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BYJ
Readers Write
There has been much dis­
cussion about the sale of the
Accident Fund of Michigan.
The vote was a bipartisan
vote and I was among those
who voted to sell the state­
owned insurance agency.
The sale was an opportunity
to bring at least $250 million
to the state's Budget Stabili­
zation Fund and was an op­
portunity I had to consider,
I have been a member of
the House Appropriations
(Budget) Committee for over
ten years and have seen the
cuts to our citizens in the
areas of senior meals, men­
tal health services, public
health services, children's
services, our transit system CAROLYN KILPATRICK
and on and on and on
The Accident Fund insures 25% of the businesses in our state.
Nearly 75% of the businesses in the state are insured by private
insurers. The Fund is not insured against economic collapse, If it
failed - and it came close in 1990 - it would have been left to the
taxpayers of Michigan to bail it out.
Private insu� companies are required by law to belong to
and support a special guaranty fund which protects their policy­
holders and shareholders against an insolvent company. Nothing,
not even the state of Michigan stands behind the solvency of the
Accident Fund Privatization will solve that problem and the
public interest will be protected. Today there are over 200 insur­
ance companies who offer Workers Disability Compensation in-
urance and provide thousands of jobs for- Michigan workers.
I UNDERSTAND the ooncern that has been raised that rates
for Worker's Disability Compensation may go up. I do not believe
that rates will go up as a fundion of privatization of the Fund
There is enough regulation in the law that exists to insure
oompetitive prices for workers' compensation coverage,
We made changes in the law in 1982 and became the first state
to introduce competition among companies when setting rates in
Michigan. This has created a healthy, competitive industry among
insurers in Michigan keeping rates low compared to other states.
The Insurance Commissioner has the statutoI)' authority to
�pprove carriers' rates if the rates do not meet the statutory
cntena.
The new legislation provides security for current Fund employ­
ees, and the employees are protected by their existing union from
unfair activities by the acquiring insurer.
The new legislation allows Blue Croes and Blue Shield to bid
BCBSM is headquartered in downtown Detroit and is a large
employer of minorities and women including at its executive level.
THE NEW legislation contains language that provides incen­
tives to interested purchasers to partner with firms owned and
operated by minorities, women and handicappers,
I believe my vote on th sale of the Accident Fund w in the
best �nterest of the citizens of Michigan It promotes oompetition
Provides money for the Budget Stabilization Fund, and is in the
best interest of the injured workers since it promotes protection
for their future claims.
C rolyn Ch k KJlpatrick
State Repr entatJve
00
lVRIIti·.:l IRtion pro ru-
participated in
t · World compe­
tition on November 27, t Sun
City, South Afri .
Titilayo Ad okum, winn of
t · Ohio competition and
third place hono in t
America P ,i tudying
opera t t Cincinnati Univer-
ity ColI Conservatory ofMu­
ie, Her startling and beautiful
vocal gymnastics 1'8 displayed
hen he sang "TheJe Song'
from "F • t Atlantic City.
BESSIE PENDER w a
custodian' helper in Norfolk
public schools for 17 ye&I'B, but
d initiati, d
d dedication to
r illu trate hat
can do by persons ho
goala and really ork toward
them.
Today. dark· kinned Black
oman is following t path of
Mary McCloud B thun , Dr.
Mary Frances Berry and others
w valor and spirit w not
diminished by th European­
originated, slavery-generated,
lavery-imposed and raci t
status hierarchy based ongrada­
tiona of skin color.
Th Black woman demon-
strated .that sha and tints
must be ignored, and if you're
Black, don't tand back.
OJ .... ,
u.s.r�\f;R ��
ToT� ATRJaJCSClbt.
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o der il not
e a d viole ce
Law an
olve cri
By all accounts crime and vio­
lence was a major issue all
across the country in the N ovem­
ber 2, election. Even though the
overall crime rate declined by as
much as 15% in cities like New
York, there-is' the perception
that the quality of life is rapidly
deteriorating in the U.S. .
The dramatic escalation of
homicides coupled with the
growing numbers of homeless
people and panhandlers has
many Americans deeply wor­
ried.
Indeed, in response to the
number of murders in Washing­
ton D.C. Mayor. Sharon Pratt
Kelly petitioned President Clin­
ton to grant permission to call
out the National Guard to patrol
the neighborhoods of the na-
tion's Capital. .
With crime and violence top­
ping the agenda of many Ameri­
ca , there is little wonder that
law and order candidates fared
well in the November 2, election.
Promises of more police, aggres­
sive policing and prosecution of
criminals and the building of
more prisons reverberated
throughout the campaign.
AS I suggested in an article a
few wee ago there is ample
evidence that America is "falling
down.·
The epidemic of drugs, -crime
and violence which has exploded
across the land is without ques-
By Ron Daniels
tion a significant factor in the
perception and reality of an ero­
sion of the quality of life in this
country.
The calls to use the National
Guard, hire more police, build
more prisons, even to suspend
cherished civil liberties can be
quite seductive as people yearn
for stability, safety and security.
My guess is that even in the M­
riean American community and
other communities of color,
Mayor Kelly's idea of using the
National Guard met with nods of
approval.
What was noticeably lacking
in the. November 2, election,
however, was any meaningful
emphasis on social and economic
justice. It is as if there is no
connection between injustice
and the crisis which is gripping
this country. While politicians
and much of the American public
keeps looking for a quick and
easy fix, the reality is that the
epidemic of crime and violence .
will not significantly subside un­
til the social and economic vio­
lence that is being committed
against the masses ofBlack poor
and working people and Black
youth is curtailed/stopped. For
the past several years the Na­
tional Urban League has re­
newed it's demand for a
Domestic Marshall Plan to at­
t�ck une�ployment, poverty,
disease, mfra-structure disre­
pair and ocial disintegration in
rural and urban disadvantaged
communities in this country.
Thus far, this proposal has fallen
on deaf ears under both Repub­
lican and Democratic admini­
strations.
AFRICAN AMERICANS in
particular must raise questions
as to why it is so much easier for
state and local governments and
the federal government to spend
billions of dollars on new prison
construction rather allocating
billions of dollars to create jobs
and economic infrastructure in
depressed communities?
Law and order sells well on
the political stump but it hardly
addresses the root causes of the
crisis of crime and violence in
American society. In fact in­
creased prison construction and
a greater reliance on law en­
forcement has not made an ap­
preciably dent in the epidemic of
crime and violence.
The lesson to be learned from
all of this is that we need elected
officials who will tell the truth to
the people and speak truth to
power rather than elected offi­
cials or aspiring officeholders
who offer expedient solutions
just to get elected.
There is an integral relation­
ship between social and ec0-
nomic justice and saf ty and
security in our. neighborhoods.
Therefore we must not fall for
quick fix solutions like th call
Vantage
Point
for the deployment of the N a­
tional Guard in our communi­
ties. Instead we should be
militantly demanding a
tion of the neglect, abuse and
�nomic violence that is gener­
atmg much of the anger, despair
and gunfire in our communities.
We n;oo tc:> demand the "deploy­
men� of JO ,community eeo­
nomic development, housing,
�eal�h care and quality educa­
tion In our communities.
Ame�al needs to respond to.
our SOCIal and economic justice
agenda. "No justice, no peace" is
not j�t a slo�n. It ca�ures the
ential reality of the relation­
ship between justice and peace
and it is prophetic in terms of the
judgement to be rendered on a
society that fails to provide for
the health and well being of all
of th people.
Roo Daniels ru Cl8 Pr idmtoftM
Institute for Community Organizatim
and Development in Young own, Ohio.
H� may b� rontacted at (216) 746-5747.