1992-11-02; Central Michigan Life

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Central
Michigan
VOLUME 75/NUMBER 27*
€> 1992 CM LIFE
MOUNT PLEASANT, MICHIGAN 48859
(517): 774-3493
18PA&ES;
Official endorses Proposal C
State treasurer says Michigan taxes are 'way out of line'
By Tamara Snyder
LIFE Staff Writer
For voters who want lower
property taxes, Proposal C, if
passed, could finally offer homeowners the break they've been
looking for.
For the past 25 years, Michigan's unemployment rate has
exceeded the national average,
said Douglas Roberts, the
author of statewide ballot Proposal C and Michigan's treasurer.
"Property taxes in Michigan
are way out of line," he said.
If Michigan residents pass
Proposal C Tuesday, they will
receive property tax breaks at
the expense of lost school dol
lars in hopes of jump starting
Michigan's economy.
The amendment would cut
property taxes by 30 percent
over the next five years. Yet in
1991. 67 percent of all property
taxes were used to support K-12
education.
In past years, Michigan's government attempted to do good
things for citizens, but the end
result is raising taxes, he said.
This time, officials are aiming
for the opposite.
Journalism professor James
Wieghart called the proposal a
"shotgun approach" because it
doesn't tell the public where
replacement funds for schools
will come from.
Paying for public education
continues to get more expensive, Roberts said. The alternative is increasing taxes and continuing to support schools with
no growth to Michigan's economy.   .
Proposal C is a plausible solution to Michigan's stagnant economy, he said.
"My concern is schools
haven't thought through what's
going to happen if Proposal C
fails," he said.
The art of advertising millage
elections is keeping them low
key, Roberts said.
"You don't publicize it, hoping
'no' voters won't show up," he
said.
"When the public receives
double-digit tax increases,
that's when they'll vote —
against        schooi millage
increases."
Proposal C's failure, he said,
will in essence mean lofty rollbacks in school millage funds
and major increases in state
equalized value of property.
But if Proposal C passes,
"Nothing in the proposal says
the state government can't raise
taxes,"    Roberts    said-
Proposal B draws
mix of reactions
from students
By Tamara Snyder
LIFE Staff Writer
Bottom line
Voters must decide if savings
is worth losing unlimited care
The prospect of new faces in Washington and Lansing along with
citizen apathy to election issues explain why some CMU students plan
to vote "yes" on Proposal B.
The proposal places time constraints on the number of years Michigan governors, state legislators and U.S. lawmakers are permitted to
serve. Under the proposal, Michigan's U.S. and state senators are
limited to two office terms while Michigan's U.S. and state house
representatives limit is set at three terms.
"I think if more people would vote, term limits would happen naturally," said Lara Bergman, Lake Orion sophomore. "But because people
aren't voting we need to put a limit on them."
"I think a lot of people don't pay attention to what's going f n until
something goes wrong," said Joelle Methner, Coleman freshman.
Very often, voters re-elect politicians without being well informed.
As a result, incumbents stay in office longer than they should, said
See TERMS Paqe 2
By Tamara Snyder
LIFE Staff Writer
CMU car owners will have to decide which is more important —
saving money or medical care when casting their ballots on the Michigan auto insurance rates proposal Tuesday.
Proposal D will save 20 percent on auto insurance at the expense of
placing a $250,000 cap on Michigan's unlimited medical and liability
coverage.
"Prices are too high, but they say you can never put a price on life."
said Debbie Walker, Battle Creek freshman. "You never know when a
car accident will happen."
Michigan is the only U.S. state which presently has unlimited medical benefits.
Under the proposal, car owners lose the 20 percent savings if they
want additional coverage, up to $5 million, the maximum cap.
But Bill Cilluffo, government affairs director of AAA of Michigan said
one out of 10,000 accidents produces injuries exceeding $250,000.
"Michigan's insurance rates have gone up too fast, and we think
that's a terrible mistake," Cilluffo said.
"A lot of people on Michigan roads are driving around without insurance." Cilluffo said. "One out every six drivers isn't insured."
AAA placed the proposal on the November ballot after collecting
630,000 Michigan signatures, three times the number needed to put the
proposal on the ballot.
"I frankly don't believe someone who has been driving around without insurance will go out and buy insurance (if Proposal D passes)," said
Bethany Goodman, executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers Michigan State Organization.
The minority of seriously injured accident victims who demand years
of medical care need Michigan's unlimited personal injury coverage,
Goodman said.
"Ongoing medical needs are covered now. but this wouldn't happen (if
Proposal D passes)," Goodman said.
See RATES Page 2
Sitting on the stoop of the Alpha Chi Omega house, Jennifer
Witzke, Grosse Pointe junior,  passes out treats to youngsters
LIFE Photo/Dawn Abbott
Halloween Night.   See accompanying story on page 3.
Where To Vote
There are seven polling
places in the Mount Pleasant
city limits.
Polling places will open
Tuesday at 7 a.m. Balloting
ends at 8 p.m.
Voters must cast their
ballots in the precinct they are
registered in.
Here is the list of city
polling places:
Precinct 1: Ganiard Elementary School, 101 S. Adams.
Precinct 2: City Hall 401 N
Main.
Precinct 3: Pullen Elementary
School, 251 S. Brown.
Precinct 4: Mount Pleasant
Senior High School, 1155 S.
Elizabeth.
Precinct 5: Kinney Elementary School, 720 N. Kinney.
Precinct 6: Vowles Elementary School, 3800 S. Watson.
Precinct 7: Fancher Elementary School, 801 S. Kinney.
COUNTY COMMMMR     I
 ii       J
SBAC allocated $82,789 last year
Student organizations vie for slice of the pie
By John Dobberstein
LIFE Staff Writer	
The White House and State
Capitol are not the only organizations where allocation of money is
an issue.
Student organizations searching for operational funding for
projects usually go through the
Student Budget Review and Allocation Committee, and eight-
member organization consisting
of Central students.
The committee accepts applications from registered on-campus
and off-campus student organizations who vied for $82,789 last
academic year.
Requests for the 1992-93
academic year were due Oct. 5,
and an estimated 40 organizations applied for funding last
year.
Arah Morton, SBAC chairperson and Traverse City junior,
said SBAC members try to award
a reasonable amount of money to
every eligible request.
Morton said a large chunk —
For more information. See page 16.
almost $60,000 — automatically
is allocated to Student Government Association ($19,000) and
the Homecoming Steering Committee ($3,000), while Program
Board is budgeted over $30,000
each year.
The automatic allocations only
leave approximately $20,000 for
SBAC to work with, Morton said.
Program Board's allocation
was not used last year, and they
were required to return the
$37,000 given to them, she said.
"We base our allocations on
whether or not they are reasonable requests," she said. "We
have to know exactly what the
money is needed for.
"In most cases, if the program
is worthy of funding, they should
get something."
Morton said only student organizations who "offer something
where the University can benefit
as a whole" are eligible, which
means   groups   holding   events
only open to its members are not
eligible, Morton said.
The lowest allocations were to
The Association of
Graduate/ Clinical Psychology
Students and Student Association for Bi-Lingual Education, at
$30 each.
Morton said some requests are
not investigated enough, which
might lead to initial shock when
the organizations are informed of
their funding award.
"We find ways to fund, but to
cut corners  also," Morton  said.,
"We want to be fair and give every
organization a chance to put on a
program."
Morton said organizations
unhappy with their funding level
can appeal the decision, but when
most organizations see the actual
costs of their projects and operations the funding allocated usually is correct.
"We go strictly by the guidelines," she said. "It's state money
the University decides to give us.
See BUDGETS Page 2
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SERVING STHE CAMPUS COMMUNITY FOR MORE iTHAN ,70 .YEARS
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