[Peace-discuss] troops

[Dlind49 at aol.com]

New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com 
Protect the health of U.S. troops 

Wednesday, April 7th, 2004 

Sgt. Agustin Matos, Sgt. Hector Vega, Staff Sgt. Ray Ramos and Cpl. Anthony 
Yonnone, veterans of the war in Iraq, have tested positive for exposure to 
depleted uranium. They know this because the Daily News arranged for medical 
screening that, by all rights, the military should have provided on their return to 
the U.S.
Matos, Vega, Ramos and Yonnone are members of the 442nd Military Police 
Company of the New York Army National Guard, a unit made up mostly of the city's 
Finest, Bravest and Boldest. They served in Iraq, knowing they might come home 
wounded, or not at all.

In other words, the troops of the 442nd kept their end of the bargain while 
the brass did not. The military shipped them stateside from Samawah, site of 
fierce fighting, without fully testing for exposure to hidden hazards, depleted 
uranium being among them. 

Depleted uranium, a heavy metal that emits weak levels of radiation, is a 
valuable weapon. The military uses it both to harden tank armor and to add punch 
to artillery shells. A depleted uranium round will slice through an enemy 
vehicle because the metal is self-sharpening. It can also ignite on impact, adding 
to its lethal qualities.

Problem is, exploded shells and damaged tanks spew depleted uranium dust. 
While no one knows precisely how toxic the material is, it's definitely not 
something you want to ingest. According to the World Health Organization, long-term 
exposure to uranium may damage kidneys and lungs, but some G.I.s have lived 
with fragments in their bodies without apparent health consequences.

The News' Juan Gonzalez had tests done on nine soldiers' urine after they 
complained about headaches, shortness of breath, kidney stones and loss of 
bladder control. The samples provided by Matos, Vega, Ramos and Yonnone came back 
positive. There is as yet no certainty that any of the ailments have anything to 
do with depleted uranium, or with service in Iraq. What is clear, though, is 
that the military should have tested everyone in the 442nd, as is now 
underway, long before Gonzalez brought to light the danger.

You pay, they don't

There you are, gnawing on a pencil end, punching numbers into a calculator or 
stuffing receipts into a shoebox so you can lug your disorganization down to 
the accountant's office, where someone who grasps the mysteries of the United 
States tax code can help you get your return in the mail by midnight on April 
15.

You are not alone. Millions of wage earners are suffering that torture as 
they settle up with the government. So, it was galling to read a General 
Accounting Office report showing that 61% of American-owned corporations and 71% of 
those controlled by foreign interests pay no income tax. Zilch. Nada. And 94% of 
U.S. corporations paid taxes that amount to less than 5% on their total 
incomes.

Average taxpayers would turn backflips at being taxed at that rate. But 
that's not going to happen because average taxpayers don't get to dive through 
corporate loopholes. Average taxpayers have to settle for itemizing as many small 
deductions as they can.

And middle-class earners in growing numbers are being denied that full 
privilege as they fall prey to the Alternative Minimum Tax. Enacted in 1966, when 
155 very wealthy taxpayers claimed enough deductions to wipe out their tax bills 
(just like corporations today), the AMT limited writeoffs for those who 
earned the biggest bucks. Since then, however, incomes have risen with inflation 
and millions of taxpayers earning as little as $75,000 are getting hammered.

It's the old story. The little guy takes it on the chin while big players 
trip the light fantastic in their Ferragamos. Congress has shied away from 
reforming the AMT because the cost would be huge. But there is an obvious to get the 
job done: Close corporate loopholes.

Rush to judgment

Parents are shelling out big bucks for tutors. Kids are forgoing spring 
vacation to brush up on schoolwork. All over town, "struggling" third-graders are 
readying for the must-pass tests that will determine whether they advance to 
Grade 4. One cannot help but think that if these kids had been adequately 
educated, and parented, all along, there would not be such a frenzy. And that is the 
point of the abolition of social promotion: consistency in schooling, 
diligence and parental guidance. Put all that in place, and there will be no need for 
panic in the future.



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