Everyone has their opinion----thank goodness. > - having indexed, microfilmed, etc will encure additional cost If you mean they will incur additional cost for being indexed, microfilmed, etc., why would that be when they are ALREADY microfilmed and indexed?? > - staffing facilities cost will be rising, and if you work, like I do, the > hours are terrible so I can never get to the facilities without taking > a day off, so having them open additional hours will cost. I used to work for pay, but thankfully I am now retired. If the Archives is open additional hours, I don't think that will be of much help to get Civil War pension files. Civil War pension records are not available at regional National Archives, but must requested with a form which is then mailed to Washington D. C., unless one happens to live in that Washington. Maybe it could be hand delivered. The Revolutionary War pension files are on film at Regional Archives, but I for one have never seen the Civil War Pension files available but one way. There are some records of the Civil War at Regional Archives, but not the pension file. I would be surprised if they are ever on the internet since there could be many pages to just one file. Also there is nothing like intrepreting the handwriting on an old document for oneself, or seeing a copy of a page from an old family Bible, rather than the intrepretation of some individuals. Some contain the only written record that some of us will ever see of a marriage or the birthdates of children as written by parents. Some even have affidavits of individuals who can attest to the date of birth of children. Not many official birth records go back that far. Issues on guns, education, drug awareness, AIDS research, etc. are probably on different lists. This one deals with genealogy. Just my opinion Dot