UW scientists engineer microchips to better track the nation’s blood supply SCIENCE
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University of Wisconsin-Madison
BADGERS CLAIM BIG TEN CROWN
UW clinches at least a tie of conference championship after trouncing Penn State
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dailycardinal.com
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Thursday, March 6, 2008
Baghdad to Bascom
Committee approves new photograph ordinance By Lauren Vettel THE DAILY CARDINAL
The city’s Housing Committee voted Wednesday in favor of passing an ordinance that would protect tenants by requiring landlords to document property damages using photographic evidence. “What this [ordinance] does is it not only protects tenants, it protects landlords from frivolous [law]suits. It shows proof.” Eli Judge alder District 8
CHARLIE BAKER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Iraq War to cost state more than $46 billion by 2017, not top issue for voters By Sara Lieburn THE DAILY CARDINAL
According to Wisconsin voters, the war in Iraq is not the top issue on their minds. However, as the nation approaches the five-year anniversary of the war on March 19, Wisconsin officials and political observers have said it continues to affect the state, even if often indirectly. Public policy polling showed the war in Iraq came second to the economy in priority for both Wisconsin Democrats and Republicans. UW-Madison political science professor Kenneth Mayer said this breakdown is not unique to Wisconsin. “I don’t think the war plays out in Wisconsin any differently than most other states,” Mayer said. “In California, for example, 46 percent of Democrats identified the economy as the most important issue, with 32
percent saying Iraq. In New York, 46 percent said the economy, 30 percent said Iraq.” On Feb. 19, the day of the Wisconsin primary, two state National Guard units in the Tomahawk and Rhinelander areas received notice of a possible deployment to Iraq. National Guard spokesperson Lt. Col. Tim Donovan said this early notification affects approximately 200 soldiers. For a large number of these soldiers, this will not be their first mobilization. Donovan said a call to active duty is likely for the units, but they might not know if it will occur until up to a year from now. Soldiers deployed to Iraq, according to Donovan, have their personal and professional lives interrupted. This can disrupt the daily lives of civilians close to soldiers at jobs or colleges, he said. “They leave voids in their communities and in the state,” Donovan said.
The war has also affected Wisconsin’s economy, as it is expected to cost state taxpayers $46 billion by 2017, according to a January report from the U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee. The report said this amount is unlikely to change even if the size of the military in Iraq is significantly reduced. The war will cost $36,000 per Wisconsin household, according to the report. UW-Madison history professor Jeremi Suri iraq page 4
Military experience shapes students’ political views By Sarah Nance THE DAILY CARDINAL
When UW-Madison sophomore Eric Victor, a veteran and member of the 2003 Iraq invasion, returned home and started school in 2006, he realized public opinion was a little biased when it came to predicting how he would vote and think politically. “I think a lot of people automatically assume that a lot of people who join automatically have more of a conservative bias,” Victor said. “You really can’t do that. People come from all different economic backgrounds [and] social backgrounds.” For UW-Madison freshman Shawn Snyder, who enlisted five days before Sept. 11, 2001, and was deployed to Iraq three times, the political spectrum leans to the right but includes all persuasions. “Just like anything else, you’re going to find liberal people, too,” Snyder said, add-
ing most politically liberal military personnel do not, however, lean toward the extreme left. “You don’t find the same people in the military that you would find [in Madison], that are like, ‘Oh, I hate the government, I hate the war,’” Snyder said. UW-Madison senior and veteran Kenneth Laczkowski said he believed the public is beginning to accept the idea of soldiers with a variety of political positions, but acknowledged the military did affect his political views while he was a member. “While I was in, I voted more Republican on issues because they are historically the ones that give veterans page 7
AMANDA SALM THE DAILY CARDINAL
Ald. Eli Judge, District 8, proposed the ordinance last October to prevent landlords from deducting dishonest charges from tenants’ security deposits. Judge said many constituents contacted him in landlord-tenant disputes and were troubled by a lack of protocol. “What this does is it not only protects tenants, it protects landlords from frivolous suits. It shows proof,” Judge said. “[Landlords are] required to housing page 3
Doyle offers repair bill for $425 million budget shortfall Gov. Jim Doyle announced the state Legislature will hold a special session March 13 to work on repairing the $425 million budget shortfall. The shortfall was estimated at over $650 million, but was decreased due to various debt transfer maneuvers, according to a memo from the state Department of Administration. Doyle spokesperson Lee Sensenbrenner said the specifics of the bill would be announced early next week. He said the repair bill would protect the governor’s “main priorities” including education, health care and local services. Doyle has previously stated that he would like to use an assessment on hospitals to receive $450 million in federal money, a move supported by state Senate Democrats. John Murray, spokesperson for Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, said a repair bill that included the hospital proposal in it would not pass the Assembly. The special session would not end next week, despite March 13 being the last day of the regular session.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”