p
ti n'
? Don't
rreo
who in 1 mong the
iIX1 tty worke
'<k>ff'!
According to the aJ rmin
eomrreras of African-American
e ive �y COl man, Ex­
ecutive Director of Urban and
Municipal Affairs r General
ot ,"Another 150, to
would at risk if
pending legislati n by nator
Richard Bryan is " in �
. Sena r Bryan' bill mama
4Opercent�incorpora
avera �I economy (CAFE)
1aOOards for crus built aOO ld in
u.s. CAFE � a ightlXl
of each auto man ref' anrrual
vebide prodoction ar¥1 � fuel
ecooomy of the ve .
: ACCORDING TO Coleman,
�SiIxe than 3 percent of current
U.S. vehicle sales meet the
proposed requirernen 1m legs­
lation puts joos at risk at 42 U.s.
mide mbIy plants - posing
a spocial risk to mimri ties." Bl
00uJd take III that mioorities
make � 21) percent of GM to1al
employment
In addition to our already woe­
ful unemployment figures, the
health of � auk> iOOustIy af-
. . in� of �
plying components, pu1S,arx1 retail
deale nips. Aax>Iding k> GM's
CoIeman."in1mGMp�
SU billion wmh of goocs arx1
services from 1,soo mimrity s�
pliers, (who are) estimated to
employ 4O,00l minorities."
He says that unprofitabiJity
cumngmimritydealetWps is even
higber tran � 03 percent return
onsalcsexperiem:d by treavemgc
GM dealer in 1900.
An education on CAFE and its
impect on tre auto industry will
reveal that higrer CAFE standatds
may actually irerease to1al fuel
. corsumption � pollution be­
caise people will tem to keep treir
old vehicles longer. This retention
, of older crus delays the irltroquction
of newer vehicles that could
achieve bettar fuel ecommy and
decrease emissiors.
After the 1973-74 oU aisis,
OmgresseBtCbi CAFEstandaJds
in 00pes of � fiel aOO
lessening our dependence on
foreign oil. 1992' CAFE
propo�nts smuld also be con­
sdoes of the fact that thc <nit of
.. government regulatiors, which
leads k> iIDeased prices, has 81-
� ready threatened eoough aulD in­
. dustty joos. In 1991, corsurrers
have mmplained because the w­
eal rew careosts over $16,00>, but
many don't realize that cost in­
cludes over $2,500 worth of
�·�nt-mmlaledequipm:nt.
COLEMAN SUGGESTS
that we reed to remind Bryan aOO,
tb: Congress of tbe hidden costs
associated' with proposals like
• CAFE. "It is essential that all
citizens, especially those who
would be adversely affected by
CAFE.�let treirrrembers
kmw tlmt this � a poor piece of
legislation I urge all (mimrities to
write )'OUl Semm am Congres­
sionally Ieplcsentatives oow arxf let
imnkmw rl. your concem"
Tbe figlltS for'ttx: nation's
number om: car maker give an
S.O.s � ve WI' society) edge k>
Mr. Colemam's comrrens am
concerns, By the mid-19OO>,
GM's salaried 'M>IX force will total
about 71,(0), 8A>ro,gmately mIf
� size it was in 1985 am 2S,OOl
below end of approximately
IlJJ,(lX); but by 1995 it will be
down k> 150,(lX}. Overall, tt¥: U.s.
al.*> indumy aca>un1S for$200bil­
lion, or tOur percent, of tre annual
gross natiopal product.
BUSINESS, FINANCE
I DDmO tole mingfrom
h r mother, P tricia took cl e in
floral de ign.
On a good day the Terry' do 50
to 75 arrangements, which i why
they employ three full-time floral
de igners.
Ench nted Garden i more than
p
o
When a complaint is filed the
department sends a packet of infor­
mation de cribing the automotive
maintenance law and how it works
to tbe individual registering the
complaint. If the person till feels
the auto shop is at fault he or she
may resubmit the complaint. '
"WE HAVE to do this,"
Pirochat said, "to cut down on the
number of complaints that are
reported because someone had a
personality conflict with a
mechanic or just wasn't happy with
the service they got."
There are two types ofinvestiga­
lions that can occur if the depart­
ment decide to look into a
complaint: An investigation by
telephone and/or a field investiga­
tion.
During a telephone investigation
an analyst, who has reviewed the
situation, would call the repair shop
in question to get its side of the story
and decide if a field investigator
needed to be sent out.
If it is decided there is a need, or
if the analyst felt that due to
repeated complaints, a telephone
inquiry was not needed, a field
agent would be sent to the shop in a
car that could be inspected later
after .the shop had completed its
work.
If a repair shop is found to be
violating the law it can be warned,
fined, or, if found to still be inviola­
tion off the law, shut down for up to
five years.
By DAYNA WELCH
C.ptI!l twwt. s.mt»
LANSING - "Caveat emptor, let
the buyer beware" -or in the case
of auto mechanics, aware.
Be nosy, shop around, ask your
neighbors, a k at an auto parts store,
don't just drive into the nearest
garage.
"It ounds irnple," aid Fred
Pirochta, director of the repair
facilitie divi ion of tate Depart­
ment of Automotive Regulation
(DAR), "but you'd be surprised
how many people will drive into
their neare 1 garage to have work
done (on their car) without even,
checking to ee if the mechanic is
certified. "
In Michigan every auto
mechanic must be certified and .
have his or her certification dis­
played so that it is readily notice-
ble to cu tomers.
WORD OF MOUTIJ can still
make or break the businesses of
many auto mechanics.
"No matter how good the sale,"
Pirochta said, "if you have to
repeatedly keep taking your car
back into be fixed it's not worth it."
Michigan law states that a
serious misrepresentation or infrac­
tion concerning deceptive main­
tenance mu t be found before a case
will be filed against a repair shop.
The DAR handles between
5,000 and 8,000 complaints a year
on autom tive maintenance. '
Taxpayers ·Ask IRS
These are typical of questions .... The tax on the gain is post­
asked by taxpayers and are pre- poned, not forgi en: if you buy and
sented as a public service of this live in a new home within two
publication and the IRS. years before! or two years after the
sale! of the old home and the cost of
the! new home is at least as much as
the adjusted sales price of the old
home. Any gain that is not taxed in
the year you sell your old horne is
subtracted from the basis of your
new home .
Q, I understand that, if individu­
al' 55 years old or older sell their
main home, they may be eligible
for a tax benefit. If this is true, how
does it work and an: there any
requirements to be eligible! for this
treatment?
A. You can cho se to exclude
from your income up to $125,000
f gain on the 'ale of your main
home ($62,500 if you are married
at the time of the sale and file a
separate return) if ycu meet certain
requirement:
-You must be 55 year old or
older on the date of the ale.
-You must have owned and
lived 'in your main home for at
least three years out of the five­
year period ending on the date of
the sale.
-Nt!ithcr you nor your p use
ha e. eluded gain on the sale of a
home since July, 26. 197 .
Q, If I sell myoid main home at a
gain, and then buy a more! c pen­
sive main home, what is my tax
liability for the gin?
This gives you a lower basis in
the new home. Generally, if you
sell the new home! in a later tax
year and again replace it, you can
continue to postpone tax on your
gain.
E ample:
You old your main home in
1990 for S50,000 and had a $5,000
gain. Within two years you bought
another home for $60.000. The
5,000 gain will not be taxed in
19 0 (the year of the 'ale), but you
mu t ubtra t it from the 60,000.
This makes the basis of your new
home 55,000. If you later 'cll the
new home f r 66,000, and do not
buy and live in a replacement
home within the required time,
you will be subject to tu on the
Sit ,000 gain ($66,000 minu
55,000) in the year of sale,
ORDI 0 th T rry' ,
in M r h th Y will kic off month­
ly window di pi Y th t will be don
by hool childr n.
Coleman A. Young Elem nt ry
School will begin th window di -
play on th "Avenue of F hions."
"We were impre ed with the
students art wor , and the window
di play will be a good way to get the
community involved," they aid
The phone number of Terry'
Enchanted Garden i (313) 342-
3758.
in urance premium.
LA T YEAR, 222 ca e com­
plaints were investigated by the
repairs facility division.
Visiting small shop, reque ting
written estimates, asking to have
the defective parts returned, and
taking a tour of the facilities are all
good ideas when dealing with auto.
repair.
"The majority of case we inves­
tigate," Pirochta said, "are shops
not honoring their warranty and
customers paying for unauthorized
work."
Auto repai do have an effect on
TEN YEARS AGO body hop
charged S14 per hour to repair cars.
Today that rate is S20 to $25 and
rising.
In Michigan, 60 to 70 percent of
your premi urns go toward repair
each year.
If you have a compliant, or
wouldjust like more information on
Michigan's consumer protection of
auto maintenance, the number to
call is: 1-(800)-292-4204.
I.
The Easiest Way Through This Door
Is ThroUgh ThislJoor. .
,.
Before you close the door on owning your own home, or improving it, call
Manufacturers Bank. We may be able to help because we offer a wide range of
home mortgage and home improvement loans to fit individual financial needs.
Home mortgage loans: 222-5325. Home Improvement loans: 222-2826.
Bank where business banks.
FDIC
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