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Show r ': , mj. figMiMili I i I 0 Russian, Americans get same shaft ; different countries I Remember how we all gasped in shocked disbelief when we I learned last week that the Russian cosmonaut was left in space ; I because his country couldn't afford to bring him down? : Well the same scenario is unfolding in the U.S. Individuals are being made to pay the price for government mismanage-I mismanage-I ment. I The recent decision to cut men and women from the I National Guard and the Army Reserve is nothing more than making people pay for Washington's mistakes. I Why not cut out some of the $600 hammers and $500 toilet seats that have been reported? It's hard to imagine that our ever growing national debt doesn't have some waste that could I be eliminated without cutting into the individual budgets of I families. I Sergei Krikalev, the Russian cosmonaut, spent 10 months in I space. He left the earth thinking he would circle the globe for I five months. His five month mission turned into 10 when the ' I gang at mission control wouldn't bring Krikalev back down. f I They told him they had no money. He would have to remain in 1 space. I His country, which had disbanded since his blast-off, couldn't afford to launch a ship to bring him back. When he returned, re-turned, the mighty Soviet space program to which Krikalev I had dedicated his life was in crisis. Many of the 140,000 troops that would be affected by the I proposed U.S. military cuts have also dedicated their lives to I their country. Now, in light of an ever growing budget deficit, their country is abandoning them. It is reported that the plan to cut the troops would result in a $20 billion savings by 1997. That seems like a small amount compared to the many trillion dollar U.S. budget deficit. I The 1st Battalion's Company A in Layton would lose 82 I positions if the proposed cutbacks are approved by Congress. I That cut alone would affect dozens of Davis County families. I The commander of Utah's National guard Special Forces, Col. Paul R. Waite, commands the 19th Special Forces Group I (Airborne) units that are among seven Utah guard and reserve I units Defense Secretary Dick Cheney targeted Thursday for I elimination. Col. Waite, who is also principal at Viewmont I High School, has said he will fight to save his soldiers. Sen. Jake Gam has been quoted as saying the plan "doesn't make sense. Let's do it more gradually, think it out more clear- OWe agree. It's a great idea to save money, but eliminating individual soldiers will not solve the budget deficit. There's got to be a way to cut, without' cutting into the heart of the I American family. Perhaps some. of the congressmen's perks I I could be cut back. Just a thought. If that doesn't work, maybe our U.S. troops could ask Germany Ger-many for help. It was the German government that paid the f $24 million for Krikalev' s ticket home. |