European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 24, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Ann Landers the stars and stripes Page 11 letters dear Ann Lander i am so tired of All those Igno rant people who come up to my husband and ask him if his wife has a full time Job or is she just a  please print this letter an shed some Light on this sorely undervalued occupation. Thank you. No i m not Justa housewife California dear California on behalf of your enormous sisterhood i am printing your letter with pleasure. Thanks for a Job Well done. Just a housewife Here is my Job description i am a wife Mother Friend confidante personal adviser Lover referee peacemaker housekeeper Laun dress chauffeur Interior decorator Gardener Painter wallpaper re dog Groomer veterinarian manicurist Barber seamstress appointment manager financial planner bookkeeper Money manager personal Secre tary teacher disciplinarian entertainer psychoanalyst nurse diagnostician Public relations expert dietitian and nutritionist Baker chef fashion coordinator and letter writer for both sides of the family. I am also a travel agent speech therapist plumber and Auto Mobile maintenance and repair expert. During the course of my Day i am supposed to be cheerful look Radiant and jump in the sack on a moment s notice. From studies done it would Cost More than $75,000 a year to replace me. I took time put of my Busy Day to write this letter because there Are still ignorant people who be Lieve that a housewife is nothing More than a baby Sitter who sits on her behind All Day and looks at soap operas. If i could afford to pay someone to do All the thing that i do i would be delighted to go Back to working an eight hour Day with an hour for lunch and two 15 minute Breaks. What do i get out of my Job in the absence of salary Joy happiness hugs kisses smiles love self respect and Pride in knowing that i have done a full Day s work to ensure the physical and emotional Well being of those i love. Now if you still want to classify me As just a House wife go ahead. Dear Ann Landers i have been employed in a number of Homes for the aged. After 22 years of working with healthy convalescing and ill elderly patients i can predict with Al most 100 percent accuracy which individuals will receive emotional support from family and friends. The residents who smile initiate conversations enjoy the activities listen attentively to others read the newspaper watch the news on to and keep up with current events will receive mail daily and be visited often by friends and relatives. Residents who Are critical negative dominate conversations with details of their illnesses and their Chil Dren s shortcomings and engage in angry loud Tele phone conversations Seldom have visitors. I believe it is fair to say that those who have no friends on the inside did t have any friends on the outside. Thank you for letting me express an unscientific opinion. Mary in rep in Richmond va.,and a faithful Reader dear faithful Reader i appreciate your unscientific opinion. Often those Are the Best kind. In my opinion your observations an conclusions have a great Deal of Merit. Thanks for Shar ing. Los Angeles times Syndicate columnist Landers welcomes your letters. You can write to her in care of the stars and stripes Apo 09211, . Forces late credit card statements questioned i am writing about a problem that has plagued my wife others with whom i be discussed the situation and me. The problem has to do with the late or non arrival of credit card master charge and visa in our Case statements. In most cases my master charge statement reached the local Mai room and was stamped with an arrival Date More than 20 Days after the metered mailing Date on the envelope. Other mail from the same town Seattle Wash invariably took from five to eight Days. My wife did t receive a visa statement for three months last year even though her address had not changed. After an expensive phone Call "800" num Bers Don t work remember her statements began arriving with $45 of late payment charges of course visa s response to a request for reconsideration of the charges was that their records showed the statements were sent and therefore the payment should have been made. Are you Brave enough to Send a payment without the detached stub and the coded envelope the big question is who profits from a delayed or lost statement at a minimum the consumer the Soldier and his family pays additional interest charges. They May pay late payment charges and receive poor credit ratings in addition to interest charges. In any of these situations the credit card company profits. Could a company cause a delay in the receipt of statement sure. All they need to do is run the Enve Lopes through the postage meter put a Batch on the shelf for two or three weeks and then mail them. We would then look at the Date stamped on the envelop and wonder Why the statement took three or four weeks to get Here. We would probably blame the Apo Are companies doing this my wife and i think ours were which is Why we closed our accounts. Others with whom i be talked have experienced the problem. Is it widespread i Don t know but i Don t think it s unique to myself and a few acquaintances. I propose that we All look at the postmarked Dat and the Mai room stamped Date on our next Batch of Bills. Where the mailing time is excessive save the envelope add a Short note about extra interest charges if pertinent and Send both to consumer advocate . Postal service Headquarters Washington . 20260-6320. If the problem is widespread and if enough people notify the postal service then maybe something will be done. Name and location withheld editor s note we received two replies to this letter. The first is from Erin Dahl card operations visa .a. If i May briefly explain visa .a. Is a membership corporation comprised of financial institutions that operate the visa programs. We do not Issue cards sign contractual agreements with merchants or main Tain account information. These functions Are the responsibility of the individual member institutions and Are outside the jurisdiction of visa ..a. The problem that the writer discusses in his letter to you is one that needs to be addressed to the financial institution that issued the customers1 card s. I regret i cannot offer further assistance. The second reply is from Tami Bruntlett officer customer service department financial transaction services Seattle wash., replies sea first is primarily a regional Bank in the North West. We Only open credit card accounts in the follow ing states Washington Oregon Idaho Montana Adalaska. Anyone interested outside of our servicing area would either need to apply through one of our correspondent Banks or through one of our Affinity relationships. Customers who Are overseas and have a Seairs account had the account prior to moving there. When statements Are mailed overseas they Are sent bulk mail to England then to the appropriate country. If it happens to be an Apo address it is sent to new York then to England via bulk mail. Readers sickened by soviet behaviour in a recent edition of the stars and stripes i read that sickening Story about maj. Arthur Nicholson s cruel death by the russians. In the same paper i read that in Seattle surgeon reattached three fingers of a soviet Seaman. Why do we help mrs. Freddie Kaplan Ehninger West Germany i recently read a Story regarding the army major who was shot and killed in East Germany in 1985.according to the Story the major was shot while per forming official duty for the United states govern ment. He was on an inspection Mission with his Driver when he was shot in the Abdomen by one of three rounds fired by a soviet sentry. He was then left where he fell for six hours while soviet officials surrounded him and demanded that he sign a confession absolving a russian sentry of blame in shooting  during the torture session of extraordinary brutality the major repeatedly lapsed into unconsciousness. At which Point the soviets would prop up his head and try to get him to  although soviet medical personnel were on the scene their care was withheld during the torture ses Sion. The major bled to death under the watchful Eye of these so called medical personnel. As i read of the account of the incident i was appalled. I became upset that officials of the soviet state would stoop to such Barbaric tactics so openly. I was sickened by the thought of one human being doing that to another. As i read on i was hoping to hear Strong words from our own government officials. I was hoping that the torture and murder of maj. Nicholson would not be ignored by the country that he gave his life for. But i was gravely disappointed. A spokesman said about the apology ". The soviet military has made the right decision. I am personally very  another spokesman stated the army considers the matter  and according to. Several state department officials the matter of compensation apparently has been dropped. Another state department official said the soviets in the past have never admitted an error never admitted they were wrong. Perhaps this is  i am an american fighting Man. I am willing to die for my country that is Why i am Here. But i do not intend to die needlessly and to no aim. If my govern ment cares so Little for maj. Nicholson what is it going to care for me i am an american Serviceman and maj. Nicholson was one of my own. I am not pleased i do not consider the matter closed and i Don t believe that this is Prog Ress. I for one will Grieve for maj. Nicholson. Tech. Sgt. Robert j. Cowan Comiso As Italy the  a european edition col Jeffrey m. Cook Usa commander editor in chief it col Suzanne l. Phillips Usan Deputy commander editor in chief Marie Kominicki Mert Proctor Deane b. Mcdermott production manager managing editor circulation manager this newspaper is an authorized unofficial publication for members of the military services overseas. 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