Friday, July 24, 1998

False campaign

I do not agree with statements made in letters to the editor on July 14 by Ronald Ashmore and on July 16 by Allison Bruce.

The statements were that Rep. Stenholm has come out in favor of the value-added tax. Stenholm has never supported or voted for a value-added tax code in any form.

Stenholm joined the overwhelming bipartisan majority of the House of Representatives in supporting the Internal Revenue Restructuring and Reform Act, H.R. 2676, a bill he co-sponsored and which passed the House by a vote of 426-4 in 1997 and received the endorsement of President Clinton as well.

This bill sets up a new citizen oversight board to make the IRS more accountable to average Americans. Included among those rights is a shifting of the burden of proof in tax court so that when the IRS takes them to court, American taxpayers are presumed innocent until proven guilty. It also includes an "innocent spouse" clause, which makes it easier for a spouse to be exempt from liability for the tax mistakes of the other spouse.

The IRS needs to be overhauled, and I applaud Stenholm for voting "no" on doing away with the IRS without having a plan to replace it. He has a good record and gets along well with his fellow congressmen, which includes bipartisan work. He is the best candidate to represent the people of the 17th District.

The false statements, with no plan mentioned to replace the IRS, appear to be a negative campaign by and on behalf of Rudy Izzard.

WARREN MARTINDALE

Sweetwater

Dog and pony show

The Veterans Administration is a joke, a cruel joke played out every week in every Veterans Administration Regional Office all across the United States, against the very men and women who shed their life's blood in defense of this nation.

You can't win no matter what you do because everything is stacked in favor of the government.

If a veteran wins a tort case against the VA, they stop his disability until the amount of the tort is paid back. Laws give attorneys only a small percentage of claims, and most attorneys won't take cases because of how long a case takes and the small fees they receive.

Service organizations like the American Legion have their office space paid for by the government and work more for the government than for veterans.

One hundred and ten thousand Vietnam veterans have taken their lives. Forty percent of the homeless in the United States are Vietnam veterans. The average age of the 58,200 men and women whose names are on the Wall is 19.

Forget asking senators and congressmen to help, for all they do is turn your letters over to the VA. They do not investigate your case, and most likely only office staff see your letters.

After a veteran is released from service, he loses his pride, dignity and honor because of the way the Veterans Administration and the U.S. government treat him.

We do not need more lies, we need the truth about the Vietnam War to come out and slap the government right in the face.

THOMAS MORGAN

Abilene