health Services, says that the spread of the flu this year is as bad as it was last year. The total death toll in North Carolina has been recorded as 95 since the season started in October 2017. People don’t seem to be taking this illness seriously. Being sick often means you get to skip a day at school and sleep your worries away, or even watch reruns of your favorite TV show, but this year, there is a lot more at stake. There are cases of skipped flu shots when people either forgot to take them, or procrastinated on taking them since they weren’t a priority. The Technician news article from last week mentions that 85 percent of the students feeling under the weather have admitted to not taking a flu shot this year. The seasonal flu is highly contagious and can be spread up to six feet away from the source. The viruses involved are mainly spread through direct contact like touching, or indirect contact like inhaling too close to a sick person.

You may be sick without even knowing it — it takes about one to four days for the signs of the flu to start showing up and taking their toll on your body.

Symptoms include a runny nose, sore throat, fever, chills and muscle aches. As the virus spreads throughout the lungs and the respiratory system, the body reacts by trying to destroy the infected tissue altogether — in the worst case, shutting down all the organs one after the other and resulting in death.

The best way to protect yourself is to wash your hands frequently and not come

in contact with the belongings of others. It’s important to be aware and consciously stay away from other people during these times. Everything on campus is in close quarters, and so spreading of the illness is incredibly easy. Shivani Students diagnosed with the flu are havShirolkar ing to miss their classes (maybe even for Staff Columnist a few days) to stay home. This is quite a blow to their academic routine, as exam season is fast approaching with midterms. It’s a lot better to responsibly take care of yourself than to knock yourself out for a solid week and miss out on valuable

Opinion

TECHNICIAN

PAGE 6 • MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018

New logo, same ole Board of Governors

The UNC System — the body that manages and oversees North Carolina’s public universities, including NC State — recently launched a new branding campaign and logo, according to a report by WRAL. The piece notes that, “University system leaders say the new branding campaign will strengthen and unify the system.” Yet the Board of Governors, the System’s governing body, has pursued a series of policies that undermine the strength, unity and independence of the universities it leads.

I have written previously on a law passed by the NC General Assembly regarding campus free speech. Although the law claims to protect free speech on campus, it achieves this protection by threatening disciplinary action on individuals who disrupt speakers invited by on-campus groups, or otherwise inhibit free expression. The law called for a committee under the Board of Governors to establish policies in order to implement the law.

The Board passed a policy on Dec. 15 satisfying the law’s objectives, the News and Observer reports. The policy contains similar language to the law, expressing support for free speech, but also “sets out a range of likely punishments for anyone — students, faculty or staff — who “substantially disrupts” the functioning of an institution or “substantially interferes” with the free expression rights of others.”

Like the original law, the UNC policy appears to threaten the rights of students at NC State to protest speakers and causes they disagree with. Notably, the policy still fails to define what constitutes a substantial disruption, obscuring where the line is drawn between lawful and unlawful behavior.

Given NC State’s proximity to the General Assembly, we are a prime site for discourse about the direction of our state and country. Take the HKonJ march, scheduled for Feb. 10, which aims to support wages, education and fair voting policies by marching to the Capitol building in downtown Raleigh. Events like these underscore the importance of our right to engage in political activities, without fear of punishment for exceeding some arbitrary standard of disruption.

Universities are valuable institutions because of their commitment to expanding free thought. Policies that inhibit or threaten to inhibit speech, even in the guise of defending it, prevent students from adequately representing their opinions, and thereby learning how others see the world. This harms unity, since opposing viewpoints are forced to stay quiet, instead of venting openly, trying to build common ground and mutual understanding.

The Board of Governors has also recently passed a policy preventing centers associated with the UNC System from participating in litigation, according to WRAL. The move targeted the UNC Center for Civil Rights, a litigation service under UNC-Chapel Hill’s law school, which helped disadvantaged North Carolinians with legal issues. The policy raises questions about the academic independence of the universities in the UNC System, as the WRAL

piece notes that, “Board members who supported the change say the center should focus less on filing lawsuits and more on teaching.” The idea that the board can shut down our universities’ academic institutions merely because Noah Jabusch Staff Columnist they disagree with their practices should alarm us as students who want a broad and rigorous curriculum. The board is responsible for governing our universities, not controlling them. Our ability to create institutions that seem valuable to our education is one of the hallmarks of NC State and our “Think and Do” mentality. It is debilitating for our governing body to repress our freedom to use our education to make a difference in the community. As students, we must continue to dream up big ideas to improve our education and pitch them to the administration. We ought to continue voicing our opinions on current events and making our campus an inclusive environment. And finally, those of us who are citizens of North Carolina must use our vote to fight for a board that represents our interests — no matter what their logo is.

FLU

continued from page 5

course work.

It starts out as the average combination of the troublesome common cold and a headache, possibly accompanied by fever, until you realize that it’s much more serious than that. It’s a good idea to take immediate action and call a doctor or medical specialist to get your symptoms checked.

Often, students might underestimate their symptoms and go to class anyway, in the fear of losing attendance credit and missing material covered on the exam, but your health is more important. Also, infecting other students in the process is a high possibility.

Taking the risk of not getting a flu shot is not worth it. It only takes a few moments, and you’ll be done within seconds. Unfortunately, it isn’t 100 percent effective. In fact, difficulties with choosing the viruses to include in the vaccine and other difficulties dropped its effectiveness this year to less than 20 percent. Though the odds seem bleak, it’s better to be safe than sorry. A few minutes of your time can give you at least a considerable amount of protection from the deadly flu. Flu shots are available at the NC State Student Student Health Center on Cates Avenue. A Late-Season Flu Clinic has been scheduled for Feb. 14 in Admin Services II for faculty and staff as well. I would recommend getting a shot if you haven’t, as there is still time — don’t let your guard down just yet, it’s not over.