European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 14, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 letters the stars and stripes monday May 14,1990 details of Oha cola explained further a. _ a a 1>a a m i just finished Reading a most interesting reply to the Oha overseas housing allowance and cola Cost of living allowance adjustment Issue. How can the delay in adjusting rates be justified by a a a gain in the past Why weren to the rates adjusted in the past so that no a a gain existed 1 moved into Economy housing in the fall while the rates were Low. I Wasny to around last summer to experience the a again a so before adjustments were made i suffered. Why Arentt the rates adjusted continuously As necessary the answer that the rates a equal out to no gain or loss Quot is a lame excuse to me. Obviously a new mechanism needs to be implemented which can adjust for Exchange rate differences in a timely manner. The fact that service members come and go constantly needs to be taken into account so that i am not paying for someone else a  i  care less what happened last summer. �?2nd it. Karen a. Rice Stuttgart West Germany i have a question about How the military figures out our cola and via variable housing allowance. I know that the value of the Mark to the Dollar will determine this rate but i think that there is a Small problem Here. If we figure the Dollar to be Worth say 1.66 Marks then we receive that rate. But merchants Bank and finance will Only give us a rate of 1.61 for our Dollar. There a always a 5-pfennig difference. Should we not receive the lower rate As we will never get the higher Mark Rale for our Money is there not a Small error if we cannot receive the higher rate i know that this is Only a Small difference but it would make a very Large difference in what we would get As extra Money a i Farnald w. Goodman Schweinfurt West Germany. The response stated a adjustments were delayed until these dates dec. 1 and Jan. I to compensate for the a gain uniformed personnel in Germany realized last summer when the actual Exchange rate was More favourable than the rate upon which cola and Oha were  i am confident that it is incorrect to assume that Only the soldiers collecting Oha and cola in Germany last summer were a treated Quot to this delayed adjustment. I was not renting and paying utilities on the Economy last summer but i am now while my paycheck reflects a rate 20-plus pfennig per Dollar More than i find at merchants Bank and 106th flu. Will the a joint service per diem travel and transportation allowance committee Quot compensate for the a loss Quot certain uniformed personnel in Germany realized this fall Winter will this foolish compensatory logic carry Over to next summer and next Winter there is something systemically wrong when 300,000-plus service members in Europe receive inadequate compensation in 11 of 12 consecutive pay periods. I also find it ironic that when the Dollar was stronger against the Mark . The allowance committee could give the service members fewer dollars m Oha and col Exchange rate evaluations were conducted every two weeks to ensure that the actual rate matched the a adjusted rate As closely As possible. I can make ends meet on the poor Exchange rate determined by the allowance committee. But i ask you concerned Leader and caring supervisor what about the Soldier a two bedroom apartment in the Stuttgart area will Cost 1,400 Marks per month. At 1.88 Marks 1 that is about $745, but at 1.68 Marks i that is $832 a an $87 difference or roughly 10 percent to 12 percent of a monthly paycheck. How would you get by on such a pay Cut Over a 12-month period what exactly is this committee committed to the american service member and his her family i say no a it. Gene Edwards Nellinger West Germany editors note a sgt. 1st class Michael Donohue staff finance no office of the Deputy chief of staff resource management he Usa eur replies of All the letters in be answered this subject presents the biggest Challenge. There is a common misconception that Oha cola decreases Are implemented quickly while increases Are just the opposite. In fact allowances Are adjusted biweekly to compensate for fluctuations in Exchange rates in order for soldiers to maintain their relative purchasing Power. The Dod per diem travel and transportation allowance committee pm tatar is the Agency charged with the responsibility of adjust ing overseas station allowances for currency flu Foa. Tons. Twice each month the pm tatar staff reviews Exchange rates for countries where uniformed personnel Are assigned and where warranted makes adjustments to Oha and cola. The review and adjustment procedures employed by pm tatar Are intended to ensure soldiers neither gain nor lose on the purchasing Power of these allowances based solely on Exchange rate fluctuations. Pm tatar uses a computer based computational procedure algorithm to determine changes. Each week the average weekly Market Exchange rate is divided by the rate at which allowances Are currently computed pegged. The result is expressed As a percentage. When the result is positive soldiers temporarily enjoy enhanced purchasing Power compared to their counterparts in the Continental United states con Sof negative the opposite is True. This percentage is then added to the cumulative percent difference encountered in previous weeks. When the cumulative difference reaches 10 percent either plus or minus new pegged rate is established. This new rate is designed to eliminate these accumulated differences within an eight week period. Unfortunately the currency markets do not always cooperate and often fluctuate after a new rate is established. When the Dollar fluctuates after the rates Are set the Market average will be lower or higher than the allowance rate just adopted. This situation requires an additional adjustment during the next review period. When Exchange rates keep dropping this creates the appearance that necessary adjustments Are too slow in coming. I recognize this explanation is both lengthy and detailed however it Points out the complexity of the problem faced by pm tatar. The algorithm employed is responsive and precise plus less subjective than the previous system abolished in april 1987. Be assured that this Headquarters and has Safe and Nav eur communicate frequently with pm tatar. Additionally the general accounting office has recently completed a review of the allowance process. While they found problems with some aspects of the system the currency adjustments were not  think hard before getting pet Reader urges $30-$ 60 $5-$ 10 per Day $150 and up $10 and up 1 have seen so Many soldiers and families decide to gel a Pel without any idea of the responsibility that such an action entails. Pets Are a big responsibility before you jump into this additional responsibility ask yourself these questions a Are you planning to keep this animal for the rest of its life a will you have time to spend with your pet every Day a Are you Able willing to make the following expenditures these Are conservative estimates a. Vaccinations $20-$30 annually b. Worming plus Stool Check $5-$ 10 periodically c. Spay neuter Quot Quot d. Boarding e. Shipping to . F. Sickness injury Etc. A do you have room for a pet do you have a place to walk a dog a Are you ready for that cute Little Puppy to make a mess on your new carpet or furniture Are you ready for the daily car necessary to keep a litter Box from smelling a arc you ready for the frequent vacuuming necessary to keep the animal hair from taking Over your House i vacuum both the carpet and the furniture every two Days a do you have the time Moncy patience to properly train your pet 0 Are you aware of quarantine restrictions for animals other than dogs and cats a Are you willing to take allergy shots if you develop an allergy to your pet a arc you considering having children will you still want your pet when you bring that new baby Home if your answers to any of these questions Are no then you Are not ready to own a pet. Animals Are not things or toys to be ignored or Given away when they cease to be convenient. They Are living breathing creatures that Are just As capable of suffering As we Are. They arc a responsibility to be taken on by a mature adult who is aware of and willing to provide for their needs. Puppies Are a special consideration because they require so much time and care. After All they Are babies and like babies they Are Messy and practically impossible to train initially. Are you willing to put up with from 3 to 12 months of mess crying and chewing will someone be Home the greater part of the Day to care for them if not and you Are convinced that you want a dog consider an adult dog. Adult dogs have a much greater attention Span and therefore can be trained More readily. If you Are Lucky they will already be trained the old saying a you can to teach an old dog new tricks a is usually false. My dog was six years old and had lots of bad habits when i brought her Home. I changed her name and was determined to teach her to stay off of my furniture and walk on a Leash without dragging me. After 3-6 weeks she was coming to her new name staying off the furniture and walking properly on a Leash. A Puppy in most cases would require three months to a year to accomplish the same. But in any Case All animals a Young or old a require time work Money and a Loving Home pets too can be rather expensive when they get sick. Take into account the Cost of the office Call medications boarding surgery Etc. Also consider How they will be cared for when you go on vacation or to the Field. I paid $200 per pet a $600 total to Board my pets for 30 Days while i was in the Field. Now if you can to have your own pet there Are alternatives to owning one. First have you considered pet sitting Here you have the Best of both worlds a a pet with less responsibility. Second you could Volunteer at your local animal shelter. You must be willing to clean cages sweep mop floors work hard and be reliable. I work every saturday morning at the Niernberg shelter and i done to speak much German either. But whatever you decide be responsible so Many americans give away or abandon their animals that Many shelters a including Numberg so will not allow americans to adopt their animals. You can help to improve our bad reputation by not adopting a pet until you can give it not just a Home but a Loving and permanent Home �?1st it. Ann Loveless Niernberg West Germany