Primary Ign
up tim
Voters who want to
vote in the �arch 17
Michigan pre idential
primary must decl re a
party affiliation by
February 18.
Waiting until
primary day will leave a
voter out, according to
new state law pas ed
after Jesse Jackson
won the last Michigan
Democratic presiden­
tial primary.
Party identification
card are vail able at
city, township and
county clerk offices or
secreta y of state
branch offices.
Tough time
bad for tate
The state expects to
lose about $250 million
in tax revenue, accord­
ing to a Senate report.
The lagging consumer
confidence is blamed
as consumers hold
onto their money.
The Senate Fiscal
Agency report warns
because of the worsen­
ing fiscal crisis, the
current budget passed
this October is already
$170 million in the red.
The Democratic
controlled House says
the report is too pes­
simistic and voted to
raise spending $134
million for social assis­
tance and arts
programs.
Robin Hood
law blocked
A Wayne County
judge has temporarily
blocked six school dis-
. tricts from obeying the
new state law which re­
quires them to turn
over tax reven ue to be
'used by poorer dis-
tricts.
Circuit Court Judge
Roland Olzark issued
the order last week
after taxpayers from
Dearborn, Livonia,
Grosse Pointe,
Northville, Plymouth­
Canton and Crestwood
districts challenged
the constitutionality of
the new law.
Called the Robin
Hood law, because it
takes money from af­
fluent districts and
redistributes it to
poorer districts, the
legislation is an at­
tempt to equalize per
pupil spending.
A Macomb County
Circuit Court Judge is­
sued a similar ruling
for 12 districts in that
county.
Duke' coming
Dav' d Duke, the
avowed white
supremist, will no
dou t be on the
Republican ballot in
the March 17 Michigan
primary, according to
Secretary of State
Richard Austin.
By U HA A CHANDA
ING - Before th y got
married, Carol nd David
Jonkman of Grand R pids used to
tal about adopting children. But
to their urpri e they were not
qualified to adopt a child in the
United State.
So, having decided to adopt
children from other countri , they
today adopted even children from
around the world, includin one
from the United State. Why did
th Jonkmans go overseas to adopt
children when there are hundred
of children waiting for adoption in
the country and in Michigan?
"We called the local agencies
about adopting a child, but they
were very discouraging," said
Carol Jonkman, who has decided
to stay at home to look after h r
seven children from Korea, India,
Bangladesh and America.
"There was a very long waiting
list for adopting a Cauca ian child,
while we were not qualified to
adopt an African-American
child," she said. "There is a strong
organization in the U.S. which is
against adoption on trans-racial
line. As a result, mo t of the non­
Cauca ian children remain in,
fo ter care or institution ."
"THERE IS A waiting period
of two to 10 years for the adoption
of a h lthy hit in nt,' id
Kirsta Gr pentine, program
m nag r of th Michigan Adop­
tion Re ource E chang .
"It i an irony," Grapentine
aid. "There i a hortage of
familie for doption of pecial­
need children, the majority of
whom have Afric n-Americ or
other minority heritage.
"Som time private adoption
gencie act like God nd h ve
stricter requirements than outlin d
by the gov rnment for
parents wanting to
adopt a child," he aid.
The state govern­
ment provides for a et
of minimal require­
men that a family ha
to fulfill b fore adopt­
ing a child. However,
each adoption agency
has its own set of re­
quirement for the
adopting parents. ,
For example, age­
wise, the only restric-
tion the state ha i that
a couple intere ted in
adopting a child hould
be over 18 years, while
many of the agencies also require
the couple to be younger than 40
years of age.
"It i true that a family which
has not been approved by a U.S.
adoptio n agency, can adopt a child
in another country," said Jan Zen-
Drie, partn roth Intern tion I
Adoption Consultan , n adop-
tion gency in Grand pids.
o 0 H mo t important
criteria or doption in an ther
country i that th child hould be
n orph nor h ve en bandon d
by hi /her p rents, aid
poke person for U.S. Sen. Don
Riegle, D-Mich.
An in ormational wor hop on
adoption of foreign children for
e t rn ichig n h ve hown a
h vy intere t in foreign dop­
tion," hid.
"That' what we he r.
Michigan doe hav tricter re-
quir men for adoption th n oth r
t te ," ZenDrie aid.
"It i re lly not difficult to
adopt foreign child, particul rly
if it r allowable in the country
from where on i intere ted in
adopting child, " id Carol
Jonkman, adding that "it' a pretty
much doable thing
for a middle-income
family. It would
depend on the
family' priori tie ."
pro pective parents and foreign
adoption advocate wa recently
sponsored by Riegle in Grand
Rapids.
Riegle aid that the number of
U.S. couples adopting foreign
children had risen by 52 percent in
the la t five years. "Parents in
at Ja on' , another Windson all­
nude club, aid a much as 90 per­
cent of the lounge's business comes
from America, and he hopes the
passage will bring in more.
"I'm optimistic about it. We'll
have to wait and ee," he said.
Carl Urbim, an attorney who
represents Atlantis Lounge, an all­
nude club in Lincoln Park, said it'
unlikely that some communi tie
will end up trying to pass ordinan­
ces, and that owners will attempt to
take them to test in the courts. He
aid if such rules were pa sed,
Canadian club would likely see in­
creases in American customers.
"Obviously any time you have
your competition curtailed or
reduced your business will go up,"
he said. "(American clubs) would
not be in business if a large majority
of people did not vote for them with
their dollar."
Profit said it really doesn't
bother him if the business head
north .
"We're not talking about some
major economic development in the
form of nude women," he said.
nelterblll would open
government buildi ng
Nudityben a boom for -Canada?
their p rentin need.
A couple intere ted in doptin
a child bro d ha to go through
home tudy, where ocial worker
vi its the couple' home to verify
th t th family i financially nd
emotion lly t ble.
"It i true th re i more p per­
work involved in foreign adoption
than dome tic doption, " aid
ZenDrie. Sh aid he lway ug­
gest that a coupl visit the
country they re adopting a child
from to give them an under-
tanding of the background and
heritage of the child.
"Whether a couple i adopting
child abroad or in the U.S., if the
child i of different race, hel he
would need lot of help in grow­
ing up to be proud of his/her
heritage and that i what we try to
explain to the family," she said.
IIThere i a trong
organization in the U.S.
which i again t adoption
on tran racial line . A a
result mo t of the
non-Caucasian children
remain in fo ter care or
in titution . II
.
THE JONKMANS are happy
with their decision to adopt
foreign children.
"It has brought the world in our
home," Carol Jonkman said.
"We have more empathy for
other culture and are interested in
the happenings in other countrie .
It has broadened our view of the
world," he said.
"I WOULD IMAGINE we
would get a certain percentage (if .
anything was shut down). If the
only alternative would be coming to
Canada, it would be available to
them," he said.
Sen. Jack Faxon, D-Farmington
Hills, the lone enator who voted
against the package, likened the
scenario to the prohibition era,
when thirsty Michigan crossed the
border to to s a few back.
"You don't Change behavior by
changing law," Faxon said. "If you
don't have it here, they'll just go
across the border and spend their
money there."
Rep. Kirk Profit, D-Ypsilanti,
who originally spon ored the bill at
the prodding of his community, aid
the intent was not to push nude
dancing out of Michigan, but to
allow individual communities to
make the deci ions themselve .
"1 don't have goals or designs for
the state of Michigan a a whore,"
Profit aid ading that many
Americans already go to Canada for
their viewing pleaures.
GEORGE WIGHT, a manager
the House will giv it a more favorabl
reception
"It's an attempt to provide emergen­
cy s�l1er--just a place to tay W8Im
overnight," Ehlers "d.
"The buildings would be up­
plemental warming �Iters," ld Ed
Roth, deputy director of tre Michigan
Department 0 Soda} Servi
But even a measure won't
necessarily go into effect.
"Our hope is that other executive
initiatives will be sufficient to provide
better for the homel ,'. said Bill
Kerars, deputy director of the Michigan
Department of Management and
BlX1�t
JOHN 1R CO'IT, Gov. John
Engter' press tary, said that those .
initiati . bould more than erough,
"There . n for anyo in
Michigan to go homeless or htmgty this
winer,' be said.
Am Trusoott pointed to $15 million
. in state dollars earmarked for shelters
and the Michigan Harvest program
which raised over 3OO,<XX> pounds of
food and snl,00> proof.
He's rot �onlyore wbo'sopumis­
tic.
"We have been keq>ing track of the
number of bomeless sirce � cuts in
gereral �tance," said a program offi­
cal for til: St. J ph CoW11y branch of
theMidligan�ntofSocialSer­
vices. "So far, we've only been ap­
proached by two people claiming to be
� "
"1 thought we 'd be taring a lot more
about 1nne1 . ues," he contirued,
"We're aU quite surprised y th
ile rce, "
By STEVE BYRNE
Capita" N.w. S.rvlc.
LANSING - Like a striptease
customer eagerly awaiting the la t
shred of clothing to drop, Canadian
nude bar are hoping a package
passed by the Legislature will allow
them to gain some more American
adult entertainment business.
The House and Senate just
passed three bills that allow
Michigan cities to ban any form of
paid, bottomless nudity, and the
measure may eventually close some
of the state's all-nude clubs. The
bill, which doesn't affect topless
entertainment, is likely to be signed
into law by Gov. John Engler.
Many are guessing that if cities
decide to cover the lower halves of
exotic dancers in Michigan, cu -
tomers will make a run for
Canada-where full exposure is
completely legal.
"It's not fair for me to comment
• on American law, but we would
welcome their business," said Barry
Maroon, general manager of
Cheetah's a strip bar in Windsor.
By LA
I..ANSNG-!-A measure that would
tum government buildings into after­
bows sbel for � roIrel may
come too late to help me beat the
early-wirier cold, but it may be in place
n �r the first of the year.
"Tbe bill would first have to but
I rope to see it in place by January or
February," said Sen Vernon Ehlers, R-
Gram Rapi the measure's porsor.
Ehlers' idea is not all that new. He
introduced a imilar bill two y ago.
It passed the Senate, but failed to get
through the Ho
Tbe current version, billed a
"safety ret for� rome "pessedjbe
Sena� ov.21.
THE CO T 0
adopting an interna­
tional child is about
$10,000, which in­
clude travel and visa
expcn e, while the
cost of adopting an
infant in Michigan
can vary between
$2,000 and $10,000.
However, the co t of
adopting a pecial­
needs child i be-
tween $50 and $200, ai
Grapetine.
It takes about a year to adopt a
foreign child and tho e families
who do not want to wait four to
five years to adopt a healthy child
in Michigan look abroad to fulfill
DEMONSTRATING FOR HOUSING AND BEAT - 'Ib concerned
citizen and residents of the Phoenix Hotel, 161 W. Columbia,
demon trated Wedne day, November 27 for what they .ald were
"threats to iIlegaUy evict tenants" and m naaement sb utd otrtbe beat.
On Wednesday, the day time temperature w below freezlna. (pboto by
N. Scott)
Michigan Citizen
Holiday Office Hours
Th Michigan Citizen ottlc will b clo d
Monday, D cember 2; Tu day, D c mbar 24;
and Wedne day,O' c mber 25. .
The office will reopen 10 .mf
December 26 nd 0 cemb r 27 until 5 p.m.
Office will be clo d
Monday, December 30; Tue day, Dec mbar 31;
and Wedn day, J nuary 1.
Offices w�1I reopen January 2 t 9 a.m.
The staff sends holiday wishes to all Michigan
Citizen readers. May the New Year be a
peaceful, prosperous one for all.
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