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Show Letters to the editor Sound thrashing of Proposition 5 urged I am a retired Army officer, support ethical hunting and such long time hunter, arid a resident an initiative wouldnt stand a of neighboring Idaho. Many of prayer of passage. us here are closely watching I have followed these issues Proposition 5 on your November closely and, without exception, ballot with concern. Our appreopponents of these measures hension stems from the fact that have used the identical scare tacthe leader of a group of hunting tics being used in Utah to proextremists in our state has stated mote Proposition 5 - Theyll that if Proposition 5 passes in try to ban all hunting; take away Utah, they will try to have a simiThanksgiving turkeys; no more lar measure in front of Idaho vot- farm animals, no more medical ers in 2000. research, eastern elitists, etc. Rubbish! Can anyone seriously It is true that there have been a measure on the ballot imagine several measures on state ballots which would seek to ban deer across the nation in recent years It would be laughed out which have sought to promote hunting? town! What the good people of fair chase in hunting and to reUtah are seeing is a blatant, strict certain methods of take of orchestrated attempt by which most people, hunters and carefully of Utah citizens to disa minority obfind particularly the majority of enfranchise jectionable - a spring bear hunt Utahns and to obviate the primawhich orphans cubs for example, of democracy - one a practice which Utah wisely ry principle one vote, and the majoriperson, does not permit. It is also true carries the day. that many of these measures have ty, sound thrashing of ProposiA been but all have passed, they tion 5 at the hands of enlightened carefully crafted to address a sinUtahns will spare your neighbors gle issue. There never has been, to the North the same battle. and never will be, any citizens to seek initiative to ban hunting Lynn V. Fritchman, for the simple reason that most LTC, USA, (Ret) Boise, Idaho Americans, including the writer. non-hunter- s, Support Animal Shelter Appreciation Week When most people think of an animal shelter, they imagine a building housing stray cats and dogs. They may not know that animal shelters also investigate cruelty complaints, issue pet licenses, assist in spaying and neutering pets and educate members of the community about responsible pet ownership. The Humane Society of the United States sponsors National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week on Nov. to celebrate the services that animal shelters provide. This year. National Animal Shelter appreciation week spotlights the contributions made by animal control officers, who work on the front lines helping people resolve conflicts with animals and aiding injured or stray Pay disparities shouldnt be ignored , Readers of Tom Philpott s Mili tare Update sound off. lam encouraged by the planned restoration of retirement benefits for persons who entered since 1986. Congress made a terrible mistake when it decreased ' those benefits. My compatriots and I felt at the time that such I huge reductions would produce serious problems retaining career s noncommissioned officers, s Unfortunately, thats happen-- c ing. The Pentagon plan moves in the right direction. However, full c restoration of the 50 percent ba-- S sic pay for the rank held at ' time of plan retirement is whats I needed. Also, on pay table reform, I dont think its a good idea to ", hold down raises linked to lon- gevity and years of service. Such f. a policy would punish members in career fields with slow promo- tions and would penalize senior noncommissioned officers w ho have reached the top grades with no further promotion capability, such as an Air Force chief master ; sergeant. Further, Air Force personnel r. would be hit harder than other service personnel because promotions come slower in the Air Force. Parity in longevity pay raises are essential to keep personnel on board. ! A C. Kiehojf Command Master Sergeant, Montgomery, Ala. ; Frans recent procedure. They seem to get along with Delta okay but Delta sends payment checks to us rather than to them. I guess were reasonably satisfied. One objection that we and a lot of other people have is Delta paying for only one cleaning per year. Still, if they paid for two, premiums probably would be And, by pure chance, were way ahead. Not foreseen when we signed t) up was that Fran (Mrs. would need some flap So procedure and Delta has paid us S804 to date. Besides our premiums weve paid $516 in deductible and for procedures not covered or only partially covered by Delta Dental. Our costs will go up shortly; Fran needs an orthodontic procedure, related to the earlier one, which the plan does not cover. But I understand why. The premium is low. If coverage were more comprehensive, the premium would have to be a lot higher. I was in the life and health insurance business for 20 years so I know that what one gets has to be paid for. When we joined the plan last spring we were about to change dentists anyway and selected a Delta participant. However, he then pulled out, ostensibly because Deltas paperwork requirements were too costly for him in employee time. His office still forwards data to Delta, as does Eiga-broad- bone-graftin- g. Davis Standard Standard-Examine- USAF-Re- t. Air Force pay officials apparently raised the same concerns about the impact of slower promotions on their people during discussions with Defense officials over targeted raise and pay table reform in budget year 2000. "The Army promotes to E--5 faster than the Air 1 orce, said a senior Defense official, so were going to have to figure out how to create equity across services with any targeted pay raises. "We wouldnt want to penalize someone simply because their service is slower with promotions, the the oral surgeon who performed Military Forum To To r higher. Earl E. Eigabroadt Captain, USA-Re- t. Port Orchard, Fla. Thanks for the insight. Your letter also provides an opportunity to note an improvement to the retiree dental plan found in the 1999 Defense Authorization Act enacted this month. Dependents of retirees are now eligible to enroll in the plan without their retiree sponsor signing up. The original law mandated that retirees enroll to qualify their dependents for coverage. Not any more. But crowns, bridges and dentures still aren't covered by the benefit. T.P. Thanks for your column a few weeks back describing broken health care promises to a generation of military retirees. When my husband contemplated get- - & Lakeside Review Davis Bureau 2146 N. Main St. Layton UT 84041 report news call: Michael Bowers or Julie Williamson place a display or classified ad call: Fax: 776-495- 1 776-495- 1 773-728- 4 ting out of the Army in 1 959, 1 too, like Tech Sgt Gerald Cramers wife, encouraged him to stick with it because of the promised free health benefits. At the time the benefits were most important for our son who had severe asthma and needed to have multiple shots on a regular basis. Now the need for free lifetime medical care, as promised to my husband and his family, has become an issue for my husband. He has several diseases, all of which could take him from me at any time. Yet he must depend on Medicare, a policy which we pay for, and a Champus program which is Dennis J. White, director Southwest' Regional Office The Humane Society of the United States Proposition 5 will endanger wildlife If Proposition 5 is enacted, our precious wildlife will be in total danger. They have very little protection now, but this bill pitchfork. He should have been relocated too. This bloody sight was witnessed by horrified adults and children. This is good management? Voting is my choice; everyones responsibility Peggy Cottier Fredericksburg, Va. Letters may be edited for clarity or space. Write to: Military Forum, P.O. Box 1230, Centreville, Va. 20122-823or send to: 0, Information: 776-495- 1 SubscrlptlonCIrculatlon: Mailing address: Lakeside Review r N. Main Policy: It you believe an error has appeared in the Lakeside Review or Davis Standard please call Michael Bowers 1 so it can be at checked. 776-49- 0M. DGABlik rvnri TfJftvv .MawmwiiitefrtTtiariftvwti f , well-bein- I retired from the federal government to help care for my husband but, due to numerous conditions concerning his care, I have had to return to work part time, to help pay for his medical care. The U.S. government owes him the peace of mind it promised. Layton, UT 84041 comment from retirees on their experiences with the Delta Dental Plan. Here, for what its worth, is ours: So far, over seven months, weve paid SI 86 in premiums. , anti-cruel- ty not free. Me-dig- ap 2146 Tom Philpott A recent Military Forum invited , Some animal shelters lack the funding and community support to provide top quality services Get political. Lobby your legislators to pass effective animal control ordinances and laws. strong Although animal shelters may not be as visible as police and firefighters, they are also esseng tial to the safety and of the community.. , could seal their fate. The Utah Division of Wildlife is only interested in selling permits and licenses. The animals mean nothing to them except for exploitation. They have all but eliminated cougars and bears, etc. They have blown up beaver dams, destroying whole ecosystems and killing the beavers, the true architects of building dams. They could and should have been relocated. They beat a porcupine in Liberty Park to death with a Standard-Examine- official said. animals., , and all shelters could use help. Here are some ideas: Donate your time and resources to your local shelter. Volunteers can walk dogs or answer phones. Shelters can always use pet food, toys and old towels. Educate your frieDds and neighbors about proper pet care. Pets need food, shelter, love, attention and regular veterinary care. a Proposition 5 would give Utah Division of Wildlife total controL The other 95 percent of citizens that dont choose to kill animals would have no say. But the animals would be the real losers. Stand up for the voiceless, innocent, and helpless wildlife, and vote no on Proposition 5. Youll be glad you did. Gordon Turner Salt Lake City By HAROLD L BUTCH' MILLER National commander ot the American Legion On Nov. 3, 1 will be 1,500 miles from my home in Wood-bridg- e, Va. Still my voice will be heard because my absentee ballot is in the mail. I have never missed voting in an election since I became eligible to vote. I do it because it is my choice. As Election Day 1998 draws near I wonder where the majority of American voters will be. Statistics show me they wont be at the polls. Thats a disgrace. During a span of 28 years the number of Americans of voting age has increased more than 77 million while the number of voters has grown by just 26 million. It doesn't tike a math professor to calculate that more Americans are failing to exercise the one right, the one responsibility, that sets us apart from so many other nations - the right to freely vote for the candidaie of our choice. What is the compelling reason why Americans are not going to the polls? There is none. The biggest reason given for not voting: Too busy and no time ofT top the list at 21.5 percent in statistics compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau. Coupie that with 13 percent who dislike the candidates and 16.6 percent who just don't have an interest and were faced with an epidemic of voter malaise. Guest Column There is no magic pill to stop this epidemic. Yet there is a place to start with you. Voting is essential if America is to remain strong and free. If you vote, encourage others to vote. If you are r, a its time to accept your responsibility. For our representative democracy to work well your, voice and vote are needed. I recently was driving to my home from our nations capital. Along the way, I passed the memorials dedicated to veterans of the Vietnam and Korean wars and the site where the World War II memorial will be built. The highway took me past Arlington National Cemetery and the memorial that honors America's women veterans. non-vote- I thought about the meaning of their sacrifices, and I offered a prayer of thanksgiving for living in a nation as great as ours. Then when I got home I completed my absentee ballot. My vote will be counted. I will never forgo exercising my right to vote, a right preserved for you and for me by those who gave something more than a vote, they gave their lives. give election workers a big challenge on Nov. 3: Vote! |