it-q tIIPWt * t Weather Tonight: Partly cloudy, low in the low-30s. Tomorrow: Cloudy, chance of rain, high 52'. One hundred four years of editorial freedoin Wednesday March 22, 1995 IN MEMO ,y 3 e. .House begins debate on welfare The Washington Post WASHINGTON - The House yesterday opened a harshly partisan debate on Republican legislation that would make the broadest changes in the nation's social wel- fare system since what was then called "relief" became available to poor families during the Depression .0 years ago. The revised version of the welfare overhaul legislation that House Re- publicans proposed in their "Contract With America" would modify 40 fed- eral programs that benefit more than one in 10 Americans and give states considerably more control over pub- lic assistance. Republicans proclaimed that their legislation would end generations of Spendency and dare to fulfill Presi- dent Clinton's 1992 campaign prom- ise to "end welfare as we know it." Democrats denounced the GOP bill as abandoning some poor families, particularly children, to save $66 bil- lion to fund promised tax cuts for businesses and more affluent fami- lies. "Generation after generation, we ve enslaved these people," said "conomic and Educational Opportu- nities Committee Chairman William F. Goodling of Pennsylvania. "Un- less we make a change, they will never get an opportunity to achieve the American dream." Ways and Means Chairman Bill Archer of Texas said that the wel- fare overhaul would "reverse the 'ecades-long federal policy of re- arding unacceptable and self-de- structive behavior. We will no longer reward people for doing the wrong thing." But Rep. Sam Gibbons of Florida the top Democrat on Ways and Means, said, "This is a cruel piece of legisla- tion. It punishes the children-- the innocent children - because of the errors of the parent or parents." Rep. Harold Ford of Tennessee said that the federal government had "offered a financial security commit- ment to poor children with a 60-year commitment to welfare, and they're taking it away." The Democratic talk of cruelty to children put Republicans on the de- fensive and signaled a final unravel- ing of the bipartisan consensus repre- sented by the last welfare overhaul, a 88 law designed to prepare able recipients for work. The optimisti- cally named but ultimately disappoint- ing JOBS program would be repealed in one section of the 400-page bill put together by four House committees. Rep. Michael Castle of Delaware, who as a fellow governor joined Clinton to lobby for that 1988 law, said he disagreed "with those who say #!iis bill is cruel" and asked lawmak- ers to listen to each other this week as they debate what he called "a big- bang solution to solving the problems of welfare." The changes would extend far be- yond the main welfare program, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), and affect food stamps, school lunches, disability payments, foster 4milies and nutrition supplements for regnant women and children. The legislation would terminate benefits to poor families eligible for AFDC and deny cash support to un- married teenage mothers, families with a parent not in a work program within two years and all families after five years on the rolls. Families that had more children while on welfare would no longer get extra benefits. MSA Assembly rep. reclaims secret $786 donation Follow the leader JOE Gene Sazyc tries to finish her shopping at Meijer yesterday, followed by her children and their two friends. Early textbook order may increase student paybacks By Amy Klein Daily Staff Reporter With Michigan Student Assem- bly President Julie Neenan and Vice President Jacob Stern as witnesses, Rep. Andrew Wright signed a receipt March 14 to reclaim $786 that was donated anonymously to MSA. Wright, however, still denies do- nating the money and claims his inno- cence, even after the assembly re- voked his position as external rela- tions chair. His steps to reclaim the money culminated two months of contro- versy surrounding the ethical nature of the donation, given to the assembly Jan. 20. "By signing the receipt and col- lecting the money by no means meant that I had sent in the money," he said. Wright claims he retrieved the money for a third party. "It's obvious that someone simply gave me the mechanism for retrieving it." The transaction was announced to the rest of the assembly at last night's meeting. The reaction was silence. Wright said yesterday that he no longer has the money. Stern said Wright's involvement may be unethical. "Andrew Wright is a member of MSA. Regardless of whether the money is his, he nonethe- less acted as an agent. Thus, I think the assembly should discuss whether this is proper ethics, for an assembly member," Stern said. Neenan agreed that Wright was positioned as an agent, a role unfit for an MSA representative. "You argue your point in the fo- rum of MSA, then if people don't agree with it you, deal with it. As a representative he should have said no," Neenan said. LSA Rep. Jonathan Freeman said Faculty to receive letters encouraging orders by April 15 By Ronnie Glassberg Daily Staff Reporter In an attempt to increase the finan- cial gains to students selling used textbooks, the University plans to encourage faculty to place early book orders. This year, the College of LSA and the School of Business Administra- tion will send letters to their faculty to encourage them to meet the April 15 deadline for textbook orders. Also, the University is looking at putting textbook orders on-line to make or- dering easier for faculty members. "We're hopeful that this raising of awareness will be enough to raise the percentage of faculty who turn their orders in on time," said Associate Provost Susan Lipschutz, co-chair of the University committee that exam- ined the textbook issue. Lipschutz said she also will en- courage the other undergraduate deans to send out similar letters. The textbook committee was formed over the summer by Provost Gilbert R. Whitaker Jr. and Vice Presi- dent for Student Affairs Maureen A. Hartford in response to student con- cerns. Faculty members place orders to the Textbook Reporting Service, which serves Michigan Book and Supply, the Michigan Union Book- store and Ulrich's. Dave Richard, general manager of Michigan Book and Supply and Ulrich's, said that last year the Text- book Reporting Service only received 9 percent of the total orders by the April deadline. When professors order textbooks before the deadline, Richard said, the bookstores buy used books at 50 per- cent of a new book's cost. "I certainly hope (the letter) will be beneficial. I would much rather buy my used books from a student than from a wholesaler," Richard said. He said it costs the same amount for him the purchase used books from a wholesaler or a student. Lipschutz said the University also will look into putting textbook orders on-line to make ordering easier for the faculty. "It would be through the University, but the bookstores would See TEXTBOOKS, Page 2 G I think the assembly should discuss whether this is properL ethics for an assembly member." - Jacob Stern MSA vice president he thinks that the anonymity of the donation made the situation look more suspicious than it may have been. "To pull stunts like this is just plain rude. It pokes in people's ideas of what the ethics should be," he said. The donation was accompanied by instructions that the money be used to fund two additional delegates to a student conference. MSA refused the donation. Ten dollars was taken from the initial donation of $796, per the in- structions attached, to place an adver- tisement in The Ann Arbor News to return the money to its original source. "It's like I said (in February)," Stern said. "I don't think it's a good idea for a student government to take money with strings attached." Wright was recalled from his po- sition as external relations chair in February after an MSA investigative committee circumstantially connected him to the anonymous donation. Wright said yesterday that he knew the donor and agreed to help because the person shared his feelings toward the conference. "I did know the person when they gave the money to MSA and they are not connected to MSA. It was a mem- See ASSEMBLY, Page 2 Smith says he hopes for probation From Staff Reports Former Michigan football captain Walter Smith said yesterday that he expects to be sentenced to a six-month probation for a domestic violence charge to which he pleaded no contest Monday. Smith was arrested March 6 after his girl- friend, a 22- y e ar - o ld : Pittsfield Township woman, called the police after an argument. His sentencing Smith is scheduled for April 13. "She acted wrongly and admitted it," Smith said. "She got mad and called the police to scare me (but) we're still cool." Smith said the woman, the mother of his 4-year-old son, will make a statement at his sentencing, admit- ting the mistake and asking the judge for a minimum sentence. As for his National Football League chances, Smith said. "It could affect me real bad, but it wasn't such a big deal that it will affect me. Police find possible ln Obetween set and Tkyo attac The Washington Post TOKYO, March 22 - Police wearing gas masks and riot gear this morning raided offices of a secretive Buddhist religious sect that has been linked in the past to the lethal nerve gas reportedly used in Monday's ter- rorist attack on Tokyo's subways. Police took documents and other material from 25 facilities of the group known as Aum Supreme Truth, headed by a fanatic guru whose writ- ings have included admiration for Adolf Hitler, loathing for the United States, fear of the Japanese govern- ment and statements about the power of poison gas. No arrests were reported this morn- ing, and police officially said the searches concerned a suspected kid- napping last month. But media analysts connected the massive police raid to Monday's sub- way disaster, when eight people were killed and thousands injured by fumes that police said were caused by a World War II nerve gas called sarin. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Circumstantial evidence linking the religious group to the production of sarin, plus the frequent statements about poison gas by its "Venerated Master," Shoko Asahara, fanned me- dia speculation that the guru might have a role in the subway killings. The speculation became so intense that the religious group finally called a news conference and issued a force- ful assertion of its innocence. The national police agency con- tinued combing subway trains and stations yesterday for clues to Monday's crime but declined to say anything about possible leads. The police would not confirm media re- ports that a potential suspect in the case had been felled by fumes at a downtown subway station and was under guard at a hospital. All 12 of Tokyo's subway lines were open and running without inci- dent. Ridership was way down yes- terday, partly because the first day of spring is a national holiday in Japan. The Nazi-developed poison gas sarin was released Monday on three of those lines by people who left open containers of the potion, or newspa- pers soaked with it, on trains. At stations on those lines, signs were posted yesterday expressing sor- row for the victims and apologies to other passengers. A Tokyo riot police officer escorts a member of the "Supreme Truth" sect from its headquarters yesterday. More than 2,500 police officers, wearing riot gear and special protective clothing, raided at least 25 sect facilities during an investigation of Monday's terrorist attack. 'U' environmental groups prepare for 25th Earth Day i Michigan Stodent A- - v wW A-- I A I-- II---------1--1- By Daniel Johnson ".Now is the time for citizens to take back environmental groups to coordinate environ- office to roll back 25 years of environmental ,I