European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 9, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The stars and stripes a Page 11 litters a Reader sees another Story behind cuts maybe i read too Many political thriller paperbacks but its just that in a beginning to wonder. Just what is the real Story behind the personnel and weapons budget debate first if i had to budget my Money heaven forbid 1 would allot it to an area that a of the utmost importance. And then if things get rough in a covered. If they ease up i could disperse it to a few More areas of less importance. The threat is real though and we must be ready for it. In this age of High tech warfare we must continue to build our weapons systems up. The offensive Power of a dubious state of the Art stealth fighter can hardly be compared to a platoon of Light fighters can it through my studies for a degree in paperback fiction i can conjure alternative reasons for a robot Stic Battlefield. I think of the giant defense contract corporations which fund political campaigns and support an army of lobbyists who would have turned the tide at the Little big Horn. These same corporations Supply hundreds of thousands of jobs and in turn these jobs Supply hundreds of thousands of votes. Am i getting cynical you ask should i Arentt big businesses in business to make Money Arentt politicians in business to get votes and most importantly  voters work and we the military Are in business to protect i am in Complete agreement regarding the germans desire to take Back the land used for the Frankfurt Exchange and commissary area. Freeing up this land would give much needed space for housing All the East German refugees As Well As the turks who have come Over Here seeking a better life. Of course giving up this area would require compensation for the americans. After All . Troops have kept the germans Safe from the soviet Union which would have enslaved the people of West Germany As it had those in East Germany. I propose therefore that the american government confiscate the main Taurus centrum a Large shopping area outdoor mall. On second thought scratch that. Lets get the Hessen Center instead. Its like a real stateside mall a totally enclosed whereas the main Taurus is open. 1 recently moved from Raf upper Heyford England to Ramstein a West Germany. Imagine my Surprise when i discovered that there is no English speaking weight watchers group in this vast military Community a or within a 100-mile radius. As Small As upper Heyford is in comparison to the Kaiserslautern Community in size and sophistication we had a wonderful group that met each thursday in our base Hospital. I am Only two pounds from my goal and i am determined to become a lifetime member. Those people. We also work for a High tech corporation presume Day vote for politicians and have lobbyists though they re possibly More the size of Custer Sill fated troops. Veiled remarks my opinion on the personnel weapons budget conflict you ask in a just not sure. Reducing the military personnel strength to meet the threats own reduction and being a part of the budget reductions to straighten out our country a deficit they both make sense to me. As for the enigmatic High tech weapons being the Best thing for our country a Protection in this tempered state of reduced threat from what i hear it sounds Good. But is what we hear in Washington fact or fiction is there a difference my stance a in a government Issue. I can say with As much conviction As any non combat experienced i that if called i will fight and if needed die for our great nation. I know that gis have done it in the past and Are doing it As i write this. And Well continue. But what will it be debatable High tech weapons or people and in a most Paramount sense Why what lies in our future we re not just soldiers we Are . Citizens too with our own families to support Well anyway maybe i should change my degree from political thriller paperback fiction to just horror fiction. A name withheld Oesterberg Netherlands the other advantage to this would be that there is a grocery store already located on the premises. Just think a no More driving around for Over half an hour trying to find a parking space. No More limited amount of goods in either the Exchange or the commissary because there is plenty of room its three stories High. All the concessionaires would be Able to fill in the rest of the space. In addition the Exchange officials could even contract with More concessionaires. What what would the local populace do Well after All they do have other shopping centers within the Frankfurt area As Well As the zeil. After All they Only use it for entertainment purposes anyway. Sound familiar a Suzanne j. Poorker Frankfurt West Germany the Only class i have been Able to find is in Kaiserslautern and it is conducted in German and i done to understand read or write the language yet. So the Point of this letter is a plea for any certified weight watchers instructors to come out of hiding and advise me what to do to Start a support group. The interest is Here. All we need is a Leader. A Katarina Radanyi Clark Box 5228 Apo 09012ann Landers dear Ann Landers i  sleep tonight if i did no to write and let you know How i feel about that 77-year-old woman whose daughter is pressuring her to care for a 79-year-old sister who has emotional and physical problems. My husband and 1 Are in our 30s. We took care of my husband s ailing grandmother for four years until she died. Those four years seemed like 40. We had to feed her dress her and change her. She was incontinent we lived our life around grandmas needs which meant we had no life of our own. I can to imagine in my wildest dreams a 77-year-old woman doing what we did. We were Young and healthy when grandma came to live with us and it nearly killed us. That crazy daughter who tried to make her Mother feel guilty should try caring for an invalid herself for a couple of weeks. I assure you she would sing a different tune. A Donna n., Northampton mass. Dear Donna that letter created a firestorm of angry responses from readers furious with the woman for laying a guilt trip on her 77-year-old Mother. Its been a Long time since in be seen such angry mail. Read All about it dear Ann Landers when i finished your column yesterday i was so mad i wanted to scream. I d like to take that daughter and shake her until her Teeth rattle. How in the world could she expect her 77-year-old Mother to take care of an invalid does she have any idea How exhausting it is to care for a disabled person i did it for four months and ended up in the Hospital with a sprained Back and a Case of nervous exhaustion. Your advice was Correct but 1 wish you had landed on that idiot harder. A Vancouver Wash. From Vicksburg miss please Ann Tell the 77-year-old woman whose nutty daughter accused her of being selfish because she does no to want to take care of her invalid sister if she agrees chances Are Good the sister will outlive her. It happened in our own family. My dear Mother died at age 66 after she took care of her 88 year old aunt for two years. Auntie had a series of Small strokes and was mentally incompetent. She used to hit my Mother and throw things at her. Mother was a Saint. When she had a Black Eye or a Bruise on her lip she would say a aunt Nell does no to know what she a doing. Done to be angry with  Mamma died of a heart attack and aunt Nell is 96, in a Home. From no name no City no state i Hope to heaven the woman who wrote to you will take your advice and refuse Flat out to take in her 79-year-old sister. My husband and i took care of my 78-year-old sister for two years and i could write a Book about what we went through before we finally had to give up and put her in a nursing Home. Nobody talks about the paperwork involved if the invalid is on medicare or other insurance. There Are dozens of forms to fill out every month and they Are so complicated they can drive you bananas. My husband and i Are both College educated and we went nuts trying to figure them out. I have often wondered about the diabolical characters in Washington and the insurance offices who make up those forms. From Long Island when my Mother was 60 years old and in excellent health she made me Promise with my hand on the family Bible that i would never put her in a Home. Now she is 83, bedridden and incontinent. Her mind is gone and she screams constantly. I kept my word but it Cost me my marriage. Please Tell your readers that they should never make this mistake. It has ruined my  pals my hobbles Are Reading playing the guitar music and collecting Stamps. A Gaudencia  Ragay planning amp development office Seaton Negros Oriental Philippines 6219 i would like to correspond with people All Over the world Between the Ages of 16 and 22.1 am 14 years old. A Donett Beckford Redwood dist Redwood . St. Catherine Jamaica i am 29 years old and eager to have friends from other parts of the Globe. A Carina c. Lati 161 or. Sixto Avenue Rosario pasig metro Manila Philippines i am a 23-year-old cosmetologist. My hobbies Are dancing singing Reading novels. I would like pen friends Between the Ages of 25 and 35 a Juliet Johnson 37 barries Road Kingston 2 Jamaica West indies i am 20 years old and my hobbies Are cooking Reading singing and writing letters. A Marilyn Almeno Carbide Village tubed Olligan City 9200 Philippines a Reader proposes shopping Center Swap a wanted weight watchers in Ramstein european edition col. Gene e. Townsend Usan 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. Contents of the stars and stripes Are not necessarily the official views of or endorsed by the . Government the department of defense or the . European command. The appearance of advertising in this publication including inserts or supplements does not constitute endorsement by the department of defense or the stars and stripes of the products or services advertised. 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