Letters - Saturday

- POSTWAR STRESS

To support troops, safeguard their employment

“Hire a vet! Your best bet yet!”

I remember my father telling me about that slogan when he was getting out of the Navy back in the 1972. It seems nostalgic to think about times when our country honored veterans upon their return, rather than simply “supporting the troops,” which these days seems to consist of slapping a yellow ribbon magnet on one’s SUV and watching Bill O’Reilly. Was it so long ago? It must be, because according to a Labor Department report, 18 percent of veterans discharged since 1990 have found themselves unemployed within one to three years of leaving the service.

The report blames the poor prospects partly on inadequate job networks and lack of mentors after extended periods in war. The study said employers often had misplaced stereotypes about veterans’ fitness for employment, such as concerns they did not have adequate technological skills, or were too rigid, lacked education or were at risk for post-traumatic stress disorder.

It urged the federal government to consider working with a private-sector marketing firm to help promote war veterans as capable employees, as well as re-examine education and training such as the GI Bill.

The issue of mental health has turned into a double-edged sword for veterans. More publicity has generated more public awareness and federal funding for those who return home different from when they left. However, more publicity has also made some employers more cautious about hiring a veteran.

Maybe they’re right. I can feel the rage boiling up inside of me at the ingratitude toward people who’ve sacrificed so much for their country. It’s one thing to not give preference to veterans, but to actively discriminate against them because of some ignorant stereotype is inexcusable.

Reservists are having problems when they come home, too. A recent Department of Labor report obtained by the Associated Press showed that formal job complaints by reservists remained high, citing concerns about jobs or benefits denied after they tried to return to their old jobs after extended tours in Iraq. Reservists filed 1,357 complaints with the department in 2006, the latest figures available, down from nearly 1,600 in 2005, when complaints reached the highest level since 1991.

When we talk about disrespecting veterans, let us remember that some businesses, not anti-war protesters, were the most egregious offenders.

Rick Duncan

Capt., U.S. Marine Corps, retired

Colorado Veterans Alliance

Denver

- MEDICARE FOR MILLIONAIRES

Means-testing for seniors could help corral costs

Here is the primary reason why millions of working people in the U.S. cannot afford private health insurance: Medicare for millionaires. At age 65 all U.S. citizens enroll in Medicare, regardless of financial status. The vast majority of senior citizens are not poor, and in fact, they hold most of the wealth in this country.

Medicare intentionally underinsures its patients, i.e. Medicare virtually never pays doctors and hospitals the full and true cost of care, consisting of the “reasonable and customary” free-market prices which private insurers routinely pay. Even considering the deductibles and copays seniors pay, doctors and hospitals are left with a major shortfall every time they accept and treat a senior patient.

By federal law, the senior patient cannot be billed for the gap between Medicare’s reimbursements and the true cost of care. As a direct result, doctors and hospitals have no choice but to pass this shortfall on to the younger patient population. In other words, hidden within every doctor/hospital bill to an under-65 patient there is an enormous “Medicare surcharge” which he/she is forced to pay. This Medicare surcharge drives up the cost of private health insurance so drastically that millions of low-income working Americans cannot afford coverage.

Economic justice demands that seniors pay for this shortfall out of their own pocket, if they are not poor. If non-poor seniors were required to pay for this gap in revenue, the freemarket fees billed to private insurers would drop drastically across-the-board, along with their premiums, enabling millions of under-65 working people to afford private coverage.

Government has no business forcing doctors and hospitals to give a major discount to seniors who are not poor.

Paul A. Kehren

Colorado Springs

- CU PRESIDENT

Real-life experience stacks up against degrees

The Gazette’s Feb. 23 Our View concerning Bruce Benson was right on target (“Degrees of value”). To further show the lack of knowledge by the CU graduate student, I would like to draw a parallel to my career.

I am a 40-year commercial pilot and my son, who now flies for a major carrier, was an instructor pilot while trying to gain time and experience to further his career.

The comparison would be like my son early in his career saying that he was more qualified than I am because he had an instructor license and I did not. I wonder if the student in the editorial would rather be in my aircraft or my son’s.

At least my son was smart enough to realize that I could still impart some advice to him due to my real-life experience.

LeRoy Gray

Larkspur

- MOVING AHEAD

Troops making a difference in Iraqi villages

It was encouraging to read the piece by syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer in the Feb. 23 Gazette (“Democratic claims aside, there’s progress in Iraq,” Other Voices). It seems some are so bent on ensuring defeat that they are unable to recognize the progress that has been made and the positive signs for the future of Iraq.

Our son has just returned to Iraq with his Marine battalion. During his first deployment a year ago, the battalion had 27 men killed in its area of responsibility. The battalion that replaced them in April did not have a single Marine killed. The progress in local villages has been made possible by the ultimate sacrifice of our troops, but the progress is very evident in these communities. There is a working local government and Iraqi citizens are volunteering to help the U.S. Marines.

Those who would claim to support our troops should acknowledge and support their achievements as well. Failing to continue this effort until the job is completed neither supports those who are continuing to defend us and Iraqi citizens, nor does it honor those who have sacrificed their lives for their country.

Albert T. Stoddard III

Monument