OCTOBER 28·NOVEMBER 3,19 0 MICHIGAN CITIZE PAGE 3
Pending bill would revise tax foreclosure law
By�.D am
Sticlall ts cam�g�n�f�o�r�o�v�e�m�b�e���e�le�c�t�io�n�I�. �����_
Dm"ROO' - Worbra Wodd
Party, the only independent,
p-ogressive political party OIl the
ballot in the avember 6 state
e1edioo, eed it
ching its dedi c:&!"Prign
with demonatration
demanding. - U.S. off Iraq.
u.s. troops aod w bips out of
the Middle Eaat. - The
demonstration as Thursday,
Aug t 9, at the cNamara
Boil Michig c.s in
Detroit
Worker World Party
. tatewide can<idates arc African
American ctivi t William
Roundtree for Governor and
B Kirby for Lt. Gov.; and
Kristen Hamel, the oo1y oman
C8DO·ldale for u.s. Semte. They -
are the only alternatives to the
democrats aod Republicans for
these positions.
The party's other calkidates
are:· Joyce Ann Griffm for u.s.
e of Repres ives, 13th
District; Mark Owen Sbelley for
Attorney General; for State
Hou e of Representatives:
Cheryl LaB sh (Dist. 1),
Gertrude Cook (Dist. 3),
Mel nie Suma Rio -Nance
(Dist. 6), David Sole (Dist. 12),
and Emma .Curry (Dist. 17);
Beverley K. Bloedel for State
Se , District 26; Kevin Carey
for 'Wayne State University
Board of Governors; and Jerry
Goldberg .for University of
Michigan Board of Reg .
In announcing the August 9
. demoostration, Kristen Hamel,
Wor ers World candidate for
U.S. Senate, stated: "Tbe war
being aged by the U.S. ainst
Iraq is ODly in the interests of
Gulf Oil, Exxon, obil and
LA SINO - Legislation
expected to be voted on by
the Hou c ometime in late
November would drastically
revise Michigan's outdated
tax foreclosure law,
proponents say.
The bill, introduced by
Rep. Mary Brown, D-·
Kalamazoo, would help those
wi th pecial needs uch as the
elderly or the disabled, while
CUlling down on abu e of the
system.
St. Joseph County
Treasurer Janet Beals said
the bi II has a Iong history and
has gone through many chan­
ge .
The Michigan Association
of County Treasurers, she
said, ha looked at the bill a
number of times over the last
five years.
The bill provides, in ex­
treme ca es, a procedure for
property tax deferrals for
citizens such the elderly or
the disabled", aid House
Taxation Committee staff
member SCOll SChrager.
"THIS IS ONLY as a last-
Texaco, all of which have a v
oil empire in Sald Arabi .. The
U.S. government, the invader
aad occupier of Panama, has DO
right to iDtcrvc:oc into the affairs
of the Arab �ple. Poor d
orting people in the U.S. e
DO intuest in a war that only
benefits the Peotagoo aDd Big
Oil.-
On domestic illues, the
party's candidate for governor
said, "Ihe state of Michigan has
been io recessioo since 1979.
Pretbniuntly Black cities such
a Detroit, Flint, Pontiac,
Sagina and Beoton Harbor,
have been devastated by plant
closings and lay-offs in the
so-called C comeb ck state.'
Social programs have been
slashed to the boee by the big
busiocs politici in Lansing
and Washington. The bulk of
Blanchard's - DtW jobs" pay less
than 57,000 a year, hardly a
living wage.
Workers World Party is
campaigning a platform calliDg
for an immediate S30 billion workers to meet the needs of the
emergency fund for MiChigan to people."
guarantee jobs, housing, bealth -We view the current events
care aad educatioo for all. in Eastern Europe and the Soviet
-This fund could be financed Union not as a "democratic
from Michigan's share.of the . movement- but a
5300 billion Pentagon budget,. counterrevolutionary attCID� to
the SSOO billion-plus savings introduce a capitalist
aod loan bailo aod by taxing restructuring of the ecooomies,
big business and the rich, - with the ensuing plant
Romdree said closiDp,1 y-offs and decline in
"Workers World Party wants living staDdards that the orkers
to dismantle the Pen on war and poor in Michigan
machine. The party is a longtime uoderstand tun well, - Roundtree
upporter of the African said .
ational Congress and Palestine Workers World Party IS
Liberation Organization, and national organization fouoded in
calls for DO more U.S. troops or 1959. The party orsaoized the
intervention anywhere: first anti-Yietnam War
resort thing," Schrager said.
"The Department of Social
Service (would first have to)
determine if the owner oc­
cupanl...would be eligible for
such a deferral."
He said the important
aspect of this part of the bill
i a safety net that would be
created for those really in
need.
The -bill also accelerates
the foreclosure proces for
abandoned or bad hou ing.
Don Moore, Ingham Coun­
ty treasurer and president of
the Michigan Association of
County Treasurers. said some
people buy properly with
run-down rental units never
, intending to pay any taxe or
do any repair-work.
They just intend to "Milk."
the property for rental fees as
long as they can; he said.
. " W J4:' RET R Y I G TO
speed up, the whole
(foreclosure) process."
Moore said. "We're having a
big problem in areas such as
Detroit or Benton Har­
bor ... some people (priv te
buyers) come in and buy
these propertie that are pret­
ty. run down with not thought
of ever putting a nic el into ing for Workers COfl1pensa­
it, or ever pay the non, Social Se urity •. or the
taxes ... (Whatthey're after i ). like. ..
the rent money th t's coming The Department of Social
directly Trorn the Department Service will pay clo er at­
of Social Services." tention to people 10 i g their
The bill shortcns by 19 homes if the bill b comes
month the lime period be- law, said Department of So­
tween when the property ci al Service Director C.
taxes become delinquent to Patrick Babcock.
when the property is lost to We will become involved testimony before the House
the state. sooner with per ons in Taxation Committee in Sep-
Moore said some property danger of losing their home ternber.
owners let the problem of due to delinquent taxes and 'We are not all Ivan Boe -
property taxes get out of be better able to provide as- kys o� Ch rle Ke ting ."
hand, and by hortening the sistance," Babcock wr te in a Howarth said. "Most of u
foreclosure procedure DSS analysis of the bill. follow due proces in good
owner would be forced to The bill also get rid 0 the. failh, and (have) a degree of
deal with the situation before private buyer, Schrager id. compassion which no tate
it becomes too late. Some private buyer' arc bureaucracy could evcr
They keep accumulating alleged to the causes of ub- rival."
interest until prctty soon the stantial abuses in the stem. Moore downplayed lh ar­
interest i almost as much a including the di placement gument th t title buyer do
the taxe ." Moore explained. of lifelong homeowners, more good than bad. "Ccr­
"Mo tly it' getting (the Schrager said in his a� lysis tainly the title buycr
property owners) to make a of the bill. (private buyers) aren't all
decision on this, get them bad, not by any means. But
back on the tax roll, ... to nip 0 THE OTHER HA 0, by geuing ... the date moved
the problem in the bud." he said, it is argued that up a bit, we hope it's going to
. private buyer' crve a usefu! get the property back on the
ARGUMENT function by accelerating the road quicker."
payment of delinquent ta es The county treasurers a -
that would not be paid by in- sociation currently upport
dividual taxpayers until ur- the bill, but is taking a clo er
ther along in the proces . look at it during a legislative
People who privately uy committee meeting Tuesday.
ONE
gainst pa sage of the bill is
that people will have less
time to pay their property
taxes, which may be
problematic for people wait-
Rowdree said
- Only by overturning the
capitalist ystem can racism,
poverty and ar be eliminated,­
he said Workers World Party
ftgh for socialism, a system
where the wealth of society,
p-oduccd by the working class,
is owned and operated by the
. Bre da Kirby
demonstration in 1962. 1ihe
Michigan branch, fouoded in
1910, was in· trument I·rn
building the All Peoples
CoDpesl against Reaganism at
Cobo Hall in 1981 and the
tmemployed tent city in Laos·
in 1988. Work WorldP� is
kno n internationally io e
Malxist movemeat and has .
with national liberation
movements orIdwide.
..:.. Willi m Roundtree,
candidate for Governor, is an
African American disabled
Vietnam-era veteran who was
jailed for anti- ar ctivitie
hile an organizer for the
American SelVicemen' Union.
Rowdree has been a nab
organizer of many anti-war
anti-racist demoostratiODS.
He was a ey organizer of th
1974· march ag Racism i
Boston, and the 1978 march 0
Wasbinaton for affirmative
action and aiDSt the Supreme
Co� s Balke decision. In 1981
t
la d put up for sale by the
state b cause of delinqu nt
taxes are given bad rap, Cal
Howarth of Hoi ton aid in
Michigan has
been in a
recession since
1979.
Roundtree was a principal
011· of the 100,000 stro
march . the 011·
ReagaDism. He w a leadQ of
the AU Pcopies Codpu &ad the
Food is a Right �paign
forced Michigan Governor.
Milliken to declare a S tate of
Hunger emelleIJCj in 1982 and
which led to monthly
coonDO<ity food distributions.
Itowdree w also a leadea of
the Job is a Right Campaign that
orsanized tb of workers
to fight for a moratorium on
plant closiogs aod lay-offs.
Roun<kree is a member of the
national committee of Workers
World Party andw a 1984 u.s.
Senate candidate.
- Brenda Kirby, candidate
for lieutenant governor, i a
leading organizer and fighter for
the working cl . She has been
a spokesperson for Workers
World Party in acbOOS in support
of women's repoductive rights,
lesbian and gay rights, and
p-otesring the u.s. inv ·00 of
Panama. Kirby fought against
racism and sexism on the job at
Detroit Edison. She w part of
the Poor Peoples Campaign for
Ecooomic summit of the" Group
of Seven". She w a Michigan .
organizer for the Peoples
fightback Campaign which built
a prote t gainst Bush in
Wa hington D.C. April 29,
-1989, and co-chaired the Tent
City of the Unemployed, .
Underp id and Homele s in
Lansing in 1988.
- Kristen Hamel, candidate
for U.S. Senate, w clerical
worker the Detroit Free Pres
for many year and a shop
Continued on Pa e 1