tart
ill lt liff depend
Job
LANSING' - Gov. James
Blanchard's proposed Job Start
, program, awaiting legislative
debate, is aimed at Iiftiog the
"dependency trap" afflicting
Michigan general-assistance
youths.
The program would offer a
IrJeam and earn" altematm for
an 18 to 25 year-old employable
general assistaDce recipients by
requiring them to participate in
education or job training
p-ograms.
·Job Start I a fundamental
shift in how we provide income
. tance for young adults .
Midaigan: said C. Patri Bab­
cock, Department of Social Ser­
vices (DSS) director. "It is a
long-term investment in the
economic future of our state,"
He said the program was
spurred 0 by a mo\'e in the
legislature to cancel general as­
sistance startiug next Septem­
ber. This ·move ould affect
about 94,000 people in·the state,
iacluding more than '21,000
youths aged 18 to 25.
Babcock said that though the
number of general assistance
cases has been declining in the
past few years, it has actually in­
creased for 18 to 25 year.olds.
TARGETS 18-15 YEAR-OLDS
This group especially wor­
ries the DSS� he said
"We've become more and
more concerned about the de­
pendency trap that many young
-,
people are falling into as they
INc in areas without jobs and
they don't ha\'e the skill level or
the literacy level to make the
connection ith the labor
market, • he said
Job Start would stress the
aucial factors of education and
job training in helping this age
group into the labor market
. According to DSS statistics,
54 percent of general-assistance
recipients in Michigan do not
have a high school diploma.
Statewide, 61 percent of general
assistance clients have not
orked within the past five
years and 61 percent have no
employment history. .
To help 18 to 25 year olds
who D;l8y be losing assistance
overcome these deficiencies
training will be
ns not job ready
Ju
ice Archer sees judicial el -Ie io
By An B. r
CapiJal News Servic«
LANSING - Michigan has
a long history of electing judges
at all levels and state Supreme
Court Justice Dennis Archer
says it probably will continue,
even though many 0 his peers
would like to see it gee
"Many have trie to get
judges appointed rather than
elected in the past," Archer said,
"and in all instances they failed"
Archer said he believes that
the people of Michigan feel
more secure when they can have
a direct hand in all three
branches of government. One
proposed alternative is that the
governor would select judges.
"The people ould rather
have direct elections than give
up their right to choose judges
to a governor, even if he or she
is a good governor," Archer
said
The State B of Michigan
and state Supreme Court Jus­
tice James Bri�y agree with
Archer that the system won't
change in Michigan, but that
doesn't mean they can't dream.
"The Bar has often gone on
record to support the appoint­
ment of at least appellate level
judges," said Michael Franck,
executive director of the State
Bar.
Franck said they understand
that taking appointments all the
way down to trial level judges
isn't practical, and people tend
to know more about. their local
judges anyway.
"People know more about
their local judges than judges in
the Court of Appeals or
Su preme Court," Franck said
"When people vote for appellate
level judges they usually aren't
well informed Sometimes we
get good judges tliat way, but the
votes are really coincidental"
Franck commented that in
the early 1980s there were at-
tempts made to get the issue on
the ballot, but there wasn't suf- .
ficient public support. The
leader of that campaign was
Brickley, who gained ex­
perience with elections while
lieutenant governor.
"Our petition carriers had a
. hard time explaining the
proposal to people because it
was so long," Brickley said. "It
included appointments of ap­
pellate level judges and also
governing boards of major
universities in the state."
Brickley said that the peti­
tion carriers became frustrated
trying to explain it all, and they
didn't come across well.
"It's important to make
people understand why higher
level judges need to be ap­
pointed," Brickley said.
"M ichigan has the longest elec­
tion ballot in the United States.
Since most people can't even
name their local representative
or senator, I don't know how
moves closer
After protracted battles
re ultiDg in compromises and
concessions, leaders of African
nations say they are watching
vigilantly as the United atio
supervi ed independence
process dr near in Nammia.
The N Geaeral Assembly
recently ·adopted an enabling
resolution which authorizes the
deployment of UN peacekeep­
ing forces April 1. Namibia, a
t mineral-rich country on the
continent's southwestern tip,
has been occupied by South
Africa for some 70 year •
The UN peace eeping for­
ces wiD ist ill the transition
which will lead to elections in
O\'ember. During that eight
to
group - states that the vehicles
will be initially purchased from
South Africa, but will be
replaced if identical equipment
can be secured elsewhere. The
month period South Africa is
required to withdrawal its
military forces aad demobilize a
large number of local
paramilitary and "citizen for-
oes. "
Southern' African leaders
b cking the Nammian libera­
tioIllllOVelDe SW APO (South
West African People's Or­
ganization), have challenged
UN decisions· eluding the ap­
proval to lease anti-mine
vehicles from South Africa.
They have maintained that the resolution notes that the world
agreement violates the United body has adopted .scores of
Nation's own call for a sanctions resolutions against
worldwide embargo of South the apartheid state.
African arms. The UN procurement office
The enabling resolution I has. also ordered non-�tary
adopted earlier this montb :- in vehicles�dother�pp from
part a conc:essioa to the African South Aliif:an busmesses to
th Y have any in ormation by the
liqte they get t the bottom ot
the bauot wber the judges are
�d.·
Brickley sai that often, elec­
tions of judges is just a "name
g e," where igher visibility
lJJF get a vot simply because
people have he d their names
in the news. H said he would
ra er see an m rmed commis-
sion make reco endations to
the governor, ich he could
approve or reje
"Once the ju es have served
. two years of t eir eig t-year
term, then you uld put them
on the ballot n an approval
basis," Brickle said. "They
would run on their record,
without opposi on, and people
could vote to re in the judge or
not"
jog about $490 illion.
South Africa . remain the
colonial power til amibians
elect leaders t compose the
Constituent A embly which
U .. violates 0 n em
of South Africa with
vehicle lease agreeme
will draft the onstitution.
SW APO, which has fo�t a
guerrilla war ainst South
Africa since 1960 is expected to
gain a two-thirds jority in the
elections, giving i control of the
constitutent asse Iy.
Administra or General
I II
ra�?·
with training
d option. The .. will be
fr m community colleges and
te programs.
If none of the first three op­
is avaiIab e, Babcock said,
DSS will put dividuals to
doing community service.
p ticipmts in tim option �
be paid minimum e for a 30-
h wee and given general as­
ce medical benefits.
wo Id still be ahar battle.
"iAround election time
people come to me d say 'isn't
the election of judg� ridiculous
- who are all tho people run­
ning?' but when ou mention .
taking the election wer away,
the same people s e that as·an
encroachment on eir rights."
f I'i i
a
Louis Piennar, a South African '.
appointee who serves .ass
Namibia's colonial govenor,
recently drew protests from
SWAPO when he announced
intentions to continue to
provide salaries and pensions to
the 35,000 member South West
Africa Territory Force
(SWA TF). Under the UN inde­
pendence plan South Africa u
required to disband the
SWATF.
Political appointees and offi­
cials of the colonial government
are also slated to remain on the .
payroll Namibians quoted in
recent published reports have
accused South Africa of at­
tempting to deplete the nation­
al treasury before inde­
pendence.
3