European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 31, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                I Page 12 letters to the editor monday october 31,1994 european edition col Steven s. Hoffman Usan commander publisher Bernard a. Zovistoski editor news and editorial Bil Walher european editor Deborah Absher Bob Wicker news editor sports editor George Manes City editor to write us unit 29480 apoae092t1  Orpostftfhl11437 64278 Darmstadt Germany new Tel fax 06155-601416 to Call us dial 06155-601 plus Extension of Dan 3488 plus Extension As follows news ext. 237, 255, 282, 226, 326. Sports ext. 225, 269, 263, 332.321, 221. Features ext 230, 245, 34v letters to editor ext. 208,400 education air Fri Jones sex. 226. Business news ext. 326. New bureaus Heidelberg Germany Effie Bathon room 117, her Horst 104, 69126 Heidelberg Telephone Dan 370 70i 0 or civilian 06221-23421 Tel fax 06221-10554. Kaiserslautern Germany Kevin Dougherty. John Bohmer and Doyle Tillman. 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The appearance of advertising in this publication include m g inserts or supplements does not constitute endorse ment by the department of defense or tha stars and stripes of the products or services advertised. Facing financial facts first some facts As food for. Thought for some of our midterm and Young soldiers. I retired As a sergeant first class with 24 years in april 1990. My total retired pay package today is $1,384 per month before taxes. My counterpart retiring in april 1995 will receive $1,484.28, a differ ence of $100.28 in Only five years. My work colleague retired As a sergeant first class with 22 years in december 1991. His total retired pay package today is $1,183,36 per month before taxes. His counterpart retiring in april 1995 will receive $1 ,306.77, a difference of $183.41 i will riot attempt to plot any curves or such. I will Only Point out that our retired pay does not keep Pace with Active duty pay let alone inflation. The Best part is there Are a lot of Good people in the civil Ian sector who think we be got it too Good and should be shut off altogether until age 65, when our service would then be used to offset our social Security. As it stands we do draw our full retired pay until 65, when it is then Cut same old Story Soldier. If you re in it for the Bucks you re in it for the wrong reason a. A a \ / Dave Carriker Grefrath Germany keying to these people that they Are entitled to these privileges at the expense of . Citizens is America s military Force becoming an International police Force under . Command and now also the garbage collectors of haitian filth when a president ignores Congress and the wishes of the people and com mits american lives and Money to set up an ungrateful and dangerous Leader is this president any better than a dictator when a nation s political leadership begins to subjugate its citizens welfare Superior civilization to please inferior ones it Points the Way to eventual National suicide. V v.,. . Nies Catania Italy mind i reefed policies .1 when will the voice of America s majority and not Only the minorities be heard again in that once great land How Long will american taxpayers foot the playbill for their politicians experiments in minding the world s business but not their own americans Are already taxed to the Hilt. Military members Are getting food Stamps meanwhile boat people Are fed clothed and doctored free. They have rights. Why Are american politicians con radio stations roles your recent article on the voice of America Voa touched on numerous interesting changes in via s broadcasts in the Post cold War Era. I am concerned however that in the Complex area of International broadcasting the article May have created an erroneous impression about the respective roles of Voa arid radio free Europe radio lib erty re re in the interview with the stars and stripes Csaba Chikes the former head of our eurasian office and i were trying to stress that Voa and re re Are prompt ing free Exchange of information. The word propaganda was used against both Voa and re re by the very people who tried to suppress free Media in the former communist countries. Re re has done and continues to do an outstanding Job of in forming listeners in Central Eastern  rope and the former soviet Union about internal arid regional developments while Voa specializes Rebre but riot exclusively in american and International news the administration s plans for both stations aim to save taxpayers Money through combining some of via s and re re s operations and eliminating areas of duplication. Chikes and 1 were trying to Point out that re re s strength specialization and its great contribution to the development of free Media is in the area of surrogate  we understand that these May be confusing issues but As we tried to explain surrogate does not mean slanted news or propaganda. Surrogate Broad casting fills the need for objective news and opinions mostly about internal Regio Nal developments in countries in which free Exchange of information is restricted or not yet fully developed. It is also important to note that Voa broadcasters Are required to accurately reflect us. Foreign policy without sacrificing their journalistic objectivity. Ted Lipien Munich Germany to our readers let us know what you think we encourage our readers especially those who have never submitted a letter to write to us letters expressing readers View Points or opinions Are published Dally on this Page. All letters must be signed and include address and Telephone number.  i Send to letters to the editor the stars and stripes unit 29480, Apo a 09211. Or fax country code 49 06155 601-395, Dan 348-8395. We Reserve the right to edit letters for clarity length and taste. Commentary Kohl May have of lower his global sights -.-. .. A.  w -. By Terrence Petty Helmut Kohl s narrow election Victory this month will probably let him pursue his objective of carving out a greater role for Clerman in world affairs. It also eased fears about the country s Radical right. But Germany May be heading into an Era in which keeping the government to Gether becomes difficult because of a near stalemate Between Kohl s coalition and its opponents. The conservative Kohl won his fourth term but his coalition lost support to the left leaning social democrats the environmentalist greens arid the former East German communists. In effect Germany moved a notch toward the left in the voting this Morith. But the Radical right republicans once considered a threat virtually vanished from the political landscape by fail ing to win a single parliamentary seat. Since  of Ger Man reunification in 1990, Kohl has trained his political sights on increasing his country a role in world affairs. The social democrats accept Kohl lobbying for a permanent seat for. German Iron the . Security Council. They also endorse his push for greater european integration a " but Kohl could run into trouble when considering whether to offer German troops to the United nations the North Atlantic treaty organization or the Western european Union for peacekeeping or combat missions. Kohl does hot need the social democrats Blessing to do this. But with the pendulum of Public opinion swinging slightly to the left the Chancellor will have to think twice about putting Ger Man troops in harm s Way. The Chancellor moreover could find it far More difficult to push through parts of his Domestic Agenda because the elections weakened the influence of Kohl s coalition in both houses of parliament. The Federal vote gave Kohl Only 10 More seats in the lower House called the bundestag than the combined opposition. And three state elections also strengthened the social democrats dominance in the bundesrat the upper House. The bundestag has More Power than the bundesrat. But approval by the latter chamber is needed for much Domestic legislation such As crime fighting Bills and financial matters that affect Ger Many s 16 states. Even before the elec Tion Kohl had trouble getting important Bills through the bundesrat. Much will be demanded of Kohl s scant majority in the bundestag in tack Ling Germany s future. Unemployment is about 10 per cent. About 4.6 million people Are on welfare a doubling since Kohl took office in 1982. Germany s Large population of foreigners remains a integrated in the mainstream and much needs to be done to bring formerly communist Eastern Germany up to Western standards. Some left leaning politicians within Kohl s own coalition May feel emboldened to Side with the social democrats on some important votes in the bundestag observers say. In any event Kohl will undoubtedly have to Start paying More attention to leftists who howl about things like Kohl s plans to slice into social welfare benefits to help pay the mounting Bills for Germany s 1990 reunification. C the associated press there s a report jul tout Adolt Tobl your. White House Safe. Thu huh. And when Pip you that  a nth this 15 north1. Grif Okay cocaine trafficker