Professional care received at SVMC

We were on a mission trip to Grace Christian School when my husband became ill and was admitted to Southwestern Vermont Medical Center on Sunday afternoon, July 26. He spent eight hours in the Emergency Department, where the hospitalist and staff were very punctual in taking care of him.

At midnight we were assigned to Room 267W. Dr. Elizabeth Whateley and the staff were exceptional in every way. We were over 800 miles from home, yet the professionalism and friendliness of the staff made us comfortable and helped to relieve our anxiety. From the time my husband entered the hospital until his discharge three days later, he never felt unattended.

Your facility is exceptionally clean and represents the medical field in an outstanding way. We appreciated the professional care provided by SVMC.

DARRELL and

DOTTIE LEWIS

Asheboro, N.C.

Don't choose this weapons system over veterans' benefits

If Congress forces the Department of Defense to cut up to $57 billion from next year's budget and $500 billion over the next 10 years, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said troops, retirees and their families would feel the effects in personnel-related areas.

The department already plans to raise health care premiums for veterans by as much as 340 percent and could cut as many as 100,000 troops from active duty in 2013, leading many more to the unemployment line.

Currently, nearly 30 percent of young veterans are unemployed, veterans are twice as likely to carry high credit card debt, and account for an astounding one fifth of all suicides in the U.S.

Instead of shortchanging U.S. troops and veterans to cut the deficit, wouldn't it be better to cut out-of-control defense programs? The F-35, for instance, has overrun its budget by 75 percent and is projected to cost an eye-popping one trillion dollars. The program has been fraught with problems, including ill-informed plans to base the new aircraft in the most densely populated area of Vermont, where ear-shattering engine noise will disrupt, and potentially destroy the lives of over 6,000 residents, many of whom are of low or moderate incomes.

This is the cost of the F-35: veteran health care, military personnel jobs and benefits, destruction of residential communities. Is a trillion-dollar weapon system worth this cost?

COL. ROSANNE GRECO, USAF (RET.)

Chairwoman

S. Burlington City Council Who will ask the embarrassing questions?

The Banner gets thoughtful questions for our politicians about the failures of our state and federal government. Recently contributors to the Banner like Don Keelan and John McClaughry have asked good questions that will probably not get a public response.

The Banner is getting smaller as time goes by. If it disappears in the future who will pose questions to enlighten or embarrass our elected officials?

DANIEL G. CADIZ

Bennington