One Military Retiree's Opinion

With Veterans Day behind us, I am submitting this LTE to the editorial staff at Mondo Times requesting
consideration for publication as an article or OP/ED.

I sent the same commentary to the editors of Times Community Newspapers (TCN) of Greater Dayton
with a challenge to publish prior to Veterans Day. However, I was certain it would not be due to the
Editorial Board at Times having a partisan bias.

This is particularly true of the Beavercreek News-Current Extra - a TCN paper catering to a Repubican stronghold.

The intent of my Opinion piece or article (whichever your Editorial Board decides)is non-partisan in tone for I
belong to a third party. My family is neither Democrat or Republican. It is from the vantage point of a Military
Retiree and Father of a Soldier that served in Iraq that I write.

What follows will be published regardless focused on a Military Family, Veterans audience nationally due to my
position on the Editorial Board of Veterans for America (VFA) and writer for Veterans Today.com.

Below is the only portion I request be reviewed for publication on The Beavercreek Record, and I would greatly
appreciate any consideration given.

A courtesy copy of the original Letter to the Editor of Beavercreek News-Current went by mail and email to
Governor Strickland and every Ohio state representative mentioned.

What has our State Government done for Ohio's Veterans?

  I would like to thank and question the Retired Air Force Officer in Beavercreek who brought it to our attention
that Ohio was thinking about income tax exemptions for military retirement pay. If not for his LTE in opposition
to it, I believe few military retirees would have known about this bill. The bill was submitted in the Ohio House
'seven months ago.'

The Libertarian side of me tends to agree with him about the big picture of robbing Peter to pay Paul considering
the fact that income tax levies on election ballots are not going away and no state has seriously figured out how
to pay for their share of the War on Terror.

Our National Guard has replaced “the draft” to provide the manning necessary to continue occupying Iraq.
Ohioan’s still have to pay taxes (state or federal makes no difference)to advertise, recruit, subsidize the education
and other bonuses for our statewide heroes, and that is the positive side.

Despite avoiding Selective Service by using our National Guard, money does not grow on trees, and our
government at local, state, and national level is not raising taxes. This creates a situation where Paul has
no choice but to rob Peter to get what Paul wants.

In this respect, I have to agree with my fellow Military Retiree about tax exemptons for Veterans. Someone
has to sacrifice for Beavercreek and the nation. We as Veterans volunteered to do the sacrificing for the rest
of the nation that outnumbers us 99 to 1, why not Ohio's Veterans?

Regardless, the people of Ohio need to know a lot more about the bills being considered by the Ohio State House
'for all Veterans and our National Guard members' during this war no matter our views.

This past Veterans Day the people of Ohio got to witness Flag Waving that is set aside but once a year for THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE to honor our Vets.

Can anyone convince this Veteran that during all those pat on the back speeches did any politician or Vet Service
Organization speaker mention anything about the legislation languishing in the Ohio State House the rest of the year?

It was important to do so, because it makes no sense for anyone oppose to legislaton getting upset about a
Veterans' benefit bill that has little chance of passage.

However, the tone used by 'Veterans' who oppose any exemptions of special recognition by the state is what
I believe most Veterans in Ohio would find offensive, even if they agree with opponents, and I quote, “If you
are happy about getting a special interest tax break, either you’re a moocher or aren’t thinking about the big picture.” 

Frankly, as a Retired Miitary Officer that really does not need any state tax exemption. I could take or leave the
tax break, because looking at the big picture, and I did, our state and nation has higher priorities.

Debating a bill, stagnant in the Ohio state house, that only benefits those Veterans who own homes with a tax break
is not one of them.

Those higher priorities happen to be, and should be, our young troops serving endless deployments in Iraq, Veterans
of those endless deployments, regardless one’s views on their war.

In fact, WE THE PEOPLE of Ohio and the Nation, depend upon our Miitary Volunteers to carry the rest of us
“moochers” on their backs.

I for one am a Retired Military Officer takes offense at those who oppose legislation that benefits Veterans by calling
us an "interest group." It is easy to label those who serve as an interest group as the rest of the nation, including
Congress, and our President AVOIDS THE DRAFT.

My true friends do not consider those who served our nation, 'especially now,' during another unpopular war, AND
performing a function that most folks born here (in America)find distasteful and prefer not to do, an “interest group.”

Do not take my word for it, just bring up these two words – THE DRAFT during polite conversation and I rest my case .

What the people of Ohio don't know about the bill being opposed by 'a few' Veterans? Ohio House Bill 112, to exempt
military retirement pay from the personal income tax, is a “bipartisan” bill introduced by 'Republican' Jim McGregor, District
20, Lebanon, OH and 'Democrat Peter S. Ujvagi,' District 47, Toledo, OH on March 20, 2007. Over seven months ago, and
they only have 12 bill co-sponsors in the entire Ohio House. (10 Democrats and 4 Republicans total). It has a Senate
version in SB 19.

However, why is there any concern in our Legislative District here in Beavercreek, because the bill evidently does not
have the support or sponsorship of our local representatives despite the large military retiree community that resides here?
 
Seven months have gone by and the first public knowledge of the bill is a complaint in opposition to it. This low profile
legislation forced any Veteran with brains (that is lacking too) to research what the other Veteran’s complaining about
in the first place.

The Beavercreek News-Current newspaper did not research what the Veteran was talking about nor give background
to their readers?

It is a good thing that folks get that paper free of charge or only Republicans would buy it.

There has been no grassroots encouragement for the bill from any local Beavercreek Veterans organization; the
Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) Chapter at Wright-Patt has not mentioned anything about the bill.
The Greene County Commissioner, Rick Perales, himself a military retiree, has not rallied any grassroots support
for the bill here in the county.

Without that kind of grassroots advocacy, anyone that opposes Veterans getting an Ohio state tax exemption has
nothing to fret. The bill will die in the Ohio House where only the Governors’ Office of Veterans’ Affairs is paying
any attention to it.

I refuse to speak for or call the vast majority of military retirees in Ohio, especially those from Ground Forces, and
our enlisted retirees moochers, because they feel their military career has “earned” them an exemption from Ohio
State tax.

  It would behoove the good citizens of Beavercreek to keep that sentiment in mind next time anyone holds out their
hand for donations to the Veterans Memorial on North Fairfield Road, because 'you have a need' to show our troops
you care.

That reminds me I have not seen a reminder in any paper to give a donation for a while and Veterans Day is fast
upon us. Last, I read the Memorial Fund was shooting for $35,000 bucks and raised what $3 or $4,000. It would
be ‘nice to have’ a follow-up report on where we stand to raising money for Veterans war memorials.

My family bought bricks at the Beavercreek Vets Memorial before this War, but looking at the big picture, our troops
do not need more memorials, though the Iraq and Afghanistan Memorial is ever growing.

Our military retirees will just have to wait in line for state tax waivers, and that may not only be my humble opinion
as the father of just one Soldier.

Here in Ohio the list of important bills (and the political party of who introduced them really does not matter) includes:

HB 60: To authorize boards of county commissioners to exempt from state taxation the homesteads of qualifying members
of the National Guard and reserve components of the Armed Forces who have been deployed outside the state, and to
exempt estates of members of the US armed forces who died while serving in a combat zone from various probate filing
fees.

HB 61: To prohibit a juvenile court from making custody determinations or modifications in a case in which one of the
parents is called to active military service with any reserve component of the US armed forces or Ohio militia.

Amended HB 96: Exempt estates of military members who died in combat from probate filling fees.

  In closing, according to the 2006 US Census survey, Ohio has 961,616 Veterans but not all would be military retirees
eligible to receive a tax exemption in return for their military career.

If my fellow Retired Air Force Officer and I oppose such an initiative, we presume to speak for, according to the Military
Officers Association of America (MOAA), our fellow 42,191 military retirees in Ohio.

I do not know how my other 10,475 fellow military officers feel about turning down such an Ohio Tax exemption. One
that is offered by other states where some military retirees from Ohio are thrilled to go as Snow Birds in the winter
(Florida comes to mind). However, I dare not speak for the remaining 31,716 'enlisted retirees' in Ohio. Most who
cannot afford to maintain homes in two states, then fret about where the money is going to come from to cover tax
exemptions for military retirees.

Best solution is to put such a decision to the people of Ohio. They have to make up for the loss of revenue. Place all
those Veterans Bill stagnating in the Ohio State House on a state-wide  ballot initiative and see how the people of
Ohio seriously ‘Support the Troops’ long after they are no longer needed. 

Robert L. Hanafin
Specialist-5, U.S. Army (69-76)
Major, U.S. Air Force-Retired (77-94)