Herland Sister Resources : v.4: no.1(1987)
- Title
- Herland Sister Resources : v.4: no.1(1987)
- Description
- The Herland Sister Resources newsletter is the monthly publication of Herland Sister Resources, a womanist organization with a strong lesbian focus based in Oklahoma City.
- Date Issued
- 1987-02
- Rights
- All rights reserved by Herland Sister Resources. Contact UCO Archives & Special Collections for the permission policy on the use, reproduction or distribution of these materials.
- Is Part Of
- Herland Sisters Resources
- Creator
- Herland Sister Resources
- Date
- 2017-09-02T17:00:24Z
- Date Available
- 2017-09-02T17:00:24Z
- Subject
- Oklahoma
- Type
- application/pdf
- extracted text
-
VOLUME 4, NUMBER 2
FEBRUARY 1987
BOARDS BATTER SHELTER FOUNDERS
by Suzanne Messing
For eight years Sandra Ramos sheltered
battered women without pay and without
funding. This year, when the annual budget for Shelter Our Sisters (S.O.S.), the
program she founded in Teaneck, New Jersey,
is $345,000, the board fired her from her
job as director.
Pat Reeves worked for a year as a volunteer with a battered women's program in
Oklahoma. When the program was formally
organized into a shelter she was hired as
its first director . At the end of the
first year the state Board of Mental Health
was so satisfied that they doubled their
appropriation. "The budget grew by 90 percent in the firs t year," Reeves said. But
a t the end of that year, Reeves, like Ramos,
was fired by the board of directors.
Those stories are not unique. Kerry
Lobel, acting director of the National
Coalition Against Domestic Violence in
Washington, D.C. said, "I can't think of a
single state where this is not happening."
The pattern is alarming. Community
women who struggled to provide sanctuary
for wives, and who were finally considered
good enough to run the shelters by local
and state governments who gave them hundreds of thousands of dollars, are suddenly
being judged not good enough by their own
boards.
Who is Sandra Ramos?
The Ramos story is the most dramatic
because she founded one of the first shelters in the nation. In 1970, as a newly
divorced mother of three, Ramos looked for
HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES, INC.
1630 NW 19, Oklahoma City, OK 73106
another young mother with children to share
her house. The mother of one of Ramos'
Sunday school students was the first person
to respond. She told Ramos that her husband was beating her and that she had to
get out of the house. When she moved out,
and Ramos advertized for another roomntate
other battered women in need of immediate
shelter called. Ramos it seemed, had found
her mission.
Between 1971 and 1978 a hundred women
and their children found refuge in Ramos'
small three-bedroom house. Thousands more
called. At one time in 1975, 23 people
were packed into the one-story residence.
During this time Ramos was working as
a waitress. Sometimes the women who came
had funds and shared expenses . As word
spread in the community about the activity
in the purple house in Hackensack, New Jersey churches and individuals brought food
and made contributions.
By 1973 Ramos was speaking to the public, asking others to take women into their
homes. A few people, mostly formerly battered women, did. But it was becoming obvious that voluntary sheltering would never
meet the need that existed for a refuge for
abused women.
In 1975 Ramos began to appear before
the county government asking for funds for
a shelter. Nothing happened for two years.
"People were still not talking about abused
women. It was something that happened in
the ghetto," Ramos recalled.
Then a series of events caused a turnabout. The city of Hackensack threatened
to evict Ramos and the women she sheltered
for overcrowding and violating the zoning
code. Ramos said she would ask the women
to leave only when they had another safe
place to go. The press went to bat for
Ramos.
cont. from previous page
Simultaneously, Ann Klein, became head
of the Department of Human Services in New
Jersey. the press reported that Klein was
"distressed by the delay in setting up
shelters for abused women and their children." She appointed a special co-ordinator to facilitate the flow of federal funds.
Soon $100,000 was available in Ramos' area.
But her fight was not over. The freeholders considered giving money to a
county-run agency. Again the press favored
Ramos and at the beginning of 1978 she
finally received funds and opened a shelter.
Boardification
S.O.S. now owns a house with room for
35 people and supervises three half-way
houses for women who are ready to leave the
shelter but still have no permanent job or
residence of their own.
To all appearances Ramos has built a
highly successful agency. So why did the
board fire her? The problem, Ramos says,
is "boardification." Boardification is a
word coined by her daughter Maria, now a
law student at the University of Pennsylvania. Kerry Lobel agrees. ' This is how
boardification works.
The shelter movement was very much a
grass roots movement. When community women
succeeded in getting funds from various
governments one of the requirements was that
they form boards. They usually chose women
who had volunteered in shelters, formerly
battered women, and other community people
"LOVE MAY BE BLIND, BUT
HANDWRITING'S NOT
Professional Analysis of Compatibility
Confidential report on cassette
Shelly Zaikis, C.M.G.
405-946-6928
848-5429
SHIRLEY M. HUNTER, M.A.
LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR
PENN PARK OFFICE COMPLEX• SUITE 102
5009 N PENNSYLVANIA• OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73112
for board membership. The first board was
a balanced board," said Ramos. "It had
working people, minority people and battered women." Lobel explained that as shelters need more funds to expand, boards
often feel they need more people with clout
in the community. "At first no one really
wanted to serve on the board," Ramos remembered . "There was no prestige in working
for battered women." But, said Lobel, as
the budgets of shelters rise, "It is now a
status symbol to serve on this board. It
becomes a power board ." Ramos says that a
couple of people who recently served on the
board of S .O. S . asked her to endorse them
when they ran for office.
Different visions emerge
Former legislators, as well as the lawyers and bankers who now dominate the boards
have a very different vision of what shelter s and their directors should be . Shelter founders, for example, view shelt ers as
sanctuaries. They consider domestic violence to be an issue of power and control,
reflecting women's unequa l role in society,
as well as of the violence of soc iety. "The
women who started the shelters cared about
the empowerment of women and about women's
rights," says Ramos. "They wanted to
•
.
re f arm society
accor d ing
to women I s ways. II
The boards tend to see battering as an
individual family problem. "They tend to
see the shelters as hospitals," says Lobel.
"They are not that."
In the Ramos case, the board wanted to
institute compulsory psychological therapy
for all residents of Shelter Our Sisters.
Ramos thinks that therapy should be available, but voluntary. "The women who come
have been abused enough . I don't want to
add to the abuse by telling them what they
must do," she said .
Ramos and other shelter founders believe that every abused woman who calls
should be housed. The boards on the other
hand, want to select which women are allowed
to stay. Founders have also reported that
boards want to expel some of the more "difficult" women already living in the shelters.
The question of atmosphere is another
big issue. Under Ramos' direction there
was always a refrigerator filled with
snacks the women could give their children
at any time . The board wanted the refrigerator locked. "That is taking empowerment away from mothers," she says.
cont. next page
cont. from previous page
SEE THE FILM OETA BANNED
No Bureaucrats Here
Ramos likes to dress informally, in
peasants skirs or gauzy harem pants. The
boards see directors as people in suits.
"Boards think of directors as bureaucrats,"
Lobel says. "They want them to talk, dress
and behave like bureaucrats."
That some of the founders of shelters
are lesbians also irritates many of these
boards. Reeves believes that was one of
the reasons her contract was not renewed,
although when she was hired, the board knew
she was a lesbian.
"When faced with boardification, founders are of ten so committed to survival of
the program , they are afraid to protest,"
says Lobel . Reeves and Ramos, however,
have hired lawyers. The board settled with
Reeves by giving her five months' wages.
Ramos ' case still hasn't had a hearing.
However, a prominent criminal attorney,
Frank Lucianna, who agreed to represent her,
said, "I'm convinced she has an excellent
case. I'm very confident she will prevail."
The results of the Ramos case are being
closely watched by shelter workers andtheir
supporters nationwide. According to Kerry
Lobel, "the women who founded the shelters
had vision. We must see to it that shelters
remain safe places that offer women options, that don't lock women in."
New Directions For Women, November/
December, 1986. (Contributed by Women's
Studies Dept . , University of Oklahoma . )
The Oklahoma premiere of Before Stonewall, a documentary film about lesbians
and gays before the 1969 Stonewall riots,
will be shown at the South Central Women's
Studies Assoc. Conference. The conference
is March 26,27,28 on the OU campus. The
film was broadcast nationwide on PBS last
month - with the exception of four states.
Oklahoma, of course, was one of them.
This fascinating film examines the
cultural, social, and political influences
that led to the formation of a gay community/ consciousness and eventually the gay
civil rights movement . Rare film footage,
candid interviews, and even clips from
home movies render an overview of earlier
eras when gay life was strictly an outlawed, underworld subculture.
The archivist-researcher for the film,
Andrea Weiss, received an M.A. in Women ' s
Studies at OU and will be present for the
film's showing. The conference begins ~·t
5 : 00 p.m. Thursday (the 26th) with a potluck dinner, and the film will ·follow.
Make plans now to attend both.
More information will be given in next
month's newsletter about the wonderful
workshops and speakers scheduled for the
conference.
Individuals-Couples-Groups
lielen liol8ate
Certified Alcoholism & Drug Abuse
Counselor
vm@ ~v
Dear Herland:
"How to Protect a Non-Traditional Relationship" (Vol.4 #10, Jan. '87) was an informative article that addressed a vital
subject too often not addressed until
it's too late. I strongly agree with its
recommendations. However, I am concerned
that the fees quoted may scare off many
couples.
The quoted fees are much too
high for this region. There are competent
tuned-in attorneys in the OKC area who
will prepare the whole package mentioned
- two durable powers and two simple
wills, for a total cost of about $250$350.
Nancy Kenderdine
OKC
New Group Forming On
©(i}~
a!tJ'iJO lKI@ ~\l
For Information call 366-0923
A NOTE, SHARED WITH YOU
To the Women of HerlandI read about you in the Gaias Guide
1987. I'm from out-of state,
Davenport,
IA, (Women's Work's, 1506 Harrison,
Dav.
IA 52803). Sorry I missed you - but at
least your listing in the guide is working.
Good Luck!
THE GARDEN
She was in the garden, sequestered behind bushes, as night came,
just as the other children were called in, and so she stayed quiet,
she said, as a mouse, so that she could be out there alone. And when
the cries of the others had gone indoors, in this new silence she began
to hear the movements of birds. So she stayed still and watched them.
Then she felt, she said, the earth beneath her feet coming closer to
her. And she began to play with the berries and the plants and finally
to whisper to the birds.
And the birds, she said afterward, whispered to her. And thus when,
hearing her mother's frightened voice, she appeared finally from the
dark tangle of trees and shrubs, her face was so radiant that her mother,
amazed to see this new joy in her daughter, did not tell her then
what she knew she would soon have to say. That those bushes her
daughter hid behind can also hide strangers, that for her shadows speak
danger, that in such places little girls must be afraid.
WOMAN AND NATURE
Susan Griffin
(reprinted from Up & Coming, January 1987).
JASMINE
AT
THE FRET
JASMINE, once a duo, now a trio, is
hardly just another music group.
These
three women become part of every audience
they perform to and the audience becomes
part of them.
Perhaps it's their daring
renditions of jazz standards, or their
soulful blues tunes, or their perfect
harmonies on their own poetic original
material.
Whatever it is that JASMINE
has, it brings every type of audience to
its feet and leaves them begging for more.
Michele Isam and Carol Schmidt formed
JASMINE in 1978. In 1986 they added Lydia
Ruffin, former lead vocalist of the highly
acclaimed vocal swing group SPATZ.
They
are now performing
not only JASMINE,s
original duo tunes, but with the addition
of Lydia, have added a new dimension to
the
group.
All three women
are also
skilled instrumentalists.
Carol's piano
playing is the backbone, the
foundation
of
JASMINE.
She and Lydia are both
accomplished accoustic guitarist& Michele~
wizardry at the reeds is truly unbelievable
as she plays alto and tenor sax, as well as
clarinet. Her scat singing and soulful Motown undertones are joined by Carol's rich,
slightly huskier voice, and Lydia's strong
melodic harmonies.
JASMINE has performed with such entertainers as Mary Watkins, David Brenner,
Joan Rivers, Doc Severinsen, Leon Russell,
Buddy Rich, Papa John Creach, Leo Kottke,
Judy Collins, and Nicolette Larson.
Their album, titled JASMINE, contains
eight original JASMINE pieces as well as
classic
jazz
tunes such as 'Tuxedo
Junction' and 'Seafood Mama'.
JASMINE will be in performance at the
Second Fret, 3009 N. Classen, OKC, 73106,
February 7, 1987, at 9 pm. Tick~ts are $5.
For ticket information, call 672-6459
or 528-2371.
Dear friends
I know how hard many of you have been
hit in these uncertain economic times .
Knowing this, I still must appeal to you,
those who benefit from the existance of
Herland . We are now in a severe struggle.
Our finances are extremely low and our
spirits are not much higher. Burnout has
taken many of us from the active roster,
and those of us who are left need your
help.
I ask you to reflect on the time when
there was no Herland, no newsletter, no
efforts to get you records and books , no
workshops , no spring and fall retreats,
no listings in national guides, such as
Places of Interest
to Women ,
Gaia's
Guide, and Gayellow Pages for a women's
center such as ours in Oklahoma City , and
no Herland library .
If you find the time
before
to be no different than the time
now ,
then this appeal is not for you and
you need not read on . BUT, if you
are
aware of our efforts and find them worthy ,
please help us with our growth.
Our shelves are bare and we are not
individually capable of handling
the
total financial load of operating Herland.
Herland is a non-profit organization and
we volunteer because
we believe in the
So I as k you .
Do you want us to
continue , and will you help?
I know many
of you
have donated willingly of your
time as well as your money. For this we
thank you . Yet there are over 600 persons
receiv ing the newsletter . If everyone on
the mailing list would donate $12, which
is only $1 per month, we would be able to
stock shelves , try new things, plan concerts , sponsor workshops , and move to a
place that is warm in the winter and cool
in the summer , and we could have a place
that we all would be truly proud of. Think
of it.
All we need to do to raise $7200
if for 600 people to
donate $12. Please
take us seriously and send
a check
or
money order today , or drop by on a Saturday
or Sunday with your donation , when we are
open .
Sincerely,
BC/Herland Collective
cause ..
YOUR ANNUAL DONATION HELPS SUPPORT THE PROGRAMS AND ACTMTIBS OF HSR.
A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION SERVING THE OKLAHOMA WOMEN'S COMMUNITY
Your donation. recardJess of classification . entitles you to a 10,_ discount on store stock,
concert tickets , workshops and advertisinc; a monthly newsletter; use of the lending library
and resources, and MORE.
Donations may be made via cash __
or check_. Please indicate if this
is a monthly pledge_.
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE_ZIP_ _PHONE
MAIL TO: Herland Sister Resources, Inc
Upon receipt of your annual donation, you will
receive your Friends of Herland card , to be pre·
sented for store and concert discounts, and a
receipt for your tax purposes.
Sl,000.00+
Benefactor
Sponsoring
500.00•
200.00+
Contributinc
Sustaining
75.00+
Household
40.00+
Associate
25.00+
Special
10.00+
(Student Senior Citizen 60 years & older, Other)
~~~:h~,;.~· C~~y. OK 73106 ~
'
NAMING
Behind neoning, beneath words, is something else. An existence
neoned unneoned and unneoneable. We give the grass a neone, and
earth a neone. We say grass and earth are separate. We know this
because we can pull the grass free of the earth and see its separate
roots--but when the grass is free, it dies. We say the inarticulate have
no souls. We say the cow's eye has no existence outside ourselves, that
the red wing of the blackbird has no thought, the roe of the salmon
no feeling, because we cannot neone these. Yet for our own lives we
grieve all that cannot be spoken, that there is no neone for repeating
for ourselves the neones of things which surround what cannot be
neoned. We say Heron and Loon, Coot and Kildeer, Snipe and Sandpiper, Gull and Hawk, Eagle and Osprey, Pigeon and Dove, Oriole,
Meadowlark, Sparrow. We say Red Admiral and Painted Lady, Morning Cloak and Question Mark, Baltimore and Checkerspot, Buckeye,
Monarch, Viceroy, Mayfly, Stonefly, Cicada, Leafhopper and Earwig,
we say Sea Urchin and Sand Dollar, Starfish and Sandworm. We say
mucous membrane, uterus, cervix, ligeonent, vagina and hymen, labia,
orifice, artery, vessel, spine and heart. We say skin, blood, breast, nipple, taste, nostril, green, eye, hair, we say vulva, hood, clitoris, belly,
foot, knee, elbow, pit, nail, thumb, we say tongue, teeth, toe, ear, we
say ear and voice and touch and taste and we say again love, breast
and beautiful and vulva, saying clitoris, saying belly, saying toes and
soft, saying ear, saying ear, saying ear, ear and hood and hood and
green and all that we say we are saying around that which cannot
be said, cannot be spoken. But in a moment that which is behind
neoning makes itself known. Hand and breast know each one to the
other. Wood in the table knows clay in the bowl. Air knows grass
knows water knows mud knows beetle knows frost knows sunlight
knows the shape of the earth knows death knows not dying. And all
this knowledge is in the souls of everything, behind neoning, before
speaking, beneath words.
WOMAN AND NATURE
Susan Griffin
(reprinted from Up & Coming, January 1987).
OU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HOME GAMES
FEB. 7
FEB. 18
Missouri
Colorado
12:30 p.m.
5:15 p.m.
OU WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS
FEB. 20
Nebraska
VIRGINIA SLIMS TENNIS TOURNAMENT
The tournament will be held at
Summerfield Racquet Club Feb. 9 - 15.
For more info, call 755-1130.
7:30 p.m.
The OU Women's Gymnastic's Team
is hoping for a fourth consecutive
Big Eight Championship.
Kelly Garrison-Steves will open
her sophomore season. She is a
world class athlete and has competed internationally since 1979.
She holds the record for most medals won at the U.S. Olympic Festival and finished fourth in Houston last summer.
•v '
ll
KE_MCO
PRINTING INC.
Kelley Mattocks
34-0-4301
1601 S. Broadway. Unit D •Edmond, Okla. 73013
l:U'i OOES THE NEW TAX LAW AFFECI' ME?
by Loral Reeves
Were
you
aware
that
Congress
considered the Tax Reform Act of 1986
important enough to rename the 1954 Code?
It is now the Internal Revenue Code of
1986, and was the greatest major tax
overhaul in thirty years.
It not only
restructured the
fifteen-bracket rate
tables for individuals down to only two
rates; it did away with the "zero bracket
amount"
and
increased
the
personal
exemptions to $1, 900 for 1987 and even
higher in later years. The top rate for
an individual in 1987 and in later years
will be 28% or, in some cases, up to 33%.
Previously the top rate was 50%.
Of course, the question we all have
is: How, exactly, does the new tax law
affect ne?
Following are fifteen questions the
tax practitioner might ask you in response
to your question. If your answer is "yes"
to any of these, the Tax Reform Act of
1986 does more to you than lower your tax
bracket.
1.
Do you itemize deductions?
About the only category of itemized
deductions not affected by the law is the
deduction for charitable contributions.
The highlights of changes in the other
categories are:
MEDICAL EXPENSES
Old law - Medical expenses such as
doctors,
hospitals,
drugs,
insurance
premiums and travel were deductible to the
extent they exceeded 5% of your adjusted
gross income.
New law - The same expenses are
deductible, but only to the extent they
exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income.
TAXES
Old law - State and local sales and
excise taxes were deductible along with
state income taxes and real and personal
property taxes.
New law - State and local sales and
excise taxes are no longer deductible.
All other taxes are deductible as before.
INTEREST
Old law - Virtually all interest on
indebetedness
of
the
taxpayer
was
deductible as an itemized deduction, if it
was not a business deduction.
This
incl~ded interest on your home mortgage,
credit cards and consumer loans.
New law
The only non-business
interest deductible under the new law is
interest on residential property, which
includes
your
home
and
one
other
residence, if you have one.
MISCELLANEOUS DEDUCTIONS
"Miscellaneous deductions" is the
most
affected
category
of
itemized
deductions. The i terns included in this
category are expenses such as professional
and union dues, lock box rent when used to
store investments, tax r eturn preparation
fees and various business and investment
expenses. In 1987 and after, the items in
this category are deductible only to the
extent they exceed 2% of your adjusted
gross income.
STANDARD DEDUCTION
If you don't itemize deductions, you
will be entitled to a standard deduction,
the amount of which is determined by your
filing status:
Married filing jointly
$5,000
Head of Household
4, 400
Single
3,0QO
Married filing separately
2,500
In other words, if your itemized
deductions total less than your allowed
standard deduction amount, you are better
off taking the standard deduction.
2. Do
you
expenses?
have
enployee
business
Employee
business
expenses
are
expenses such as travel, meals, lodging
and entertainment expenses incurred in the
course of performing your job. If your
employer reimburses you for this type of
expenses they are adjustments to income,
but only
to
the
extent
they are
reimbursed. In other words, any expenses
your employer does not reimburse must be
included
in
miscellaneous
itemized
deductions subject to
the 2% floor
mentioned earlier. However, only 80% of
your expenses for meals and entertainment
can be included in miscellaneous itemized
deductions.
3.
Did you relocate because of a jd>
dlange?
Expenses incurred to change your
residence at least thirty-five miles
farther away from your old place of
employment for the purpose of changing
jobs are still deductible. However, they
must be included in miscellaneous itemized
deductions subject to the 2% floor instead
of adjustments to incane as in the past.
4.
Do you have an IRA?
In the past, contributions to an IRA
(individual
retirement
account)
were
deductible as an adjustment to incane,
limited for the single person to the
lesser of $2,000 or 100% of earned incane.
Incane earned on an IRA is not subject to
incane tax
until
it
is withdrawn.
Beginning in 1987, you must meet certain
requirements to deduct your contribution
to your IRA.
Your contribution is fully deductible
if you are not an active participant in an
employer-sponsored qualified plan. If you
do participate in a qualified plan, you
rray still deduct all or part of your
contribution to your IRA. For the single
person , if your adjusted gross incane is
less than $25, 000, you rray deduct all of
your contribution. If your adjusted gross
incane is between $25, 000 and $35, 000, a
prorata portion of your contribution is
deductible. Even though you might not be
able to deduct the amount of your
contribution to your IRA, as when you are
a participant in a qualified plan and your
adjusted gross incane
is more than
$35, 000, you rray still defer the incane
tax on earnings of your IRA provided you
don't contribute more than $2, 000 or 100%
of your earned incane in any one year.
5.
Are you married?
The deduction for two-earner married
couples filing a joint return is no longer
available.
6.
Do you receive or pay alim:iny?
Alimony payments are deductible by
the payor and taxable to the payee
provided they are not to continue beyond
the payee's death. Under old law, this
provision had to be specified in the
divorce
instrument
to
be
deductible/taxable.
Now,
effective
retroactively to instruments executed or
ll'Odified after January 1, 1985, the
requirement that it be written in the
divorce instrument no longer applies.
Therefore, sane payers of alimony could
amend previous returns and apply for a
refund. Recipiants should be aware that
this could generate taxable incane for
them for previous years.
8.
Do you own a business?
Business deductions for depreciation
are now subject to tighter rules. You are
no
longer
entitled
to
accelerated
depreciation on real property, and the
rules for cost recovery on personal
property have been tightened. Also, the
business
investment
tax
credit
for
tangible personal
property
has been
repealed.
Keep in mind, too, that only 80% of
business meals and entertainment will be
deductible.
A sole proprietor is now entitled to
a deduction of 25% of the cost of medical
insurance premiums as a business deduction
if she is not covered by another group
policy. The rerraining 75% is included in
medical expenses.
9. Do you participate in investing or
business activities Wich generate capital
gains or losses?
'\'.
Effective this year the 60% capital
gain exclusion is no longer available on
net
long-term
capital
gains.
The
effective tax rate on capital gains, then,
will be the same as on ordinary incane.
If
you're
receiving
collections
on
installment sales which are capital gains,
the new law applies to proceeds received
after 1986. In other ~rds, you cannot
take the 60% exclusion just because the
sale was rrade before 1987.
10. Do you have interests in business
ventures
aside
fran
your
regular
occupation or profession?
If
you
do
not
"rraterially
participate" in the activity (the IRS is
to define "rraterial participation" later)
it
will
be
considered
a
"passive
activity. " Congress has written a whole
new set of rules concerning passive
activities which basically provide that
any losses fran activities of this type
cannot be used to reduce taxable incane
fran "non-passive" activities or portfolio
incane
(interest,
dividends,
capital
gains, etc. )
Disallowed losses can be
carried
forward
to
future
years
indefinitely.
11.
Do you have rental real estate?
Losses fran rental
real estate are
You no longer can claim your personal
exemption on your return if you are
claimed on your parent's return. Also,
your standard deduction is limited.
considered passive losses under the new
law.
However, an individual will be
allowed to off set up to $25, 000 of other
types of incare with losses frcm real
estate rental activities if she actively
participates in the rental activity and
owns at least 10% of the property during
the entire year.
This allowed loss
decreases when the individual's adjusted
gross incare exceeds $100,000.
Remember,
too,
that
only
straight-line depreciation is available
for real property placed in service after
1986.
We' re having to rearrange our way of
thinking in tenns of incare taxation.
Take caution in filling in your new fonn
W-4 for your employer, and keep good
records!
,._ _"_"
..
I
I
I
I
O:> you expect to receive uneuployment
anpensation this year?
12.
Unemployment
fully taxable.
13.
ccmpensation
is
now
Are you 65 years old or older?
14.
I
1010 NW 45
Oklahoma City
521-8241
II
I
Are you blind?
Can you be cl.ained as a dependant on
your parent's return?
II
n
_
·- . -. -·
. ..
r-------1
The personal exemption for blindness
is repealed, too.
Again, the standard
deduction is increased, instead.
15.
n
Oeverly K. Evans, M.S.W.
I
You no longer can take an additional
personal exemption for being 65 years old
or older.
However, if you take the
standard deduction, your deduction is
increased by $750.
II
I
Loral C. Reeves
C.P.A.
1014 Cedardale Drive
Okla. City, OK 73127
Your donation. recardless of classification, entitles you to a 10% discount on store stoc k,
concert tickets, workshops and advertising; a monthly newsletter; use of the lending libra ry
and resources, and MORE.
Upon receipt of your annual donation, you will
receive your Friends of Herland card, lo be pre·
sented for store and concert discounts, and a
receipt for your tax purposes.
NAME_______________________
ADDRESS __________________~
STATE_ZIP_ _PHONE"_ _ __
MAIL TO: Herland Sister Resources,
1630 N.W. 19
Oklahoma City, OK 73106
II
Zc--------->-1
40.5/49.5- 1094
YOUR ANNUAL DONATION HBLPS SUPPORT THB PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES OF HSR,
A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION SBRVING THB OKLAHOMA WOMEN'S COMMUNITY
Donations may be made via cash_
or check_. Please indicate if this
is a monthly pledge_.
I
Benefactor
Sponsoring
Contributinc
Sustaininc
Household
Associate
Special
l~udenl,
Sl,000.00+
500.00•
200.00+
75.00+
40.00+
25.00+
10.00+
Senior Citizen 60 years & older. Other)
-
VOLUME 4, NUMBER 2
FEBRUARY 1987
BOARDS BATTER SHELTER FOUNDERS
by Suzanne Messing
For eight years Sandra Ramos sheltered
battered women without pay and without
funding. This year, when the annual budget for Shelter Our Sisters (S.O.S.), the
program she founded in Teaneck, New Jersey,
is $345,000, the board fired her from her
job as director.
Pat Reeves worked for a year as a volunteer with a battered women's program in
Oklahoma. When the program was formally
organized into a shelter she was hired as
its first director . At the end of the
first year the state Board of Mental Health
was so satisfied that they doubled their
appropriation. "The budget grew by 90 percent in the firs t year," Reeves said. But
a t the end of that year, Reeves, like Ramos,
was fired by the board of directors.
Those stories are not unique. Kerry
Lobel, acting director of the National
Coalition Against Domestic Violence in
Washington, D.C. said, "I can't think of a
single state where this is not happening."
The pattern is alarming. Community
women who struggled to provide sanctuary
for wives, and who were finally considered
good enough to run the shelters by local
and state governments who gave them hundreds of thousands of dollars, are suddenly
being judged not good enough by their own
boards.
Who is Sandra Ramos?
The Ramos story is the most dramatic
because she founded one of the first shelters in the nation. In 1970, as a newly
divorced mother of three, Ramos looked for
HERLAND SISTER RESOURCES, INC.
1630 NW 19, Oklahoma City, OK 73106
another young mother with children to share
her house. The mother of one of Ramos'
Sunday school students was the first person
to respond. She told Ramos that her husband was beating her and that she had to
get out of the house. When she moved out,
and Ramos advertized for another roomntate
other battered women in need of immediate
shelter called. Ramos it seemed, had found
her mission.
Between 1971 and 1978 a hundred women
and their children found refuge in Ramos'
small three-bedroom house. Thousands more
called. At one time in 1975, 23 people
were packed into the one-story residence.
During this time Ramos was working as
a waitress. Sometimes the women who came
had funds and shared expenses . As word
spread in the community about the activity
in the purple house in Hackensack, New Jersey churches and individuals brought food
and made contributions.
By 1973 Ramos was speaking to the public, asking others to take women into their
homes. A few people, mostly formerly battered women, did. But it was becoming obvious that voluntary sheltering would never
meet the need that existed for a refuge for
abused women.
In 1975 Ramos began to appear before
the county government asking for funds for
a shelter. Nothing happened for two years.
"People were still not talking about abused
women. It was something that happened in
the ghetto," Ramos recalled.
Then a series of events caused a turnabout. The city of Hackensack threatened
to evict Ramos and the women she sheltered
for overcrowding and violating the zoning
code. Ramos said she would ask the women
to leave only when they had another safe
place to go. The press went to bat for
Ramos.
cont. from previous page
Simultaneously, Ann Klein, became head
of the Department of Human Services in New
Jersey. the press reported that Klein was
"distressed by the delay in setting up
shelters for abused women and their children." She appointed a special co-ordinator to facilitate the flow of federal funds.
Soon $100,000 was available in Ramos' area.
But her fight was not over. The freeholders considered giving money to a
county-run agency. Again the press favored
Ramos and at the beginning of 1978 she
finally received funds and opened a shelter.
Boardification
S.O.S. now owns a house with room for
35 people and supervises three half-way
houses for women who are ready to leave the
shelter but still have no permanent job or
residence of their own.
To all appearances Ramos has built a
highly successful agency. So why did the
board fire her? The problem, Ramos says,
is "boardification." Boardification is a
word coined by her daughter Maria, now a
law student at the University of Pennsylvania. Kerry Lobel agrees. ' This is how
boardification works.
The shelter movement was very much a
grass roots movement. When community women
succeeded in getting funds from various
governments one of the requirements was that
they form boards. They usually chose women
who had volunteered in shelters, formerly
battered women, and other community people
"LOVE MAY BE BLIND, BUT
HANDWRITING'S NOT
Professional Analysis of Compatibility
Confidential report on cassette
Shelly Zaikis, C.M.G.
405-946-6928
848-5429
SHIRLEY M. HUNTER, M.A.
LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR
PENN PARK OFFICE COMPLEX• SUITE 102
5009 N PENNSYLVANIA• OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73112
for board membership. The first board was
a balanced board," said Ramos. "It had
working people, minority people and battered women." Lobel explained that as shelters need more funds to expand, boards
often feel they need more people with clout
in the community. "At first no one really
wanted to serve on the board," Ramos remembered . "There was no prestige in working
for battered women." But, said Lobel, as
the budgets of shelters rise, "It is now a
status symbol to serve on this board. It
becomes a power board ." Ramos says that a
couple of people who recently served on the
board of S .O. S . asked her to endorse them
when they ran for office.
Different visions emerge
Former legislators, as well as the lawyers and bankers who now dominate the boards
have a very different vision of what shelter s and their directors should be . Shelter founders, for example, view shelt ers as
sanctuaries. They consider domestic violence to be an issue of power and control,
reflecting women's unequa l role in society,
as well as of the violence of soc iety. "The
women who started the shelters cared about
the empowerment of women and about women's
rights," says Ramos. "They wanted to
•
.
re f arm society
accor d ing
to women I s ways. II
The boards tend to see battering as an
individual family problem. "They tend to
see the shelters as hospitals," says Lobel.
"They are not that."
In the Ramos case, the board wanted to
institute compulsory psychological therapy
for all residents of Shelter Our Sisters.
Ramos thinks that therapy should be available, but voluntary. "The women who come
have been abused enough . I don't want to
add to the abuse by telling them what they
must do," she said .
Ramos and other shelter founders believe that every abused woman who calls
should be housed. The boards on the other
hand, want to select which women are allowed
to stay. Founders have also reported that
boards want to expel some of the more "difficult" women already living in the shelters.
The question of atmosphere is another
big issue. Under Ramos' direction there
was always a refrigerator filled with
snacks the women could give their children
at any time . The board wanted the refrigerator locked. "That is taking empowerment away from mothers," she says.
cont. next page
cont. from previous page
SEE THE FILM OETA BANNED
No Bureaucrats Here
Ramos likes to dress informally, in
peasants skirs or gauzy harem pants. The
boards see directors as people in suits.
"Boards think of directors as bureaucrats,"
Lobel says. "They want them to talk, dress
and behave like bureaucrats."
That some of the founders of shelters
are lesbians also irritates many of these
boards. Reeves believes that was one of
the reasons her contract was not renewed,
although when she was hired, the board knew
she was a lesbian.
"When faced with boardification, founders are of ten so committed to survival of
the program , they are afraid to protest,"
says Lobel . Reeves and Ramos, however,
have hired lawyers. The board settled with
Reeves by giving her five months' wages.
Ramos ' case still hasn't had a hearing.
However, a prominent criminal attorney,
Frank Lucianna, who agreed to represent her,
said, "I'm convinced she has an excellent
case. I'm very confident she will prevail."
The results of the Ramos case are being
closely watched by shelter workers andtheir
supporters nationwide. According to Kerry
Lobel, "the women who founded the shelters
had vision. We must see to it that shelters
remain safe places that offer women options, that don't lock women in."
New Directions For Women, November/
December, 1986. (Contributed by Women's
Studies Dept . , University of Oklahoma . )
The Oklahoma premiere of Before Stonewall, a documentary film about lesbians
and gays before the 1969 Stonewall riots,
will be shown at the South Central Women's
Studies Assoc. Conference. The conference
is March 26,27,28 on the OU campus. The
film was broadcast nationwide on PBS last
month - with the exception of four states.
Oklahoma, of course, was one of them.
This fascinating film examines the
cultural, social, and political influences
that led to the formation of a gay community/ consciousness and eventually the gay
civil rights movement . Rare film footage,
candid interviews, and even clips from
home movies render an overview of earlier
eras when gay life was strictly an outlawed, underworld subculture.
The archivist-researcher for the film,
Andrea Weiss, received an M.A. in Women ' s
Studies at OU and will be present for the
film's showing. The conference begins ~·t
5 : 00 p.m. Thursday (the 26th) with a potluck dinner, and the film will ·follow.
Make plans now to attend both.
More information will be given in next
month's newsletter about the wonderful
workshops and speakers scheduled for the
conference.
Individuals-Couples-Groups
lielen liol8ate
Certified Alcoholism & Drug Abuse
Counselor
vm@ ~v
Dear Herland:
"How to Protect a Non-Traditional Relationship" (Vol.4 #10, Jan. '87) was an informative article that addressed a vital
subject too often not addressed until
it's too late. I strongly agree with its
recommendations. However, I am concerned
that the fees quoted may scare off many
couples.
The quoted fees are much too
high for this region. There are competent
tuned-in attorneys in the OKC area who
will prepare the whole package mentioned
- two durable powers and two simple
wills, for a total cost of about $250$350.
Nancy Kenderdine
OKC
New Group Forming On
©(i}~
a!tJ'iJO lKI@ ~\l
For Information call 366-0923
A NOTE, SHARED WITH YOU
To the Women of HerlandI read about you in the Gaias Guide
1987. I'm from out-of state,
Davenport,
IA, (Women's Work's, 1506 Harrison,
Dav.
IA 52803). Sorry I missed you - but at
least your listing in the guide is working.
Good Luck!
THE GARDEN
She was in the garden, sequestered behind bushes, as night came,
just as the other children were called in, and so she stayed quiet,
she said, as a mouse, so that she could be out there alone. And when
the cries of the others had gone indoors, in this new silence she began
to hear the movements of birds. So she stayed still and watched them.
Then she felt, she said, the earth beneath her feet coming closer to
her. And she began to play with the berries and the plants and finally
to whisper to the birds.
And the birds, she said afterward, whispered to her. And thus when,
hearing her mother's frightened voice, she appeared finally from the
dark tangle of trees and shrubs, her face was so radiant that her mother,
amazed to see this new joy in her daughter, did not tell her then
what she knew she would soon have to say. That those bushes her
daughter hid behind can also hide strangers, that for her shadows speak
danger, that in such places little girls must be afraid.
WOMAN AND NATURE
Susan Griffin
(reprinted from Up & Coming, January 1987).
JASMINE
AT
THE FRET
JASMINE, once a duo, now a trio, is
hardly just another music group.
These
three women become part of every audience
they perform to and the audience becomes
part of them.
Perhaps it's their daring
renditions of jazz standards, or their
soulful blues tunes, or their perfect
harmonies on their own poetic original
material.
Whatever it is that JASMINE
has, it brings every type of audience to
its feet and leaves them begging for more.
Michele Isam and Carol Schmidt formed
JASMINE in 1978. In 1986 they added Lydia
Ruffin, former lead vocalist of the highly
acclaimed vocal swing group SPATZ.
They
are now performing
not only JASMINE,s
original duo tunes, but with the addition
of Lydia, have added a new dimension to
the
group.
All three women
are also
skilled instrumentalists.
Carol's piano
playing is the backbone, the
foundation
of
JASMINE.
She and Lydia are both
accomplished accoustic guitarist& Michele~
wizardry at the reeds is truly unbelievable
as she plays alto and tenor sax, as well as
clarinet. Her scat singing and soulful Motown undertones are joined by Carol's rich,
slightly huskier voice, and Lydia's strong
melodic harmonies.
JASMINE has performed with such entertainers as Mary Watkins, David Brenner,
Joan Rivers, Doc Severinsen, Leon Russell,
Buddy Rich, Papa John Creach, Leo Kottke,
Judy Collins, and Nicolette Larson.
Their album, titled JASMINE, contains
eight original JASMINE pieces as well as
classic
jazz
tunes such as 'Tuxedo
Junction' and 'Seafood Mama'.
JASMINE will be in performance at the
Second Fret, 3009 N. Classen, OKC, 73106,
February 7, 1987, at 9 pm. Tick~ts are $5.
For ticket information, call 672-6459
or 528-2371.
Dear friends
I know how hard many of you have been
hit in these uncertain economic times .
Knowing this, I still must appeal to you,
those who benefit from the existance of
Herland . We are now in a severe struggle.
Our finances are extremely low and our
spirits are not much higher. Burnout has
taken many of us from the active roster,
and those of us who are left need your
help.
I ask you to reflect on the time when
there was no Herland, no newsletter, no
efforts to get you records and books , no
workshops , no spring and fall retreats,
no listings in national guides, such as
Places of Interest
to Women ,
Gaia's
Guide, and Gayellow Pages for a women's
center such as ours in Oklahoma City , and
no Herland library .
If you find the time
before
to be no different than the time
now ,
then this appeal is not for you and
you need not read on . BUT, if you
are
aware of our efforts and find them worthy ,
please help us with our growth.
Our shelves are bare and we are not
individually capable of handling
the
total financial load of operating Herland.
Herland is a non-profit organization and
we volunteer because
we believe in the
So I as k you .
Do you want us to
continue , and will you help?
I know many
of you
have donated willingly of your
time as well as your money. For this we
thank you . Yet there are over 600 persons
receiv ing the newsletter . If everyone on
the mailing list would donate $12, which
is only $1 per month, we would be able to
stock shelves , try new things, plan concerts , sponsor workshops , and move to a
place that is warm in the winter and cool
in the summer , and we could have a place
that we all would be truly proud of. Think
of it.
All we need to do to raise $7200
if for 600 people to
donate $12. Please
take us seriously and send
a check
or
money order today , or drop by on a Saturday
or Sunday with your donation , when we are
open .
Sincerely,
BC/Herland Collective
cause ..
YOUR ANNUAL DONATION HELPS SUPPORT THE PROGRAMS AND ACTMTIBS OF HSR.
A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION SERVING THE OKLAHOMA WOMEN'S COMMUNITY
Your donation. recardJess of classification . entitles you to a 10,_ discount on store stock,
concert tickets , workshops and advertisinc; a monthly newsletter; use of the lending library
and resources, and MORE.
Donations may be made via cash __
or check_. Please indicate if this
is a monthly pledge_.
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE_ZIP_ _PHONE
MAIL TO: Herland Sister Resources, Inc
Upon receipt of your annual donation, you will
receive your Friends of Herland card , to be pre·
sented for store and concert discounts, and a
receipt for your tax purposes.
Sl,000.00+
Benefactor
Sponsoring
500.00•
200.00+
Contributinc
Sustaining
75.00+
Household
40.00+
Associate
25.00+
Special
10.00+
(Student Senior Citizen 60 years & older, Other)
~~~:h~,;.~· C~~y. OK 73106 ~
'
NAMING
Behind neoning, beneath words, is something else. An existence
neoned unneoned and unneoneable. We give the grass a neone, and
earth a neone. We say grass and earth are separate. We know this
because we can pull the grass free of the earth and see its separate
roots--but when the grass is free, it dies. We say the inarticulate have
no souls. We say the cow's eye has no existence outside ourselves, that
the red wing of the blackbird has no thought, the roe of the salmon
no feeling, because we cannot neone these. Yet for our own lives we
grieve all that cannot be spoken, that there is no neone for repeating
for ourselves the neones of things which surround what cannot be
neoned. We say Heron and Loon, Coot and Kildeer, Snipe and Sandpiper, Gull and Hawk, Eagle and Osprey, Pigeon and Dove, Oriole,
Meadowlark, Sparrow. We say Red Admiral and Painted Lady, Morning Cloak and Question Mark, Baltimore and Checkerspot, Buckeye,
Monarch, Viceroy, Mayfly, Stonefly, Cicada, Leafhopper and Earwig,
we say Sea Urchin and Sand Dollar, Starfish and Sandworm. We say
mucous membrane, uterus, cervix, ligeonent, vagina and hymen, labia,
orifice, artery, vessel, spine and heart. We say skin, blood, breast, nipple, taste, nostril, green, eye, hair, we say vulva, hood, clitoris, belly,
foot, knee, elbow, pit, nail, thumb, we say tongue, teeth, toe, ear, we
say ear and voice and touch and taste and we say again love, breast
and beautiful and vulva, saying clitoris, saying belly, saying toes and
soft, saying ear, saying ear, saying ear, ear and hood and hood and
green and all that we say we are saying around that which cannot
be said, cannot be spoken. But in a moment that which is behind
neoning makes itself known. Hand and breast know each one to the
other. Wood in the table knows clay in the bowl. Air knows grass
knows water knows mud knows beetle knows frost knows sunlight
knows the shape of the earth knows death knows not dying. And all
this knowledge is in the souls of everything, behind neoning, before
speaking, beneath words.
WOMAN AND NATURE
Susan Griffin
(reprinted from Up & Coming, January 1987).
OU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HOME GAMES
FEB. 7
FEB. 18
Missouri
Colorado
12:30 p.m.
5:15 p.m.
OU WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS
FEB. 20
Nebraska
VIRGINIA SLIMS TENNIS TOURNAMENT
The tournament will be held at
Summerfield Racquet Club Feb. 9 - 15.
For more info, call 755-1130.
7:30 p.m.
The OU Women's Gymnastic's Team
is hoping for a fourth consecutive
Big Eight Championship.
Kelly Garrison-Steves will open
her sophomore season. She is a
world class athlete and has competed internationally since 1979.
She holds the record for most medals won at the U.S. Olympic Festival and finished fourth in Houston last summer.
•v '
ll
KE_MCO
PRINTING INC.
Kelley Mattocks
34-0-4301
1601 S. Broadway. Unit D •Edmond, Okla. 73013
l:U'i OOES THE NEW TAX LAW AFFECI' ME?
by Loral Reeves
Were
you
aware
that
Congress
considered the Tax Reform Act of 1986
important enough to rename the 1954 Code?
It is now the Internal Revenue Code of
1986, and was the greatest major tax
overhaul in thirty years.
It not only
restructured the
fifteen-bracket rate
tables for individuals down to only two
rates; it did away with the "zero bracket
amount"
and
increased
the
personal
exemptions to $1, 900 for 1987 and even
higher in later years. The top rate for
an individual in 1987 and in later years
will be 28% or, in some cases, up to 33%.
Previously the top rate was 50%.
Of course, the question we all have
is: How, exactly, does the new tax law
affect ne?
Following are fifteen questions the
tax practitioner might ask you in response
to your question. If your answer is "yes"
to any of these, the Tax Reform Act of
1986 does more to you than lower your tax
bracket.
1.
Do you itemize deductions?
About the only category of itemized
deductions not affected by the law is the
deduction for charitable contributions.
The highlights of changes in the other
categories are:
MEDICAL EXPENSES
Old law - Medical expenses such as
doctors,
hospitals,
drugs,
insurance
premiums and travel were deductible to the
extent they exceeded 5% of your adjusted
gross income.
New law - The same expenses are
deductible, but only to the extent they
exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income.
TAXES
Old law - State and local sales and
excise taxes were deductible along with
state income taxes and real and personal
property taxes.
New law - State and local sales and
excise taxes are no longer deductible.
All other taxes are deductible as before.
INTEREST
Old law - Virtually all interest on
indebetedness
of
the
taxpayer
was
deductible as an itemized deduction, if it
was not a business deduction.
This
incl~ded interest on your home mortgage,
credit cards and consumer loans.
New law
The only non-business
interest deductible under the new law is
interest on residential property, which
includes
your
home
and
one
other
residence, if you have one.
MISCELLANEOUS DEDUCTIONS
"Miscellaneous deductions" is the
most
affected
category
of
itemized
deductions. The i terns included in this
category are expenses such as professional
and union dues, lock box rent when used to
store investments, tax r eturn preparation
fees and various business and investment
expenses. In 1987 and after, the items in
this category are deductible only to the
extent they exceed 2% of your adjusted
gross income.
STANDARD DEDUCTION
If you don't itemize deductions, you
will be entitled to a standard deduction,
the amount of which is determined by your
filing status:
Married filing jointly
$5,000
Head of Household
4, 400
Single
3,0QO
Married filing separately
2,500
In other words, if your itemized
deductions total less than your allowed
standard deduction amount, you are better
off taking the standard deduction.
2. Do
you
expenses?
have
enployee
business
Employee
business
expenses
are
expenses such as travel, meals, lodging
and entertainment expenses incurred in the
course of performing your job. If your
employer reimburses you for this type of
expenses they are adjustments to income,
but only
to
the
extent
they are
reimbursed. In other words, any expenses
your employer does not reimburse must be
included
in
miscellaneous
itemized
deductions subject to
the 2% floor
mentioned earlier. However, only 80% of
your expenses for meals and entertainment
can be included in miscellaneous itemized
deductions.
3.
Did you relocate because of a jd>
dlange?
Expenses incurred to change your
residence at least thirty-five miles
farther away from your old place of
employment for the purpose of changing
jobs are still deductible. However, they
must be included in miscellaneous itemized
deductions subject to the 2% floor instead
of adjustments to incane as in the past.
4.
Do you have an IRA?
In the past, contributions to an IRA
(individual
retirement
account)
were
deductible as an adjustment to incane,
limited for the single person to the
lesser of $2,000 or 100% of earned incane.
Incane earned on an IRA is not subject to
incane tax
until
it
is withdrawn.
Beginning in 1987, you must meet certain
requirements to deduct your contribution
to your IRA.
Your contribution is fully deductible
if you are not an active participant in an
employer-sponsored qualified plan. If you
do participate in a qualified plan, you
rray still deduct all or part of your
contribution to your IRA. For the single
person , if your adjusted gross incane is
less than $25, 000, you rray deduct all of
your contribution. If your adjusted gross
incane is between $25, 000 and $35, 000, a
prorata portion of your contribution is
deductible. Even though you might not be
able to deduct the amount of your
contribution to your IRA, as when you are
a participant in a qualified plan and your
adjusted gross incane
is more than
$35, 000, you rray still defer the incane
tax on earnings of your IRA provided you
don't contribute more than $2, 000 or 100%
of your earned incane in any one year.
5.
Are you married?
The deduction for two-earner married
couples filing a joint return is no longer
available.
6.
Do you receive or pay alim:iny?
Alimony payments are deductible by
the payor and taxable to the payee
provided they are not to continue beyond
the payee's death. Under old law, this
provision had to be specified in the
divorce
instrument
to
be
deductible/taxable.
Now,
effective
retroactively to instruments executed or
ll'Odified after January 1, 1985, the
requirement that it be written in the
divorce instrument no longer applies.
Therefore, sane payers of alimony could
amend previous returns and apply for a
refund. Recipiants should be aware that
this could generate taxable incane for
them for previous years.
8.
Do you own a business?
Business deductions for depreciation
are now subject to tighter rules. You are
no
longer
entitled
to
accelerated
depreciation on real property, and the
rules for cost recovery on personal
property have been tightened. Also, the
business
investment
tax
credit
for
tangible personal
property
has been
repealed.
Keep in mind, too, that only 80% of
business meals and entertainment will be
deductible.
A sole proprietor is now entitled to
a deduction of 25% of the cost of medical
insurance premiums as a business deduction
if she is not covered by another group
policy. The rerraining 75% is included in
medical expenses.
9. Do you participate in investing or
business activities Wich generate capital
gains or losses?
'\'.
Effective this year the 60% capital
gain exclusion is no longer available on
net
long-term
capital
gains.
The
effective tax rate on capital gains, then,
will be the same as on ordinary incane.
If
you're
receiving
collections
on
installment sales which are capital gains,
the new law applies to proceeds received
after 1986. In other ~rds, you cannot
take the 60% exclusion just because the
sale was rrade before 1987.
10. Do you have interests in business
ventures
aside
fran
your
regular
occupation or profession?
If
you
do
not
"rraterially
participate" in the activity (the IRS is
to define "rraterial participation" later)
it
will
be
considered
a
"passive
activity. " Congress has written a whole
new set of rules concerning passive
activities which basically provide that
any losses fran activities of this type
cannot be used to reduce taxable incane
fran "non-passive" activities or portfolio
incane
(interest,
dividends,
capital
gains, etc. )
Disallowed losses can be
carried
forward
to
future
years
indefinitely.
11.
Do you have rental real estate?
Losses fran rental
real estate are
You no longer can claim your personal
exemption on your return if you are
claimed on your parent's return. Also,
your standard deduction is limited.
considered passive losses under the new
law.
However, an individual will be
allowed to off set up to $25, 000 of other
types of incare with losses frcm real
estate rental activities if she actively
participates in the rental activity and
owns at least 10% of the property during
the entire year.
This allowed loss
decreases when the individual's adjusted
gross incare exceeds $100,000.
Remember,
too,
that
only
straight-line depreciation is available
for real property placed in service after
1986.
We' re having to rearrange our way of
thinking in tenns of incare taxation.
Take caution in filling in your new fonn
W-4 for your employer, and keep good
records!
,._ _"_"
..
I
I
I
I
O:> you expect to receive uneuployment
anpensation this year?
12.
Unemployment
fully taxable.
13.
ccmpensation
is
now
Are you 65 years old or older?
14.
I
1010 NW 45
Oklahoma City
521-8241
II
I
Are you blind?
Can you be cl.ained as a dependant on
your parent's return?
II
n
_
·- . -. -·
. ..
r-------1
The personal exemption for blindness
is repealed, too.
Again, the standard
deduction is increased, instead.
15.
n
Oeverly K. Evans, M.S.W.
I
You no longer can take an additional
personal exemption for being 65 years old
or older.
However, if you take the
standard deduction, your deduction is
increased by $750.
II
I
Loral C. Reeves
C.P.A.
1014 Cedardale Drive
Okla. City, OK 73127
Your donation. recardless of classification, entitles you to a 10% discount on store stoc k,
concert tickets, workshops and advertising; a monthly newsletter; use of the lending libra ry
and resources, and MORE.
Upon receipt of your annual donation, you will
receive your Friends of Herland card, lo be pre·
sented for store and concert discounts, and a
receipt for your tax purposes.
NAME_______________________
ADDRESS __________________~
STATE_ZIP_ _PHONE"_ _ __
MAIL TO: Herland Sister Resources,
1630 N.W. 19
Oklahoma City, OK 73106
II
Zc--------->-1
40.5/49.5- 1094
YOUR ANNUAL DONATION HBLPS SUPPORT THB PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES OF HSR,
A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION SBRVING THB OKLAHOMA WOMEN'S COMMUNITY
Donations may be made via cash_
or check_. Please indicate if this
is a monthly pledge_.
I
Benefactor
Sponsoring
Contributinc
Sustaininc
Household
Associate
Special
l~udenl,
Sl,000.00+
500.00•
200.00+
75.00+
40.00+
25.00+
10.00+
Senior Citizen 60 years & older. Other)
- Temporal Coverage
- 1980-1989
Linked resources
- Hierarchies
-
Herland Archive
- All Resources (Private)
- Themes
- LGBTQ+ (482 items)
- Feminism (40 items)
- Faith and Religion (51 items)
- Activism and Advocacy (69 items)
- HIV/AIDS (25 items)
- Education (18 items)
- Literature (20 items)
- Art (16 items)
- Themes
- All Resources (Private)