Qmerican Legion News Service National Public Relations Division—The American Legion
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QMERICAN LEGION NEWS SERVICE NATIONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS DIVISION—THE AMERICAN LEGION C. D. DeLoach, Chairman James C. Watkins, Director HEADQUARTERS ffl P. O. Box 1055 1608 K St., N. W. Indianapolis, Indiana 46206 Washington, D. C. 20006 (317) 635-8411 (202) 393-4811 AMERICAN LEGION NEWS BRIEFS FOR WEEK ENDING 12-5-75 "Veterans Administration death and disability pension programs for war veterans or their dependents and survivors, and their adequacy in relation- ship to other Federal income maintenance programs, as well as to the advancing cost of living, continue to be of major concern to The American Legion," Edward H. Golembieski, Director of the National Veterans Affairs and Rehabili- tation Division of The American Legion, told a Senate Veterans Affairs Subcom- mittee. * * * "There are approximately 600,000 jobless Vietnam era veterans...," Austin Kerby, Director of Economics for The American Legion, told Legionnaires during the Department of Minnesota Fall Conference in St. Paul. * * * A statistical breakdown of donations to the American Cancer Society as of November 21, 1975, appears in this issue of ALNS. * * * WASHINGTON—(ALNS)—American Legion National Commander Harry G. Wiles, in a telegram to President Ford, has urged the President to include in his budget to Congress a $307-million subsidy for the Postal Service to assist nonprofit mail users to absorb the postal rate hikes. The full text reads as follows: "The American Legion Magazine has been published since July 4, 1919, and currently provides reading enjoyment for over four million people each month. "We are a nonprofit publication that utilizes second-class mail service. As you well know, President Nixon signed Public Law 93-328 over the objections of the Office of Management and Budget. This stop-gap legislation provided in part that nonprofit mail users would be given sixteen years to absorb certain postal rate hikes. For the past two years Congress has appropriated the funds for the phase-in period. This subsidy has made it possible for The American Legion Magazine to continue publication, although it has not offset nagging deficits. Without it, the Magazine would face a major reappraisal. "Mr. President, in a matter of weeks you will be sending to the Congress your budget recommendations for FY '77. I urge you to include the $307-million subsidy for the Postal Service." -alns- ATTENTION EDITORS: There will be no American Legion News Service during the holiday period. News Service will be produced regularly through Dec. 19, and that issue will be the last one you will receive until the first issue of the New Year, scheduled for mailing Jan. 9, 1976. -alns- 0260 □ MERICAN LEGION NEWS SERVICE NATIONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS DIVISION—THE AMERICAN LEGION C. D. DeLoach, Chairman James C. Watkins, Director HEADQUARTERS P. O. Box 1055 1608 K St., N. W. Indianapolis, Indiana 46206 Washington, D. C. 20006 0 (317) 635-8411 (202) 393-4811 For release 12-5-75 WASHINGTON—(ALNS)—Speaking before a Senate Veterans Affairs Subcommittee, Edward H. Golembieski, Director of the National Veterans Affairs and Rehabilita- tion Division of The American Legion, said, "Veterans Administration death and disability pension programs for war veterans or their dependents and survivors, and their adequacy in relationship to other Federal income maintenance programs, as well as to the advancing cost of living, continue to be of major concern to The American Legion." Golembieski added that the death and disability pension program for those beneficiaries, is for their income maintenance, and is "...a means of supple- menting the income of eligible war veterans and of their surviving spouses and children." He noted that the annual income limitations for death and disability pen- sion do not respond to cost-of-living increases as reflected in the Consumer Price Index, and that The American Legion is convinced that "...veterans and their dependent survivors should have the full measure of any Social Security old age, survivors, or total disability benefit increase based on cost-of-living increases without suffering reductions in death or disability pension payments." Golembieski told the Subcommittee that if legislative relief is not granted, because of the "notching effect," the problems of these pensioners in meeting costs of goods and services will be further compounded on January 1, 1976, as a result of this year's 8 percent Social Security benefit increase. He added that as a temporary approach to the problem, The American Legion supported passage by the House of Representatives of H.R. 10355, because the Act, "...would increase current pension rates by 8 percent and the annual income limitations by $300." Golembieski said that although The American Legion supported this House Bill, it was only a temporary "stop gap" solution, and that a more satisfactory approach to this annual problem is the one proposed in Resolution 140 approved at the Legion's annual Convention last August. He told the Subcommittee that it is believed the Legion's proposal "...would correct these inequities and anomalies, and those eligible to receive pension would gain increased financial security as well as relief from apprehensions with each cost-of-living Social Security increase." -alns- WASHINGTON—(ALNS)—American Legion National Commander Harry G. Wiles has sent telegrams to each member of the Joint Conference Committee which was appointed to work out differing versions of H.R. 9861, the FY 1976 Defense Appropriations Act, urging "...support of restoring full funding for the military commissary system." Commander Wiles told the Committee: "The Senate adopted amendment to phase out support to commissaries over a five year period would impact adversely on all those entitled to use these facilities. The cruelest impact would be felt by military retirees, totally disabled service-connected veterans and their spouses who live on fixed incomes. "Additionally, we feel that the government is morally obligated to continue the commissaries as presently constituted for current and former military members and severely disabled veterans. "Your favorable consideration of restoring these funds for continuation of this long established program would be appreciated by The American Legion." -alns- 0261 QMERICAN LEGION NEWS SERVICE NATIONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS DIVISION—THE AMERICAN LEGION C. D. DeLoach, Chairman James C. Watkins, Director HEADQUARTERS P. O. Box 1055 1608 K St., N. W. Indianapolis, Indiana 46206 Washington, D. C. 20006 0 (317) 635-8411 (202) 393-4811 For release 12-5-75 WASHINGTON—(ALNS)--"There are approximately 600,000 jobless Vietnam era veterans..." Austin Kerby, Director for Economics, The American legion, told legionnaires during the Department of Minnesota Fall Conference in St. Paul. Kerby said that the latest Department of Labor figures show "...an unemployment rate of 20.0 percent for those in the 20-24 area range, nearly six percentage points higher than for nonveterans in the same age group." He added that there are about a half-million unemployed veterans of earlier wars. He noted that The American Legion pioneered in assisting veterans to find work, saying that at the first National Convention in Minneapolis, the Legion passed a resolution that, "...employment...will become...a matter of concern..., addxng that it did. Kerby said that The American Legion launched its "Jobs for Veterans" program in mid-1970 on a pilot basis, and "...we so successfully used Job Fairs to bring prospective employers and unemployed veterans together, that the President set up a Special National Job For Veterans Committee to coordinate such efforts. Kerby told his audience that National Commander Harry G. Wiles "...urged all American Legion posts, departments, and individual Legionnaires to dedicate ourselves to continue the fine work the Legion is doing...'" to ™Pl««** Resolution 26, concerning the hiring of veterans, adopted at the 1975 National Convention. Kerby discussed the Veterans Employment Service and their representatives on both the Federal and State levels, the handling of unemployment compensation claims the anti-veteran feeling in employment, the Loan Guarantee Service the Small Business Administration, and the U. S. Postal Service, regarding their veterans assistance policies. -alns- WASHINGTON-(ALNS)-The Panama Canal will be the topic of discussion on the weekly series, "Sunday," to be aired over WRC-TV on Sunday, December 14 at 9.30 a.m., in the Washington, D.C. area. The Washington station will devote a 25-minute segment of the program to the Canal and current treaty negotiations. Former U.S. Ambassador Jack Vaughn and Representative Daniel Floodof Pennsylvania will present the pro and con arguments, respectively, on the desirability of a new treaty and its planned provisions. Exposure to the issues is essential for every Legionnaire, so that all members can intelligently discuss and support the stand of The American Legion on retaining sovereign control over the Panama Canal and Canal Zone. -alns- CANCER FUND DONATIONS County County 0262 As of Nov. 21, 1975 Departments District District Legion < Auxiliary Or Unit Or Post Individuals TOTAL ALABAMA $ $ 60.00 612.48 $ 3,672.48 ALASKA_ 200.00 160.00 1.360.00 ARIZONA 75.00 775.68 3.850.68 ARKANSAS 40.00 477.25 5.517.25 CALIFORNIA 665.00 24 701.88 25.366.88 CANAL ZONE 222.00 222.00 COLORADO 2,007.60 354.50 362.10 CONNECTICUT 250.00 105.00 936.00 ?Qi on DELAWARE 125.00 340.00 465.00 D.C 983.00 983.00 1,869.35 10 855.01 12 724.36 FLORIDA«i GEORGIA 1,000.00 2,765.00