Danny Glover, who was slated to be the speaker for the Berkeley general commencement will no longer attend the ceremony, instead choosing to stand in solidarity with the unions picketing the school. UC Berkeley fails to pay its janitors a living wage.

I totally support Glover’s decision, but have to wonder why he accepted the invite in the first place. As a senior graduating next Wednesday, I can’t help but feel slightly punished when I know that my peers at other equal institutions get to have awesome speakers while we don’t because of a system-wide strike. The UC system should have dealt with its unfair practices long ago, like maybe after Fabian Núñez rejected last year on the day of the ceremony. Or ideally before that, like maybe never initiating the practice in the first place.

Do you agree?

Because we can all use a bit of laughter after this week…

• Colbert on the Pottery Barn Rule: “Do you know what happens if you break a lamp at Pottery Barn and leave? Genocide!”
• Colbert:
  

  According to the Washington Post, the President is seeking candidates for a brand-new position they’re calling the war czar. The czar would coordinate between State and Defense Departments; oversee operations in Iraq and Afghanistan; and, one assumes, keep an eye on Rasputin….If only the Constitution provided for some kind of—chief commander, or commanderish chief, who could command chiefly these wars!

• Glad our Attorney General was able to articulate a clear explanation of how his department operates.

Despite any hard evidence, from either before the U.S. entrance into the war in Iraq or in the four years since, Cheney still holds to his assertion of an Iraq - Al Qaeda link. Did he miss the Defense Department Inspector General’s report that found insignificant intelligence to justify an Iraq - Al Qaeda relationship?

There are many ways to sneak through Sproul Plaza: One—blast music from you iPod, flip your hood on and don’t stop. Two—the more common approach—fight your way past campaigners with signs and slogans with lightning fast “no thank you”s and the more methodical “I don’t have time, I am going to class.”

If you ascribe to those “get me out of here” beliefs you are missing out. Walk a mile in my shoes, rather, walk through Sproul in my shoes. Before, between and after classes you’ll find me tabling, enjoying the sun, the chaos and most importantly the people. Yes that’s right, the soul-less individuals who parade around with signs, stealing your time. In fact, they are not soul-less at all; they give their all, enduring the sun and their nerves as they go outside their comfort level to inform and help Berkeley students. They volunteer time because they love both Berkeley and their candidate enough to make asses out of themselves. So follow me, as we continue through Sproul, in the slogan-stiffened shoes of a campaigner.

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• This is pretty funny.

• “Good news for the Bush administration. Just one week after the outrageous Walter Reed medical scandal, that story is gone. Because there’s a new kid in town. His name is Outrageous Fired Federal Prosecutors Attorney General Scandal. Yes, in one week it’s been revealed the administration screwed over wounded vets (the most revered people in America), and lawyers (the most reviled people in America), proving they’ve got range.”
  —Jon Stewart (via DailyKos)

Did you think that the mostly privatized health care system in America means we spend less on care and have lower taxes than countries which provide universal coverage?

These charts help to put the U.S. healthcare system in perspective (link):

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Has anyone noticed the recent trend of backlash directed at those fighting global warming politically, but not in their actions?

Both before and after the Oscars, Al Gore was criticized for his documentary An Inconvenient Truth—not merely for content, but for the way he raced around the globe in his jet in what can only be classified as environmentally unsustainable.

Similarly, during the elections last year, California Gov. Schwarzenegger was criticized for driving a Hummer while simultaneously supporting anti-emissions policies.

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Since we’ve spent the last month discussing the problems existing in the American healthcare system as well as possible reforms, I thought it might be useful to consider the highly successful Japanese healthcare system as a model. While Japan spends 5.4% less of its GDP per year on healthcare than the Unites States, unlike the US, Japan provides universal coverage to Japanese citizens. The Japanese system requires all citizens to purchase health insurance. Insurance companies pay privately owned service providers directly at rates set by the government. All employees in Japan are provided health insurance by the Social Insurance System (SIS). Employers shoulder between 50-80% of the cost of insurance, while the remainder is covered by premiums paid by employees based on their financial ability. The average worker’s premium is 4% of their salary. Citizens who are not employed are covered by National Health Insurance (NHI). A third insurance agency caters specifically to the healthcare needs of the elderly. Patients are allowed to choose their own doctors and preferred facilities. This system seems to integrate private healthcare providers with government subsidy quite effectively in a way that might appeal to insured American voters preoccupied with maintaining the freedom of choice they have with private insurance companies. While the Japanese system is highly successful on a whole, primary problems include long waits to see doctors and a shortage of doctors and medical facilities in rural as compared to urban areas.

John McCain has officially declared his candidacy for President in the 2008 Election, and some have wondered whether “his age may be Mr McCain’s biggest handicap. If he won the presidency, he would by then—at 72—be the oldest man ever elected to the White House.”

I think it’s more likely that McCain’s unpopular stances on issues, especially his support of sending more troops to Iraq, would overshadow concerns about his age in the minds of voters. What do you think?

Last Friday, Senator Dianne Feinstein graced our very own Cal campus with her glorious presence as part of a conference put on by Boalt to address climate change policy. Feinstein presented the conference attendees with five bills, all of which are designed to lower both future greenhouse gas emissions and the country’s dependency on fossil fuels. In between emphasizing the value of a moderate bill that can be strengthened and recognizing the fact that policy isn’t always perfect, DJ DiFi dropped some mad-crazy metaphors, declaring that “we are looking for the access ramp to the freeway for change,” and warning that global warming may be approaching a “tipping point;” sounds to me like the cow of the ozone layer is in some serious trouble! It’s great to hear that concerns about climate change are transforming into tangible policy changes, and that our campus can be the catalyst for these discussions and plans to be made!

The Daily Cal has more.