Neglecting our soldiers

It took a father of a soldier returning from a 15-month tour of Afghanistan to start an investigation of Army barracks. This article was printed in the DRC on April 30. 

The father took a video of his son’s barracks in Fort Bragg, N.C. The 82nd Airborne barracks had poor living conditions with mold, peeling paint and drains plugged with sew­age. The Army is now inspecting all barracks. This is how the Bush administration and the Republicans treat our soldiers while sending them to war? 

The Bush administration has recommended that the military insurance co-pays for retirees be tripled. U.S. Sen. Kay B. Hutch­ison voted to cut the funds for the soldiers’ head trauma center. 

Also, the wounded care isn’t fixed, according to hearings at a Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on March 11. 

My source for the material: the Military Officers Association and the DRC. 

Diane Wagener,

Krum

McCain’s misogyny

John McCain recently skipped a vote on a fair pay bill then explained that the pay gap between men and women isn’t due to discrimination. He said that women just need more education and training. Pondering this statement at considerable length, I find no way around the outrage.

A 2005 study by the General Accounting Office found no change in the pay gap between men and women despite increased levels of education among the women.

Any woman who votes for this misogyny gets what she deserves. The rest of us deserve better.

Sharon Wilson,