NationStates Jolt Archive

In the United States, veterans of the armed forces comprise only 13 percent of adult males in the general population, yet they account for one-third of all homeless men in America. They're surly not too inept or lazy to fend for themselves. After all, our veterans are tough enough to work on the decks of a Navy aircraft carrier in the North Atlantic, smart enough to ensure billion dollar aircraft are properly maintained, and responsible enough to fly the very same aircraft into battle.

Sometimes becoming homeless isn't a result of life's choices. Sometimes it just happens that way. Sometimes no amount of hard work will supply a homeless person with a home. Clearly, the conservatives' sacrosanct free-market system or President Bush's "ownership society" will not benefit a man on the streets.

While an estimated 500,000 veterans were homeless at some time during 2004, the Veterans Affiars' Administration had the resources to tend to only 100,000 of them. This year President Bush's budget falls more than $2.6 billion short of the amount needed to fully fund quality veterans' health care. Furthermore, the Bush administration budget would significantly reduce (http://www.thenewstribune.com/front/topstories/story/4629906p-4297561c.html) federal support for state-operated veterans homes and impose new limitations on who can be admitted.

The newest outrage is the revelation that President Bush will establish (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/southsouthwest/chi-0502150270feb15,1,664583.story?coll=chi-newslocalssouthwest-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true) a new annual $250 enrollment fee and higher co-payments for veterans who participate in the VA's health care system. Almost 2 1/2 million veterans will be affected by this.

America's "patriots" on the right can attach all the yellow ribbon magnets to their car as they want, but actions are what speak the loudest. As some Republicans wrap themselves in the American flag and accuse others of being "America-haters", they cut programs that truly help American vets. All in the name of spending cuts forced upon them by Bush's irresponsible tax cuts passed a few years ago in a time of war.

From my blog. (http://proponentofreason.blogspot.com/2005/03/veterans-left-out-in-cold.html)

You may be wasting your time. This has been brought up before and most of the military peeps on here could either, not give a shit, or deny that this is even happening. Looking at how deep most Republicans bury their noses in Bushs' ass, it seems none of them really care.

that is crap! how the hell can a country treat those who faught for its ideals like that? dont they have a services pension or something? i know here in australia they do. man that is discracful

*crickets*

that is crap! how the hell can a country treat those who faught for its ideals like that? dont they have a services pension or something? i know here in australia they do. man that is discracful
I've heard this proposal and it makes a kind of sense, particularly when you realize that the number of veterans is increasing by leaps and bounds. However, I too am dismayed that the approach is a "one price fits all." If it takes fees to insure that all disabled and retired veterans have adequate health care, it would make more sense to me to create a sliding scale where the poorest veterans could pay nothing or next to nothing, while those of us who make more would bear more of the cost. Rather like the graduated income tax.

As to homeless veterans, there are several studies which show that a significant number of homeless veterans had significant difficulty adapting to civilian life. I can understand this, but think that more efforts should be made to discover the reasons for this and find ways to better reintegrate veterans into civilian life.

The core of the problem is the sheer number of veterans in the US. Greater demand on veteran's healthcare services, for example, have overloaded exisiting VA facilities to the point where waiting lists are almost unmanageable.

Other than spending massive amounts of money ( estimates run into the billions ) to correct the problems, I know of no way to address them. Yes, as a disabled veteran myself, I think we should do our very best as a nation to care for those who laid their lives on the line.

Yes, I get extremely frustrated when I think about the numbers of my brothers who have no place to call home. But there are no easy solutions to this. Would you agree to an increase of say $100 per year in your taxes to pay for better healthcare and housing for veterans?

I wouldn't mind paying for veterans; they performed a valuable service for the country. Your ordinary wino, druggie, I do mind paying for, but that's another topic entirely.

I wouldn't mind paying for veterans; they performed a valuable service for the country. Your ordinary wino, druggie, I do mind paying for, but that's another topic entirely.
Well ... not really. Many homeless veterans are also addicts, which is probably part of the reason they're homeless. Whether they became addicts because they were homeless, or are homeless partially because they're addicts is undetermined.

Thank you for your kind thoughts toward veterans though! :fluffle:

Well the way I see it, we still owe them for risking their asses. They get paid far to little to do it, IMO. Even if they are winos. I'm talking about you're douchebag who has never done anything for society, but be a hinderence. Those are the kind of people I do not tolerate.

While an estimated 500,000 veterans were homeless at some time during 2004, the Veterans Affiars' Administration had the resources to tend to only 100,000 of them. This year President Bush's budget falls more than $2.6 billion short of the amount needed to fully fund quality veterans' health care. Furthermore, the Bush administration budget would significantly reduce (http://www.thenewstribune.com/front/topstories/story/4629906p-4297561c.html) federal support for state-operated veterans homes and impose new limitations on who can be admitted.

The newest outrage is the revelation that President Bush will establish (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/southsouthwest/chi-0502150270feb15,1,664583.story?coll=chi-newslocalssouthwest-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true) a new annual $250 enrollment fee and higher co-payments for veterans who participate in the VA's health care system. Almost 2 1/2 million veterans will be affected by this.


This pisses me off, anyway, since I have several veterans in my family and they don't like being pissed on by George "Stay-at-home" Bush and his brilliant ass-plans for turning the USA into a slightly less inefficient USSR.

And it irks me because people think what he's doing is conservative or even capitalistic. The only capitalistic part is he's treating the VA system like his own checking account. Just raise mandatory fees to the government - ho ho, smells like socialism! - and lower expenditures - yeah, steal from AND fuck over the veterans! - and it'd be a perfect, brutal, stupid way to make money. (Assuming that dubya's government would be climbing out of defecit spending, which is a fucking laugh.) Except the government isn't supposed to make money. That's for private enterprise to do, and without extorting a bunch of actual patriots.

Would you agree to an increase of say $100 per year in your taxes to pay for better healthcare and housing for veterans?
Yes, I would. My Step-Father is recieving VA medical care and although I believe the doctors are doing the best they can, it could be a whole lot better.

Would you agree to an increase of say $100 per year in your taxes to pay for better healthcare and housing for veterans?

Sure! Especially if accompanied by say, I dunno, a $1000 less per year if we cut down that absurd amount of support we give Israel (http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=753&CategoryId=4) each year.

By my reckoning, that's 900 dollars LESS, and we have US veterans and taxpayers benefiting instead of Israeli citizens. :)

Of course, like that's ever going to happen....

Yes, I would. My Step-Father is recieving VA medical care and although I believe the doctors are doing the best they can, it could be a whole lot better.
Very true.

Although I'm eligible for treatment at the Army medical facility at Fort Bragg on a space available basis, there's really no point in travelling the 90 miles to get there since veterans can only get care when there are no active duty personnel who need care too. With the increased numbers of active duty personnel and all the activity at Bragg nowdays, I would probably have to wait for days.

There is a nearby VA Clinic ( about ten miles from where I live ), but there are many services they cannot provide, including surgery. If I need surgery, there are three VA hospitals within driving distance, but the two closest have very bad reputations. The only one I would consider is the one in Durham, which has a number of doctors from Duke Hospital working there on an on-call basis. When you consider that North Carolina already has the largest percentage of veterans of any state, and that the numbers of veterans in the State is increasing at a rapid rate, the issue of health care and other veterans' services becomes even more crutial.

I wish I had some answers. :(

Sure! Especially if accompanied by say, I dunno, a $1000 less per year if we cut down that absurd amount of support we give Israel (http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=753&CategoryId=4) each year.

By my reckoning, that's 900 dollars LESS, and we have US veterans and taxpayers benefiting instead of Israeli citizens. :)

Of course, like that's ever going to happen....
You're right ... that will never happen. But thank you for your kind thoughts anyway! :fluffle: