NEWS The Michigan Daily - Monday, October 31, 2005 - 3A ON CAMPUS Trick or treat at the Duderstadt Center party The Duderstadt Center will be hosting a Halloween celebration to commemo- rate the grand opening of GroundWorks Media Conversion Facility and the Computer-Aided Engineering Network Hotline. Students can participate in a Hal- loween scavenger hunt to win prizes. The event will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Halloween party on 4th floor of Michigan Union The Michigan Union will hold a Hal- loween party from 7 to 9 p.m. today. Students can decorate pumpkins and cookies and also participate in costume contests. Korean author reads excerpts from novel Korean author Hwang Sok-Yung will speak on his acclaimed book "The Guest" at the University today. Sponsored by the Korean Studies Program, Hwang will read excerpts from his book and on-site translations will be provided. The event will be held in the School of Social Work room 1636 at 4 p.m. Prof speaks on energy policy BLUElab, the University organiza- tion that works to find solutions to global development programs, will be hosting a lecture by Prof. Tom O'Donnell in the University's Science, Technology and Society program. He will be speaking on the country's current energy policy. The event will in room 1311 of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building on North Campus. CRIME NOTES Caller reports intoxicated person in Couzens A caller reported to the Department of Public Safety yesterday that an intox- icated subject was in the 4200 corridor of the men's bathroom of Couzens Resi- dence Hall. The subject was conscious at the time and cited for an MIP. A Huron Val- ley Ambulance transported the subject ,away. Calculator and wallet stolen from subject's backpack On Saturday, a caller reported to DPS :that her wallet and TI-86 calculator were stolen from her backpack while she was in the Shapiro Undergraduate Library. The caller said she had left her belongings in the library unattended for about 15 minutes. THIs DAY Frenzy to cut taxes permeates Capitol Senate Republicans' tax cut plan faces questions after several proposals are abandoned LANSING (AP) - Regardless of whether the latest plans to cut business taxes are good or bad, they raise the question - is this any way to decide policy? This past week alone, Senate Republicans unveiled a plan that cut business taxes by a limited amount over four years while putting in place a cap on future spending. Then, in a sudden flip, House Republicans aban- doned an already-passed proposal to sell off part of the state's tobacco settlement to raise $1 billion to invest in new and existing high-tech businesses, and said most of the money should be used instead to pay for a business tax cut. They also walked away from their own business tax cut plan they'd already adopted. It's clear from the flurry of announcements that everyone from the Republicans who lead the House and Senate to the Democratic gover- nor and business leaders is desperate for some- thing to pass. East Lansing economist Robert Kleine, a for- mer director of the state Office of Revenue and Tax Analysis who has been through past business slumps, says ideas are being floated at the Capitol willy-nilly. "This is always what happens. It tends to result in some ill-advised policies," he says. "You try to respond ... with something that's not going to be that effective, just to show the public you're doing something." Right now, lawmakers and administration offi- cials are flustered, with some downright angry about not being consulted over the latest plans. Republicans seem determined not to give Dem- ocratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm any victories she can run on during her re-election campaign next year. Meanwhile, Granholm is sniping at GOP leaders for not passing tax cut or investment bills, ignoring the fact that months of talks have not led to an economic recovery plan that can get both sides on board. Several economists say Republican House Speaker Craig DeRoche's latest plan has several flaws, including the fact that it may not promise enough tax relief to keep companies here that can get bigger tax breaks in other states. But it does meet several goals: It promises an immediate cut, something Granholm proposed with her own plan to cut the single business tax by more than 35 percent on Jan. 1. The latest plan offers a 10 percent cut over four years, starting with a 5 percent cut on Jan. 1. The other 5 percent cut would come in 2008. * It avoids requiring about 22,000 busi- nesses - including insurance companies that would be hit with higher premium payments - to pay more to cover the cost of the cuts. Republicans didn't want to cut taxes for some businesses but raise them on others, as Gran- holm had proposed. It pays for itself, at least for three years, by selling off $700 million of the state's future tobacco settlement. The governor and GOP Senate Majority Leader Ken Sikkema didn't want a busi- ness tax cut to force less spending on education or health care for the poor. It still sets aside $300 million from selling part of the tobacco settlement to invest in high-tech businesses that are starting up or expanding in the state. Granholm had wanted $2 billion, but would have had to ask the voters to approve the sale of bonds; the House and Senate already had agreed to use $1 billion from the tobacco settlement money for the investment fund. It's not clear if Granholm or the Senate will agree to less than $1 billion, but Granholm has said she doesn't want to spend the tobacco settlement on tax cuts. Report: Absentee ballot handling questionable DETROIT (AP) - The handling of the city's absentee ballots has been questionable, with some cast by peo- ple registered to vote at abandoned or demolished buildings, according to a published report. A review of election results, prop- erty records and databases of regis- tered voters uncovered procedures that experts and some election offi- cials described as questionable, The Detroit News reported yesterday. City Clerk Jackie Currie has been accused of irregular election practices in several lawsuits, and thesnewspaper said its findings raises questions about NAACP Continued from page 1A Lisa Bakale-Wise, a member of SSAA, applauded the NAACP's decision to con- demn BAMN. "We don't agree with BAMN's tactics or style of organizing, so we prefer not to work with them," Bakale-Wise said, "We see the NAACP as a valuable ally, and we agree with their decision." Moffett said that because BAMN sup- ports affirmative action and has "at least seemingly good intentions" - and also due to a desire to show solidarity against MCRI - the NAACP has shied away from speaking out against BAMN in the past. But the use of the students in Thurs- day's rally left the NAACP with no choice but to condemn the group, she said. the security of some ballots ahead of the city's Nov. 8 vote for mayor and City Council. "We find things all the time that are appalling," said Mark Grebner of Practi- cal Political Consulting in East Lansing. Grebner has studied Detroit's election results for 30 years and compiles a list of voters that he sells to political candi- dates. Currie has refused to explain any of the problems uncovered by The News or outlined in court cases. She, along with her deputy, Vernon Clark, denied there are any prob- lems with the vote in Detroit. Moffett added that, because BAMN's leaders are white, they "feel they have a need to make themselves seem more legit- imate" by recruiting black students. "They have a habit of tokenizing black students, young and old," she said. BAMN organizers say they consider the use of middle- and high-school students vital to the organization's success. Royal said BAMN paid for 20 charter buses to bring about 1,000 students to campus from Detroit schools, including the high schools Lewis Cass Technical, Cody, Oak Park and Mumfords as well as the K-8 school Malcolm X Academy. "Every successful social movement has always relied on the initiative and leader- ship of youth," Royal said. "We need more middle- and high-school students leading the way now." ( 7 w A C H OCOLA T E L O U N G E Cefebrate Sadbzueen at -I We give pr instead of Correct! izes gradest Keep your operating system up-to-date Install antivirus software C Use a firewall In Daily History ' Conservative students attack MSA's policies Oct. 31, 1985 - Due to the Michi- gan Student Assembly's resolution to support demonstrations against Vice President Bush, a growing number of conservative students have attacked the student government for ignoring the range of student opinions on campus. Recently, conservative students who have criticized MSA have begun a small-scale campaign with posters to encourage students to revoke their man- datory $5.07 per term fee for MSA. The poster mocked an earlier one protesting D Buy a larger hard drive Students, take the Computer Security 101 Final Exam at safecomputing.umich.edu .. . .. . ...