European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 06, 1995, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 letters to the editor Friday january 6,1995 i5�l european edition col Steven s. Hoffman. Usan commander publisher Bernard a Zovistoski editor news and editorial of Boris bitter news editor  european editor. Bob Wick or sports editor Gorge Mant City editor to write us unit 29480 Apo a 09211 or Post Achl 1 1437 64278 Darmstadt Germany news Tel fax 06155-601416 to callus dial 06155-601 plus Extension or Dan 348-8 pigs 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, business news ext. 326, news bureaus Heidelberg Germany Effia Katrien room 117. Rome str. 104. 69115 Heidelberg Telephone Dan 370 7010 or civilian 06221-23421 Tel fax 06221-10554. Kaiserslautern Germany Kevin Dougherty and Doyle Tillman. Building 2899, Pulaski Barracks apr a 09227-3717 Telephone Dan 489-6585 of civilian jd63v 52104 Tel fax Dan 489-6357 or civilian 0631-5366357. Nurnberg Germany Ron Jensen building 21, Wil Liam o. Darby Cavern apr a 09222 Telephone Dan 460-7256 or civilian 0911-712563 Tele�ax0911-717130. Wurzburg Germany j. P. Barham building 220,room 109, Fau Lehberg Cavern Apo a 09036 Tele  351-4289 or. Civilian 0931-286956. Tel fax 0931-8896770. Mediterranean  and Marian Hamilton Naples teary pc 810, Box 56, Fpo a 09619 Tele phone Dan 625-4880 or civilian 0817624049/4547 lets tax 0039-81 -7624049, Northern Italy j. King Rugof pc 54, Box 473 Apo a 09601 Telephone. Dan 632-8176 or civilian 0039-434-66-8176i Tel fax 6039-434-668222, United kingdom Nancy Tomer. Marc Mcfann and Dave Didio building 464 Cess us Haf Mildenhall Apo a 09459 Telephone Dan 238-2226 or civilian 0638-542226 Tel fax 0638-718013, new York City Timothy Chih room 638. 201 a Ricc st., now York 10014 Telephone 212-620-3333 Tel fax 212-620-3268 Washington . Chuck Virtich and Cindy Kwoh. Oast path Pentagon room 2e756 . To .46095, Washington. . 200506095 Telephone 703 697-6695 Tel fax 703-693-6368. Business departments maj Richard k. A or Usa 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 Belgium 07811-8775 Italy 1678-7-3456 United kingdom 0-800-898854 Netherlands 06-022-7629 Spain 900-99-4955 Tel fax 06155-601436 Germany Augsburg civilian 0821-644529, Tel fax 0821-544565, Berlin civilian 030-8331846, Dan 332-3548. Kaisell Slauter civilian 0631-57070 or 57079. 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The appearance of advertising in this publication including inserts or supplements does not constitute endorse ment by the department of defense or the stars and stripes of the products or services advertised. Burned by cafes i read your expose on military car sales with great interest. I must say that i am not at All surprised that irregularities. And outright cheating of customers seem to have been identified. Although it has been a Long time i was burned by army and air Force Exchange service s sponsored car sales in this Case by Chrysler military sales and received no satisfaction through either Chrysler or cafes at the time in my Case i ordered the vehicle through Chrysler military sales on Oki Nawa for pickup in conus at a Chrysler dealer in Reno. I asked several times if there would be any additional payments at pickup and was repeatedly assured there would not be. Unfortunately this was not True i had to pay More than $200 to the dealer to drive away with the car in those Days that was a significant amount of Money. Not Only that the dealer attempted to overcharge me for Nevada temporary registration. Neither cafes nor Chrysler even an swered my letters which i expect is what happens to customers today As Well. It is certainly what happened last year when i wrote to Chrysler about the extended warranty on my current vehicle not being honoured Here in Germany. William j. Graham kit Zingen Germany honesty appreciated on oct. 31, i came out of the Hanau commissary with my groceries and promptly tipped the Bagger after he placed them in my car. Later that night i realized that the $40 in change that i received from the commissary cashier was missing. Thinking i might have Given the Bagger this $40 in change As Well As his tip i called the commissary the next Day and talked to the head Bagger describing the Bagger that served me. She said she would Check into the mat Ter and Call be Back. After about an hour she called Back and informed me that my Bagger had turned in the Money on his own that Day that he assumed a mistake had been made. I returned to collect my Money and thanked her and my Bagger profusely for their honesty and assistance. I would like to publicly express my sincere appreciation to these people and remind All who complain about customer service in army facilities hat there Are still some outstanding workers in the system. If they May be named my Bagger was Michael a wanker and the head Bagger who assisted me was Betty. M. Lacey i Ian i 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 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 work begins on restoring cola equity the Republican led Congress and Clinton administration already agree on an Issue military retirees will warm to restoring equity in Cost of living adjust ments with Federal civilian retirees. How the restoration will occur is still unclear but work has begun at both ends of Penn Sylvania Avenue White House budget officials Are try ing hard to find roughly $380 million in spending cuts to return six months of inflation Protection to military retirees next year said a senior administration official. That works out to about $220 More for the typical Retiree. President Clinton will submit his 1996 budget to Congress on feb. 6. Odds Are High it will include Money to move next year s cola from october to april Matching the schedule for Federal civilian retirees. Not All of the Money has been found yet the official cautioned but we re trying  most of the $380 million will come from cuts in non defense programs this official said. So the move to cola equity will have no Impact on military Readi Ness. That was a concern a last year when lawmakers reluctantly pull $376 million from military operations and maintenance accounts to shift the 1995 cola from october to april. Congress created the cola mess in 1993 when it passed a deficit reduction Law and decided to pay for it in part by mandating unequal cola delays for military retirees and Federal civilian retirees. Civilians will see a three month delay this year and in 1996 before return ing to january Colas in 1997. Military retirees on the other hand face nine month delays from 1996 through 1998.by last summer the inequity was so egregious and political heat so intense that Congress took the unprecedented step of dipping into the defense budget to solve the problem for 1995. " but lawmakers vowed never to do that again to Correct an entitlement shortfall. Language in the 1995 defense appropriations act directed the administration to find another source of funds to restore cola equity from 1996 through 1998. The Cost is estimated at $1.5 billion. Any solution in the Clinton budget will Only address cola equity in 1996, the official said. The administration sees it As a three year problem that should be solved one year at a time. But sen. Strom Thurmond  chairman of the Senate armed serv ices committee wants the entire problem solved this year. Finding the Money won t be easy however. The budget Law requires that any increase in spend ing be offset by cuts elsewhere. The Only entitle ment program the armed services committee Over sees is retirement. That Means Thurmond and his staff can Only advise the budget committee on where to find Money in programs con trolled by other  have looked at everything from foreign Aid to welfare Reform to agriculture subsidies and still Don t have a Strong recon mentation for the budget committee. So far we can t find three people to agree to any of them said a committee staff. Hassle free travel arranging a military business trip coup once be compared to doing your taxes. Both involved intimidating paper work arcane rules gathering receipts and waiting a Long time for a Tom Philpott  s not a fair comparison now. Tax forms Are simpler. Tax refunds arrive faster. But arranging military trips temporary duty assignments remains a tiresome ordeal for most military and de sense civilian travellers. The paperwork is tedious. The approval process is slow. Even As a new Millen Niuma approaches defense travellers waste hours each year standing in line before overworked government clerks. Relief however might be on the Way. In mid january the department of defense task Force on. Re engineering travel will Brief Deputy defense Secre tary John Deutch on its findings after months of study. It will urge sweeping re forms with the focus on reducing inefficiencies paperwork and the Overall hassle of temporary duty travel possible changes include moving to one Stop travel arrange ments through a full service civilian travel Agency under government contract. The Agency would schedule flights Pur Chase tickets arrange lodging and rental cars even Check on the availability of government quarters. Moving to a single travel document. Eliminating the need for hotel receipts. Faster processing of claims by replacing 100 percent verification with More mod Ern controls including random audits military and defense civilians make 8.8 million business trips a year at a Cost of $3.5 billion. Officials say the changes will save millions but Aren t sure How Many. They Are expected to take up to two years to implement. For defense travellers said a task Force source the reduction in pain will be  " -. Readers comments and suggestions Are welcomed. Write to military update up editor the stars and stripes unit 29480, Apo a 09211. The new Zarb incxea5&    Omer