Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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OPINION Veteran's Benefits on the Chopping Block by JESSIE JANE DUFF Does the federal government plan to honor the contract it's made with veterans? As a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, I'm starting to have my doubts. When you look at how the Pentagon has repeatedly pushed for hiking veterans' Tricare fees — by as much as $2,000 per year — you can't help but wonder if our government truly values the sacrifi ce our veterans have made for this nation. rein in spending, called for sharp increases in co-pay fees for service retirees covered under the Tricare military-health system. Veterans' organizations, military retirees and even active-duty military personnel objected strongly. They rightly saw the fee hike as a slap in the face considering the contract they made when they agreed to serve the majority of their active adult lives. Republicans and Democrats in Congress got the message, voting to reject the higher Tricare fees. Earlier this year, budget offi cials, scrambling to prove they know how to However, administration budget-cutters haven't given up: on June 29, the administration even threatened a presidential veto of a defense appropriations bill being considered in Congress. Among the administration's stated objections to the bill is that it doesn't demand higher fees from Tricare benefi ciaries. Keep in mind that for many veterans, pension and retirement health benefi ts are a critical lifeline as they seek to integrate into the civilian world. After several decades of service to their country, it can take fi ve years or more to even develop a solid resume and income in the private sector. The relatively minor benefi ts they receive from the military are often the only buffer they have to make ends meet. current fi scal woes are the direct responsibility of our leaders in Washington D.C., who have failed so miserably at managing the federal budget. With a national debt of more than $15.8 trillion and a federal budget defi cit for this year projected at more than $1.2 trillion, the United States What gets lost in the discussion is how we arrived at this impasse: Our COMMUNITY NEWS COMMUNITY NEWS USDA INVESTS IN NORTH CAROLINA Program into 11 counties in N.C., aiming to spur rural economic development and production of home-grown fuels. This expansion is expected to create 65 direct jobs and 250 indirect jobs in the state according to statistics from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The program will provide area farmers with fi nancial start-up assistance, annual payments and the opportunity to expand into the renewable fuels feedstock market. REPREVE® Renewables, LLC is the exclusive global supplier of Freedom® giant miscanthus, one of the highest-yielding biomass crops available, and will provide planting material and services to BCAP project area growers. The N.C. counties chosen for BCAP Project Area 11 include Bladen, Cumberland, Duplin, Greene, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, Onslow, Pender, Sampson and Wayne. The USDA Farm Service Agency is expanding the Biomass Crop Assistance Register of Deeds Offi ce Collects School Supplies For Homeless Children The Cumberland County Register of Deeds offi ce is holding its fourth annual school supply drive for homeless Cumberland County school children through Aug. 10. The goal for this year's drive is to fi ll 800 book bags with school supplies. Individuals, businesses, groups and churches are encouraged to give. Donated school supplies can be dropped off at the Register of Deeds Offi ce in Room 114 inside the Cumberland County Courthouse. The courthouse is at 117 Dick St. in downtown Fayetteville. The following school supplies are needed: pencils, pens, colored pencils, crayons, markers, erasers, glue sticks, notebook paper, folders, binders, tissue, hand sanitizer, toothpaste and toothbrushes. In addition to school supplies, gift cards will be accepted in lieu of cash. No checks will be accepted. Once all the supplies are collected, they will be turned over to the Fayetteville Police Department for distribution. Last year, the Register of Deeds offi ce collected supplies to fi ll 320 book bags. There are approximately 800 homeless children attending Cumberland County schools, and this year the offi ce would like to fi ll a bag for each of those students. "We saw the need in our community and wanted to do something to help homeless school children," said Cumberland County Register of Deeds Lee WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Warren. "We are very thankful to the administration and staff of various Cumberland County offi ces, including Jody Risacher with the Cumberland County Library System, Cumberland County Schools, Fayetteville Police Department, Fayetteville Regional Association of Realtors and Don Chase of WKML FM radio who have all helped to make this drive happen." For more information, call the Register of Deeds offi ce at (910) 678-7775. You can also visit the Register of Deeds online at www.ccrod.org. Soil & Water District Taking Orders for Tree Seedling Sale The Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District is now taking orders for its annual tree seedling sale. Orders will be accepted through Aug. 30 with delivery in December. Order forms are available online at co.cumberland. nc.us/soil_water under the "Events" tab on the web page's right side. Three species of trees are available: Longleaf Pine, Loblolly Pine and Eastern Red Cedar. All three species are evergreen trees native to North Carolina. Seedling prices are as follows: Longleaf Pine: $5 per bundle of 15 seedlings Loblolly Pine: $5 per bundle of 20 seedlings Eastern Red Cedar: $5 per bundle of 5 seedlings. Trees help prevent erosion of fertile topsoil, beautify property, provide energy- saving shade and provide habitat for birds and other wildlife. Anyone interested in ordering seedlings must complete the order form and return it with payment by Aug. 30. Please make checks payable to:,Cumberland SWCD,,301 East Mountain Drive, Suite 229, Fayetteville, N.C. 29306. For more information, call (910) 484-8479 or visit the Soil & Water Conservation District offi ce inside the Charlie Rose Agri-Exposition Center at 301 E. Mountain Drive in Fayetteville. is on the road to fi scal ruin. Yet our leaders in Washington show little willingness or ability to take control of the budget. Instead, they nibble around the edges of the problem, while avoiding addressing runaway spending throughout the government. This spending orgy is not the fault of one political party. Both Republicans and Democrats in recent years have piled up an unprecedented legacy of spending and debt, with little regard for the future. It's an unconscionable dereliction of duty. Perhaps most galling is Washington's unwillingness to tackle the largest drivers of the increase in federal spending — Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, which together constitute about 40 percent of the total federal budget. Most of the growth in the federal budget, now and in the future, is found in these mandatory spending programs. Yet Congress and the president have shown little stomach for making even modest reforms to these programs to bring this spending spree under control. Along with the well-documented waste and fraud throughout government programs, it's little wonder veterans feel they're being asked to pick up the tab for Washington's spending blow-out. If only to honor the debt we owe veterans and their families, it's time for fundamental budget reform to restore some sense of sanity and proportion to federal spending. That means tackling the tough spending issues like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Veterans should be prepared: Regardless of who prevails in the November elections, Congress will reconvene for a lame duck session that will be contentious, and it's likely the attack on veterans' benefi ts will be renewed. That's a worrisome prospect for this veteran. JESSIE JANE DUFF, Gunnery Sergeant, USMC (Ret) and member of the Concerned Veterans for America's organizing committee. Comments? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com AUGUST 1-7, 2012 UCW 5