WHY SOME GERMANS, AND ONE MAYOR IN PARTICULAR, DON'T WANT THE US TO LEAVE

The Kaiserslautern area is home to so many Yanks that many simply call the towns and villages in the region “Little America.”

And Little America — home to more than 44,000 Americans — packs a pretty fat pocketbook.

In fiscal 2003, the Kaiserslautern Military Community pumped nearly $1.29 billion into the area’s economy, according to the most recent annual economic impact report. That’s up by $200,000 from fiscal 2002, said Dane McKenzie, supervisory financial management specialist with the 435th Comptroller Squadron at Ramstein Air Base.