Valley must not play politics with preserving the air base

Valley must not play politicswith preserving the air base
EDITOR:
Operation: Save Our Airbase Reservists (Op: SOAR) is a coalition formed to protect the Youngstown Air Reserve Station and its $100 million annual economic impact, as the Pentagon works through another round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). Op: SOAR appreciates all of the support that we have received to date from our local elected officials and countless others in the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys. It is gratifying to know that the Youngstown Air Reserve Station is such a priority for this community.
BRAC 2005 is intended to lower the Pentagon's facility costs and improve our nation's war-fighting capabilities, by both eliminating excess infrastructure and by relocating or collocating compatible military functions. The Department of Defense believes that as much as 25 percent of current domestic military infrastructure may no longer be needed. The cost savings from reducing that excess overhead are needed to help fund future weapons system requirements.
Congress recently approved the eight selection criteria to be used in evaluating current military installations. Although, & quot;military value & quot; will be the primary consideration, cost of operation, training capability and recruiting ability will be among the other tangible criteria.
Under the BRAC 2005 process, each military facility will be evaluated on its capability and capacity to perform not only its current mission, but also an expanded version of its current mission or even an entirely new mission. As a result, the Pentagon is not expected to simply compare facilities with similar missions to one another, or compare those in close physical proximity to one another, as may have been the case in past BRAC rounds. This BRAC is looking to accomplish much more than the previous BRACs and promises a much more comprehensive and complex evaluation of U.S. military infrastructure needs. Because transformation and future force structure planning are all happening at the same time, it is conceivable that a facility could survive based on & quot;military value & quot; and be transformed to an entirely new mission.
While the political debate will continue to play itself out on the national stage, this community can neither afford to make this a political issue, nor can we allow ourselves the luxury of believing that we cannot affect the outcome. It would be a mistake for the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys to believe we have no control over our own destiny or that party politics is the only factor that will decide which bases are closed.
Op: SOAR has an aggressive work plan designed to ensure that we are doing everything possible to enhance the base's military capacity and to mitigate risks to its future through encroachment and other concerns. However, to do so will require political and financial commitments by this community. We need all of our leadership -- business, labor, political and civic -- to step up to the plate to make certain that we have the resources needed to complete this important work.
We cannot afford to lose sight of that work in the midst of this debate. If we do so, we run the risk of missing our best opportunity to ensure a brighter tomorrow for our community.
MICHAEL F. GJEDE
Executive director, Operation SOAR
Warren
X The writer is a retired Air Force brigadier general and past commander of the 910th Airlift Wing and the Youngstown Air Reserve Station.
Support is needed to renewFederal Assault Weapons Act
EDITOR:
The Federal Assault Weapons Act is set to expire Monday, which will allow an 18-year-old to purchase an AK-47 assault rifle in most states.
President Bush has said he will sign the bill if passed in Congress. This is consistent with his commitment to ending terror: & quot;We have a responsibility to deny weapons to terrorists and to actively prevent private citizens from providing them. & quot; (President George W. Bush, address to the United Nations Nov. 10, 2001)
In fact, most voters (74 percent) support the ban on assault weapons. The ban is also supported by Republicans Tom Ridge and Rudy Giuliani, by the bi-partisan 9/11 commission, and by most police organizations.
According to the Sept. 4 New York Times though, the NRA is withholding its endorsement of President Bush until after the deadline for renewal of the law. Bush promised to continue the work of four past presidents in supporting the ban (Ford, Carter, Reagan and Clinton). But Bush has done little to encourage a Republican-run Congress to renew the law.
Join me and other parents in contacting the president, your senators and representatives in calling for a renewal of the ban on assault weapons. And if our voices are drowned out by the lobbyists, join me in November in voting for those senatorial, representatives and presidential candidates who will listen to their constituencies.
CHRISTINA UGHRIN
Warren
Single mother tells howtax cut made a difference
EDITOR:
Basically, you can look at the numbers and compare all the facts. However I feel the best way to explain it is through personal experience. I am a single mother of a 3-year-old girl. Since the tax cuts, I have noticed the difference in my paychecks, and at income tax return time. I honestly feel, that if it weren't for those cuts, I would not be doing as well financially as I am now.
I am not saying I have become rich and independently helped the economy. However, there are many people in this country in a similar situation. If it weren't for the tax cuts, they might not be buying their first home, or buying that new car, or even putting as much food on the table. Whether it's a car, or school clothes for your child, every penny extra coming into your home helps.
Any way you look at it. I feel I have bought several things and spent more money because of the tax cut. Please take into consideration that there are so many people this is helping -- providing needed clothing, food, transportation or even the little things that aren't necessary. Regardless of how big or small the extra purchases, they are purchases that wouldn't have been made before. All it takes are small steps to a better future.
CANDY SKELTON
Warren
Limits are needed on whocan check on credit histories
EDITOR:
While reading an article concerning credit records in the Sept. 7 paper, I was horrified to learn that anyone can check your credit records for job or insurance purposes. I was always under the impression that the only time your credit was allowed to be checked was when you applied for loans.
I think this is an invasion of privacy and people should get together and file lawsuits on a government that allows such practices. The people that are hurt the most by it are those who can afford it the least. Shame on the insurance companies that would stoop to such underhanded ways of making money.
BETTY FORD
Youngstown