European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 3, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday March 3, 1986 stars and stripes pages House considers limit on Aid to poor Washington not Reagan administration officials have been developing a proposal that would for the first time limit the total value of assistance Low income people could receive from All Federal Benefit programs. The limit would be set at roughly the poverty level now $10,990 for a family of four administration officials said. The proposal is being prepared for president Reagan s Domestic policy Council. The Council composed of eight Cabinet officers is conducting a comprehensive review of Public assistance and social welfare programs. Reagan announced the study in his state of the Union message last month saying he wanted to find new ways to help poor people escape the spider s web of dependency on government programs. Any Overall limit on Federal benefits would need con Gressional approval. Federal officials want to test the concept in state demonstration projects. In a confidential report to the Domestic policy Council Charles d. Hobbs Deputy assistant to the president for policy development said the current National welfare system although aimed at assisting poor people who can not meet their own needs provides unneeded benefits to Many people who Are not poor reduces incentives for work and self Reliance and discourages Strong family and Community  the report suggests capping individual and family Public assistance benefits from All federally funded pro Grams at the poverty  people receiving assistance would be expected to choose and manage benefits to meet their specific needs the report said. This would be a major change from current Law under which people May receive a combination of benefits from food Stamps housing assistance medicaid and supplemental Security income that exceeds the poverty level. White House officials said Reagan had not reviewed or endorsed the proposal one of Many that will be considered by his advisers in their yearlong study of the welfare sys tem. But the officials said the report by Hobbs who was a welfare official in California when Reagan was governor was consistent with the president s goals and philosophy and provided a reliable clue to the thinking of the Domestic policy Council. Federal officials said they had no data showing How Many people now receive benefits exceeding the poverty level. A reference Book published by the House ways and Means committee shows that in 11 states including Cali fornia Connecticut Michigan and new York the Maxi mum combined benefits in food Stamps and Aid to families with dependent children would come to 85 percent of the poverty level or More. Many people who received those two benefits would also be eligible for others which could put the total Over the poverty level. Hobbs report listed 51 assistance programs that together Cost $117.3 billion in the fiscal year 1984. Of this amount $88.5 billion came from the Federal government and $28.8 billion came from state and local agencies. The report estimated that Federal spending for these programs would Rise to $119 billion in 1990. Thousands of workers apply Tor 270 Job openings Buffalo . A thousands of people jammed into an auditorium sat urday to apply for 270 jobs at a new Gener Al electric co. Subsidiary that will overhaul about 200 new York City subway cars. Former steel worker Matthew Sawicki calculated the chances of his getting a Job at about one in 10,000. Sure it s discouraging he said. People want to work it s just we re not getting the work. There s just not enough work in the  most of the available positions Are the kind of jobs that have steadily disappeared from the area during the past decade and the possibility of earning $6.50 to $11 an hour was enough to get Sawicki and others out in the Winter cold As Early As 2 . We have not had a new Plant opening with manufacturing jobs in a while said Jim Bratek director of operations for the Buffalo and Erie county private Indus try Council a non profit Job development Agency screening the applicants for be. James Pautler representing another non profit employment group said officials had been taking applications at a rate of about600 an hour. By saturday evening 6,000 applications had been processed Harry Mckeown Dep Uty superintendent of the new York state Job service in Buffalo said. He said it was not possible to Tell How Many people picked up applications to Mailin later. Organizers had expected about 10,000 applications saturday and sunday at me Morial auditorium. Unemployment Here reached a Peak of 12.7 percent in 1982, about the time Beth Lehem steel was closing its massive Plant just South of the City in Lackawanna according to state labor department Statis tics. For a Long time we were no. 1 in the state in unemployment " said labor department analyst Ron Scrace who called the new Plant a significant  it s not often we get 300 jobs headed. The unemployment rate had dropped to 8.5 percent by january the latest month for which figures Are available but that is still the third highest rate in the state. Many former steel workers including Sawicki and his brother Peter have had to change their lifestyles drastically. You pull together said Peter Sawicki. It s Tough getting used to living on a de cent salary and then you re Down to  you lose your Job you lose your Pride added his brother noting that when the company went Down we went Down  the new Plant will be housed in a Section of the former Bethlehem steel Plant i Blasdell. Pautler said the be project May be Good sign. They came to the area because they knew we have people with the skills he said. Western new York has people who Are Laid off and who have worked with heavy Industry. Now it s up to us to do More recruiting to take advantage of that  Sands of time Job applicants Jam a Buffalo ., auditorium to apply for 270 openings at a new general electric co. Subsidiary. A photo new Jersey cops Shoof escaped sheer Paterson . Up a half ton steer escaped from a slaughterhouse and ran amok in Rush hour traffic before police shot it and sent it Back to the meat Plant police said saturday. During its ramble through two cities the steer stopped in front of a massive metallic steer outside a Hawthorne restaurant. It stopped for a Brief pause in front of the Golden steer restaurant said police capt. Mannus Koppenal. Maybe he thought twas a  it took police More than an hour to round up the steer Friday. It was shot and re turned to the Bedford packing House said capt. John Docherty. He s probably in someone s refrigerator by now Docherty said saturday. During its hour Long Romp through two Cit ies the steer tied up Rush hour traffic broke a window in at least one House and wandered around the Steak House near its image. The obvious reason for his escape through a Chute was the desire for self preservation police said. Docherty said steers escape from the Pat Erson packing houses from time to time requiring a special animal control unit with tranquil Izer guns. The flight began at about 8 30 ., when the steer bolted and ambled Over a Bridge into Hawthorne making its Way Pas the Steak House. It just wandered by i guess said restaurant owner Bob Brady. It s too bad we did t catch him we would have made hamburger out of  we be had our steer wander a few times in the past few years Brady said. The artificial steer has been stolen several times and was once recovered at someone s Home about 80 Miles away. In the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. March 3, 1946 the Spanish government answered French closure of the French Spanish Border with a 21-Point declaration accusing the communist Conven Tion of obeying foreign  30 years ago today. March 3, 1956 France and moroc co signed a declaration of Independence within interdependence bringing a half Century of French Oye lordship to an end. 20 years ago today. March 3, 1966 officials announced that . Forces in Vietnam will be in creased by 20,000 to a total of 235,000. Meanwhile Congress approved $4.8 billion to reinforce the . Arsenal in South Viet Nam. To years ago today. March 3, 1976 Jack Nicklaus won the $300,000 tournament players championship in Lauderhill fla., by three strokes with a score of 269. Nicklaus started the final round in a tie for the Lead with