European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 16, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 20 letters to the editor Friday december 16,1994 thes european edition col Steven 8. Hoffman Usan commander publisher Bernard a. Zovistoski. Editor news and editorial Deborah Absher. News editor bid Walker. European editor Bob Wicker sports editor George Maries City editor to write us unit 29480 Apo a 09211 orpostfach111437 64278 Darmstadt Germany news Tel fax 06155-601416 to Call us dial 06155-601 plus Extension or Dan 348-8 plus Extension As follows news ext. 237,255,282,226,326, sports ext. 225,269, 263, 332,321,221, features ext. 230, 245,341. Letters to editor ext. 208,400. Education Jami Jones ext. 226. Business news ext 326. News bureaus Heidelberg Germany Effle Batten room 117. Rome str. 104, 69115 Heidelberg Telephone dsn370 7010 or civilian 08221-23421 Tel fax 06221-10554. Kaiserslautern Germany Kevin Dougherty and Doyla Daman. Building 2899, Pulaski Barracks Apo a 09227-3717 Telephone Dan 489-6585 or civilian 0631 52104 Tel fax Dan 489-6357 or civilian 0631-5366357. Norbeho Germany Ron Jensen. Building 21, wll Ham o. Darby Cavern Apo a 09222 Telephone Dan 460-7256 or civilian 0911-712563 Tel fax 0911-717130. Wurz Bimo Germany j. P. Barham. Building 220. Room 109, Faulenburg Cavern Apo a 09036 Lele Norw Dan 351-4289 or civilian 0931-286956 Tel fax 0931-8896770. Mediterranean sue Palumbo and Marian Hamilton. Naples. Italy pc 810, Box 56. Fpo a 09619 Tele phone Dan 625-4880 or civilian 0817624049/4547 Tele tax 003941-7624049. Northern Italy j. King Cruger pc 84. Box 473 Apo a 09601 Telephone Dan 6328176 or civilian0038-434-66-8176 Tel fax 0039-434-668222. United kingdom Nancy Tomer. Marc Mcfann and Dave Dudlo. Building 464 Cess us. Raf my Edenhall Apo at 09459 Telephone Dan 238-2226 or civilian 0838-542220 Tel fax 0638-718013. New York City Timothy Cahill. Room 638, 201 Varlock st., new York 10014 Telephone 212-620-3333 Tel fax 212-820-3268. Washington . Chuck Al nov and Cindy kill lion Oast a the Pentagon room. 2e756 . Box. 46095. Washington . 20050-6095 Telephone 703k 697695 Tel fax 703-693-6366. Business departments maj Richard k. Major us Deputy commander Jeffrey h. Kingdom comptroller  manager. Circulation toll free customer service for Home or office delivery inquiries or delivery problems Call 24 hours Germany 0130-840048 if Belgium 07811-8775 a Italy 1678-7-3456 United kingdom Netherlands Spain Tel fax 0-800-898854 06-022-7629 900-99-4955 06155-601436 Germany Augsburg civilian 0821-544529. Tel fax 0821-544565 Berlin civilian 030-8331846, Dan 332-3548. Kaiserslautern civilian 0631-57070 of 57079, 48�-7100. Tel fax 06310696. Nurnberg civilian 0911-712558, Dan 460-7001. Stuttgart 0130-840048. Italy. Naples civilian 0039-81 -,724480, Dan 625-4880, Tele fax 0039-81 -7244489. 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Missing mail mystery a recent letter writer complained of not receiving Many of the magazines to which she subscribed. I too have experienced this problem in the two years that i have lived overseas. When i moved to Simonella Sicily i immediately subscribed to several magazines. My father took out a subscription to my Hometown newspaper As a gift for me. -. Unfortunately i have missed so Man issues of these magazines and. Newspapers that it has not been Worth it to Havethe subscriptions which ironically should come but cheaper than buying sin Gle issues at the Bookstore. I do not know for certain Why so Many of my magazines and newspapers never arrive but i do know that the customer representatives i have called confirm that the missing issues were indeed sent , the postal workers strongly deny that my mail might have been stolen at least not from our Post office. Where then is my missing mail never had this problem before i moved overseas. " ". ". ,.,I certainly find it very frustrating and although it May seem a minor problem to some for me it is one More thing that could be called a Quality of life Issue. Elizabeth a. Madzi Simonella Sicily -. Pets Aren t objects i. /. I agree with a recent letter writer that airlines could assist soldiers pocketbook by reducing pet shipping charges. However the ultimate financial responsibility for shipping Falls on the owner. The writer has no one to blame but herself be cause of her Lack of prior planning. As an animal shelter Volunteer i see Many animals come into the facility because their owners could t afford to ship them Home. Too Many people consider pets As objects and not As part of the family. At Leas the animals turned into the Stierheim have a Chance to be adopted unlike those that Are abandoned. My husband and i Are the proud parents of three Loving cats and one dog Al from shelters. Because we Are responsible pet owners we Are putting a few dollars away each month to cover the Cost of pet shipping i urge All pet owners to become in formed responsible owners. American veterinary clinics Are an excellent source of in formation especially about area support group installation and housing regulations pertaining to pet ownership. German the r hims can provide information on Ger Man Laws concerning animals including minimum space required per animal. Elizabeth l. Coltman Augsburg Germany to our reapers let us know what you think we encourage our readers especially those who have never submitted Aletter to write to us. Letters expressing readers View Points Are published Dally on this Page. All letters must be signed and include address and Telephone number. 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. Military update Porfina military people have reason to be confused about who in Washington i doing what and when to put More Cash in their pockets. Take pay raises for example. President Clinton said he is adding $25 billion to defense budgets Over the next six years and some of that Money will be used to provide the full military pay raises Al Lowed by Law through the year 2000.what does that mean As you might guess full raises allowed by Law Are no the same As full raises. Congress passed a deficit reduction Law a few years Back that Caps military and Federal civilian pay increases a half percentage Point below private sector wage growth. That s Why the 2.6 percent military raise that takes effect Jan. 1 will not match 3,1 percent growth in . Wage during the last reporting period. The administration is not Sug Gesting that this onerous Cap be remo Ved it s merely abandoning its earlier plan to impose even deeper pay Caps. So by the year 2001, military pay will fall at least another 2.5 percent behind private sector  what the new Republican led Congress will do about this is unclear. Re publican Sens. John Warner va., and John Mccain ariz., say they support big Ger pay raises As part of a Broad Effort to wipe out Clinton s defense  at a minimum however they would need to change the Law that links military pay adjustments to those of Federal civil Ian employees. Congress won t do that casually. On the House Side the Republican contract with America says nothing about military pay but promises More de sense dollars Tor weapons procurement and research. The first extra Cash to reach service members and relatively few of them at that will be conus cola. The new Cost of living allowance is set to be paid july 1 to 30,000 persons assigned to very High Cost areas in the Continental United states. No one knows yet what areas willbe eligible or what rates will be paid. Working with Cost of living data from1991,officials guess is will average $42 a month. Persons assigned to Newyork City new Haven , calif., and san Francisco can count on receiving the pay. It s also Likely in Long Island . Providence,. Hartford Conn. Houston and Marin county Calif cities Tom Philpott too close to Call until new data arrive in clude Everett Wash. Detroit Phila Delphia and Dallas. Conus cola will be paid where the Cost for goods and services such As insurance and transportation exceeds 109 per cent of the National average. Rates not Only will vary by area but by member s spendable income As deter mined by pay Grade and number of de Pendents about 90 percent of cola recipients Are expected to be sea service members. Many More military people stand to Benefit from defense Secretary William Perry s pledge to raise Basic allowance for quarters by one percent or More annually from 1996 through 2001. Defense pay officials Are still debating How to do that. Some advocate a permanent change to the Way housing allowances Are paid and adjusted so that once the Gap Between allowances and actual housing costs is closed it will not reappear. Annual bad increases now Are tied to the Basic pay raises which Are unrelated to housing costs. Congress in 1985 Madea one time adjustment so bad rates matched 65 percent of National Media rental costs. Since then military pay raises and therefore bad increases have not kept Pace with hikes in rental costs. A second allowance the variable housing allow Ance is paid on top of bad to most stateside members. But via too has been capped by  four years the Pentagon is required by Law to conduct a study of Crit ical military pay issues. On Jan. 1, the eight quadrennial review of military compensation will begin. Perry will ask itto recommend ways to make allowances More responsive to housing costs offi Cial said. The defense department Wallsend Congress several More pay Initia Tives perhaps As Early As next  would allow unmarried persons in pay Grade e-6 to receive housing allow ances when assigned to sea. Right now the allowances Stop for any single Mem Ber below e-7 who s sent to a ship or sub Marine. The change would boost pay while at sea an average of $6,000 a year for about 4,000 sailors and marines. Other proposed legislation would in crease the stipend for Reserve officer training candidates from $150 a month to $200. Another item would guarantee dislocation allowance which equals two months bad to anyone forced to change residences As a result of base closure or realignment. Readers comments and suggestions Are  Stara and stripes  Uzell excuse a Mike m i j and sup jux Ftp that. He pop l i