NWA letters: Hendrens deserve kudos on military pay issu

Hendrens deserve kudos on military pay issue

Congratulations and many thanks to our two Northwest Arkansas legislators, State Rep. Kim Hendren and his son, state Sen. Jim Hendren, for leading the charge in getting a bill passed that removes the income tax placed on military retirement pay. The previous law provided that the government would give qualified military retirees their appropriate military pay then the state of Arkansas would take a portion of it back in the form of income tax. That was "the government giveth and the government taketh away." That was dumb.

No American ever thought that joining the military would make him rich. Many military volunteers and draftees gave up some of their best college-age years to serve their country. After their military discharge, many veterans found that their experience and training of walking for miles, firing a machine gun and swinging a rifle butt didn't account for much on a civilian job application. Flying a bomber, steering a submarine or driving a tank didn't mean that one day they would own one.

However, I must admit that for some veterans, military service did give them the training to make them valuable civilian employees and allow them to provide an adequate income for their families and boost their states' economy. As an example, flying a bomber or fighter plane does bode well on a resume to American Airlines. Some of the military medical training courses provide a leg-up for some veterans who apply to civilian schools of medicine. My own son, Randy, was trained to use a computer to map the terrain for the future battle areas of Desert Storm. Then he used computers again to tally the Air Force personnel going in and out of Grenada during that war. This military experience and training landed him some lucrative contracts as a computer expert with civilian companies.

As to the bill that excludes income tax from veteran's military retirement pay, it is a win-win situation for the veteran and the state of Arkansas. This will enhance the chances for veterans to decide to move here. Arkansas welcomes military retirees. They make good citizens. Most of them do not have a criminal record, they don't smoke pot, nor do drugs, or commit acts of violence. Many of them will build their dream homes here, pay their taxes, buy groceries, automobiles, retail goods and add to our state economy in general.

Many of the states around us recognize the benefit of attracting military retirees and Arkansas needs to be able to compete. New Orleans has a city ordinance that excludes veterans from paying property tax. This is an effective incentive for veterans to move to New Orleans

Again, kudos to the honorable Hendrens, our legislators and Gov. Hutchinson for doing the right thing for our military retirees and the state of Arkansas.

Lt. Col. Jim Parsons (retired)

Bella Vista

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