The Effects of Cutting US Defense

The editorial "Defense: How Much?," Sept. 10, presents four timely and relevant questions that voters should ask to the presidential candidates. Two more questions should be added: First, many dedicated men and women will no longer be needed in our country's armed forces. How will they be retrained to make an orderly and useful transition to civilian life? Second, the reduction and elimination of military bases will severely impact the economies of many communities dependent on these bases. How will you redirect and reinvigorate these depressed local economies to bring them back into the American mainstream? James F. Tracy, Livermore, Calif.

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