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By RON SEIGEL
Correspondent
On October 1 t, Michigan
Governor John Engler succeeded
in his long-announced plan to
abolish the GentnI AssistJwlce (GA)
program, cutting off all state aid
for jobless people who are not
disabled.
However, many people are
struggling to get back state help.
J ckie Shrader, who heads the
Committee to Recall Governor
Engler, said at a recent meeting'
that Engler's program will "cause
a lot of deaths."
Out of the 90,000 people who
are cut off, she said, many who are
not be able to pay their rent will
become homeless and may not
survive out on the streets ..
Both Engler and the Republi
can leadership in the Republican
dominated state senate say that
without General Assistance, the
unemployed would seek jobs.
HOWEVER, the research
department of the Michigan Em
ployment Security Commission
(MESC) states that U.S. Census
figures. indicate that there are
437,000 people "available f<:r work,
willing to work and actively seek
ing work." But only 124,000 job
openings have been listed last year
by the commission.
Von Logan of the commission
emphasizes, however, that this fig
ure does not represent all openings SHRADER Sf A TED that some
in the state, and believes thi does group-were having prayer and f t
not even represent the majority of ing vigils in the state capitol. Some
job that are available, since most were arrested for civil disobedience
we filled in the generallabcf' market . and the NAACP was providing legal
without notifying the state. resources to help them.
When Bed how may job; were She dded that while the courts
available for the 437,OOOjobseek- have thrown out a petition to recall
ers, Logan said, "No one knows." Engl r, this is being appealed. If
Efforts are being made to re- they fail to win their appeal he aid,
store the aid to the 90,000 that a new recall effort will be made to
have lost it. topple Engl r next year, adding that
h believes that because of th uf-
THE LOCAL 6000 U A W Ex
ecutive Board, representing state
employees, h declared October
"a month of mourning, urging
people to tie black ribbons on th ir
car , display bl ck armbands and
bows on clothing.
They have organized demon
strations, which they caJl "funeral
proc ions" at 12 oon October
17 in Detroit's Kennedy Square,
and 11 a.m. November 2 in th
Lansing Center in Lansing.
Union liter ture explain,
"We're in mourning for tho who
have died the r It of cuts and
closures, for our brothers and . -
ter who no longer have job , for
the d th of Michigan know
it. for the people of Michigan who
are left ith nowh to tum, for
th who h v 10 th ir at ty
net and may take desperate meas
ure to survive, shifting the financial
burden to other d partments, uch as
Corrections. "
Ed Willingham of the Christian
Communications Council of the
Metropolitan Detroit Churches. tates
that the Michigan Ecumenical Fo
rum, repre nting diff rent denomi
nations, spoke pe nally to Engler,
prot ting hi polici . '
fering in the tate, th y will get more
upport.
On a more immediate level. citi
zen and community organizati ns
are upporting a Democratic bill in'
the Michigan House of Repre nta-
rives, H.B. 4605. tablishing th
State Work Advancem nt Program,
in which people would r eive 218
and medical benefits. if they partici
p te in a w rk training � gram. Th
R publican Ie d hip oppo it.
A coalition oft ligious, commu
nity and welfar righ organizations
caUed Up and t P erty i w-ging
to writ lett in fav r f th law.
No weapon w found on
Green.
J
Only
Black�owned
hospital hut
emergency
room
DBTROIT-Southwe t
Detroit Ho pita I clo ed its
emergency room and stopped
voluntary admissions on Oc
tober 11.
The only Black-owned
hospital in the state of
Michigan filed for Chapter 11
bankruptcy. court protection
from the IRS in August.
The IRS seized the'
ho pital's bank accounts to
collect on its claim for over
Slmillion it says the hospital
withheld from employee pay
checks but neglected to for
ward to the IRS.
For too long, hospital
pok persons ay, Southwest
has taken care of patients who
either have no insurance at all
o • on Medicaid, which
does not reimburse the h pi
tal for the full amount of medi
cal care provided.
Detroit Muslim
takes national
position
Imam A.H. Mubarak,
former head of Masjid WaH
Muhammad, has accepted a
post with Muslim American
Community Assistance Inc.
(MACA), the ministry lead by
Warith Deen Muhammad, son
M ubarak will be respori
sible for handling financial
matters for the ministry. He
served as the spiritual head of
the city's largest mosque for
two years.
Mubarak's trip to Saudi
Arabia during the Gulf Crisis
was reported in this paper.
Analysts
predict little
benefit from
Tiger stadium
report from economic
scholars that a new stadium
built downtown would have
little economic pin off came
as no surprise to inner ci ty resi
dents long accustomed to
seeing their ci ty resources
spent on major corporations
with little benefit to the com
munity.
"If you expect the stadium
to be like a hypodermic needle
by injecting it into downtown,
it's not going to happen,"
Mark Rosentrabu, an associate
dean of the Indiana University
School of Public and Environ
mental Affairs, is quoted as
saying in the Free Press.
Detroit and Wayfle County
officials have been cheer
leaders ready to spend public
funds on a new tadium for the
Tiger Ball Club, owned by
multi-millionaire Tom
Monahan. Tiger president Bo
Schmebechler has conducted
a vicious campaign to extort
the maximum of public aid in
building a new tadium.
appren-
GOOD SOUL MUSIC - This blind, wheelchair bound lady listened
attentively Sunday, October 13, at New Bethel Baptist Church's go pel
program. (photo by N. Scott)
Who play t.he
lottery? We do
for 1990 was $1.2 billion.
The study shows that the pro
portion of income going to th
purchase of lottery tickets varies
substantially: those who earn about
$10,000 per year spend about 1.5
percent of their income on lottery
tickets, and tho e who make
$80.000 or more spend only 0.2
percent or less of their income on
lottery tickets.
The study also shows that in
direct comparisons Blacks play the
lottery more than whites but race
erences are er ed when other
vari les such as education and
trai ar controlled.
Black, lower-income and less
educated persons spend more
money on lottery tickets and pro
portionately more of their income
on lottery play. These and other
sharp social differences m .. k pat
terns of lottery play among metro-
. politan Detroit residents, a study
by Wayne State University's Cen
ter for Urban Studies shows.
The study, cooducted by Wayne
State political cientists Timothy
Bledsoe ani Mary Herring, is besed
on a survey conducted e.lier this
year as part of the 1991 Detroit
Metropolitan Area Public Policy
Surveys (DMAPPS).
Nationwide, more than $20 billion in
lottery tickets are purchased each year.
Among the k y findings:
- Men play the lottery more
than women.
- Tho who are members of
"lottery social networks" are espe
cially likely to be ignificant lot
tery players.
- Th knowledge people have
about correct payout r is largely
I eking among the public, even
among the heaviest lottery play
ers.
The report, "Buying Hope:
Playing th Michigan Lottery," .
the second annual CUS survey 0
metropolitan Detroit.
TIle StUVey involved 1,500 ran
domly selected households in th
three-county area and focused in
part on lottery play and factors as
sociated with lottery play.
"Lottery" refers to the veral
game of chance-Lotto, Keno,
Pick Three, Pick Four and Instant
Gane--<tfered by Michigan
government that allow individu
als to gamble a few doll in the
hope of winning thoUWlds or
. millions of doll
Nationwide, more than $20 bil
lion in lottery tidcets 1ft pwchased
each yew. In Michigan, th figure
I
would be able to leep in. ar
churche. Tho inter ted can
call for further information (800)
421-3550. toll free, (313) 868-
3660!Jf (517)'653-2779.
Th re is also a re earch group
fonning to gath r inform ti non·
the' ue and a speak r' bur au to
explain the impact of th cutb cks
to community organizations acr
the state, along with a voter' reg
i tration project to get poor people
registered.
Th next m ting of th pr
gram will be at 6:00 p.m., Friday,
October] 8. at th Cass Methodist
Church,)901 Cass at Seld n.
On woman pr nt at the
m ting felt that the organization
hould place mor emph i on
th tendency of larg companie
to leave th U.S. in ord r to x
ploit pic in low-wage c un
trie of A ia and Africa< 197>a
policy h f 1 forced many in '
th audi nc nto w Ifare in the
first pi e.
R gin McNulty t It even more
hould be d alt with.