European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 22, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday september 22, 1990 the stars and strip Sahn Landers dear readers i want to share with you a poem that is sure to move you As it did me. It will go straight to the hearts of those who have a child who is  Here it is to Bruce my special boy from his dad hey there you character with a smile on your face you seem the most Happy of the whole human race. Like any boy you Romp and play. Unlike most children that a the Way you la stay. You laugh and cry like other boys and never grow bred of your Many toys. You Are a Joy to Mother and me because you re a special boy you see. You my son will Only know love of life and none of its woe. You la be Happy and contented All your Days in your angelic ethereal Haze. You Are retarded through no fault of your own and there is no cause As far As is known. Thank god you happened to Mother and me for we Are Lucky As you will see. Our other two boys whom we love so dear one of these Days wont be so near. But you la always be close to us my boy and for the rest of our lives give us Joy. Mother and i must have Faith for the Morrow and do much hoping and forget about sorrow. So keep up your smile your laugh and your play it helps us to Grin and have Faith when we Pray. A have poem was Gay George c. Lyon sr., of Wilmington del., when his Downs syndrome son Bruce was just a child. Bruce is now 24 years old. He is among a handful of retarded citizens to have earned the rank of Eagle scout is a member of the special olympics program and holds a steady Job. Dear Ann Landers my Fiance and i Are planning a formal wedding in a Tew months and we have a question we Hope you will answer. Of the six wedding ceremonies we have attended this year five have been ruined by a baby cry my. In one instance the baby chose to Wail just As the Bride was about to say a i  my question would it be terribly rude to include on the wedding Mvi tation a children under 3 Are invited a a j inner Only we know some people will be attended but we Are willing to suffer their Wrath. The wedding is going to be elegant and we done to want anything to spoil it. A is. H. In Madison dear is. Hit would be most inappropriate to put that message on an invitation. Far better enclose a separate card with the invitation to those who have babies and Small children. It should say a please no children under 5 at the  Page 11 letters a writers react to a inaccuracies in article Ruhh a mip  ae.t0 Correct inaccuracies contained at Amy depot a separation package leaves gaps p?113111 11131 your coverage of issues sur-?.ks governments budget cuts and the com withdrawals which affect thousands of ?1�3? workers be accurate and reflect an understanding of the sensitive social and political atmosphere m which these actions Are carried out.  red after the . Government reduced mip s workload at the Mainz Amy depot mip began offering a a generous separation packages to workers leaving its employ voluntarily. This left the impression that mip is paying Large amounts to these workers according to a predetermined a package arrangement. Your reporters implication that mip was Navine up 7 separation benefits to workers who leave mip s employ voluntarily is simply not Correct. In tact and As the administrative contracting officer who was quoted in the article has known for some time the separation Benefit to be paid to any worker volunteering to leave mip is negotiated separately with each Volunteer and no one has been paid an amount even approaching a years salary. Many volunteers Nave left with a separation payment much lower than mat to which they May have been entitled to under provisions of German Law relating to mass reductions. Others have left with no payment. A government officials who have been involved m these cutbacks have acknowledged that Mips voluntary separation program is a highly favourable alternative to a forced mass reduction which is the Only other method of reducing Mips work Force. The . Government has recognized that a forced mass reduction at the Mainz Amy depot is both morally unacceptable under geman Industry standards and extremely costly due to geman labor Laws. The geman labor Laws applicable to mass reductions require lengthy judicial and arbitral proceedings before any worker May be Laid off. These Laws permit a panel of German arbitrators or German judges to determine the Severance pay to be paid to each worker who is Laid off. Consequently the voluntary separation program developed and implemented by mip has resulted in significant savings to the . Amy. This is because the separation benefits actually being paid Are much less in almost All cases than would be imposed under a forced mass reduction and because most workers leave much earlier than they would have under a forced mass reduction. Your article also reported that the arrangement by which our workers Are paid 65 percent of their wages Tor Days on which they do not work was arranged by the United states and a West German labor office and that the . Government thereby saved the jobs of 20 percent of Mips work Force. In fact the United states government was not involved m the negotiations with the West German labor the Letl led to the current a Short work program mip initiated the arrangement and negotiated with the local labor office and our works Council Over How it would be put into practice at the Mainz army depot. The . Government welcomed the program because it enables the depot to retain skilled workers and u a Leibl Allty 1� Deal with the uncertainties inherent in the army a budget reductions and future troop withdrawals. In addition it results in direct savings to the . Amy of the entire amount of the workers wages for the Days on which they do not work. The German government pays 65 percent of the workers wages for these Days. Mip and the Amy Are responsible for Only the amounts of social benefits which Are still due the workers according to geman Law under the Short work program. Thus contrary to statements and impressions left in your article mip has carried out the army a instruction to cutback its work Force in a very economical manner and the geman government is making a substantial contribution to the Cost of this reduction. A a. Friedrich contract manager up. Vogt a directorate for com trolling and information management a Reader Calls for a decent pay increase Many it a j. S. 1 Art a. _ now is the time for our elected officials to recognize that the time for a decent pay increase is Long overdue. It saddens me to think that a situation such As operation desert shield brings this Issue to the hearts and minds of service members. Many Many sacrifices Are being made not Only by Active duty personnel but by reservists As Well. Think of the number of people and families that have suddenly found themselves subsisting on a less than usual income. How due to the Short sightedness of those in control of the budget Many service members Are forced to work a second Job to supplement their income. Not Only that but one must consider the increase of Day care costs because Only one family member is present to care for the children while the other is somewhere in the desert. Also there Are those who have a business or Busi Ness interest that is suffering while the member involved m the venture is away from Home especially those in the reserves. Last but not least Are those who Are m the reserves who Are away from better paying jobs and now must figure out How to make ends meet please done to get me wrong. I am All for desert shield and defending our interest in the Middle East but when one considers that saudi Arabia is making somewhere m the neighbourhood of $50 million a Day not to think of what the other open nations Are making and the average i makes nowhere near $50 a Day something seems out of whack. A it is about time we were recognized for our contribution and paid for such a tech. Sgt. Danny Murray Rhein main a West Germany pen pals Preasa put my name in your pan pal column. I am a 15-Yaar-old jamaican. My hobbled Ara football and at Letica. A Paul Grean Burton District Unstead Post off Ca St Catharine Jamaica my hobbles Ara singing dancing and Reading. I am 19 years old. A Grace Rodriquez to. Rizal Silay City Negros Occidental Philippines 8118 p8��? publish my name in your pen pal column. My Hobby is Reading books. I am 18 years old. A Myma Galgo co Ramon e. Galgo Anas Asan Ca Gawalt Surigao Del sur Philippines i am 21 years old and i Ilka Reading and listening to music. A Kartal bluer Kore Sehl Tlell cad. Fllisz Apt no. 16/1  Istanbul Turkey Hes Job Iris european edition circulation 170,000 col. Oene e. Town8end, Usan commander editor in chief it. Col. Gayle w. Fix Usa Deputy commander editor in chief Murib Dominicia Bob Wicker Deane b. 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