I tried to be civil, to hold back, but this isn't acceptable. These young men risk their lives for this country, they lose limbs, and what do they gain in return? Hardship. This is not right, and I blame our current administration. Bush is incompetent. I have done my research, read articles, listened to NPR through most of the Iraq war. Nothing can really convince me that he is doing a good job. The gloves are coming off. I have had enough of this man. Of course it could be unfair of me to blame the plight of these soldiers on Bush, but, the fact is that he sent them into this war. Het cut some of their funding, closed down their VA hospitals... Of course, it's not just Bush and this war, look at the plight of Vietnam vets who got shell shocked and went through hell just to end up living out on the streets. Still, it isn't right. Why isn't more being done to help these people? We owe them a lot more than this.... Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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This is just my uninformed opinion. I don't actually know what I'm talking about. Here's my theory:
One reason we don't have more benefits for our soldiers is because we are uncomfortable about them and about the military. In particular, we just don't know what to do about a person who is mentally or physically damaged--or both. I think it's especially hard when it occurred during a war because then we feel a little guilty about it as well. So we try to help them, but sometimes it's easier just to push these people out of sight so we don't feel so bad. Another problem (probably a lot more during the Vietnam era than now) is that some people are hostile toward the military and don't care about the situation that soldiers are in. If they think that soldiers are out murdering babies and massacring villages, they won't want them to get benefits. But again, that attitude is pretty uncommon nowadays.
Then, too, many soldiers are lower to middle class and might not have as much political power as other groups do. Especially if they are out of the country at the time and can't be as active in the political process.
Posts: 3546 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Even if that is the case, even if the soldiers are so-called babykillers they have gone through hell and deserve benefits and help adjusting to the civilian world... It's only fair.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Hey, I'm not arguing with you! I'm just randomly speculating on the possible causes for the lack of benefits. I do think we ought to treat our veterans well, especially those who sacrificed their sanity or their body for us.
Posts: 3546 | Registered: Jul 2002
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I agree it's unacceptable. Good thing the military does, too, and is correcting the situation.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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First, note the headline is about the closures, even though the panel is also advocating building at least one new hospital.
quote:It recommended closing hospitals in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Gulfport, Miss., and transferring large portions of care away from the Waco, Texas, hospital.
The commission found that money the VA was spending to maintain unused or underused buildings and excess land could be used to provide direct medical care to veterans.
"The commission believes that change is necessary to prepare the system for a new veteran demographic reality and a rapidly evolving approach to health care delivery," the panel members said in their report.
Veterans have shifted from northern cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Boston and New York to Sun Belt states like Florida, Texas and Arizona.
The recommendations are not final. VA Secretary Anthony Principi, who received the report Thursday afternoon, now gets to review the report and decide whether to approve, reject or change some of the recommendations.
The VA said Principi would not comment on the report until it is final.
The VA launched the massive restructuring after government auditors in 1999 predicted that the VA would spend billions of dollars to operate unneeded buildings and that as much as one in every four VA health care dollars would be devoted to maintenance and operation of facilities.
Note the date the initiative started. It's one thing to say, "closing VA hospitals will result in poorer care for veterans." Data on this can be gathered and the practical results can be debated by both sides.
It's another to say, "The closing of VA hospitals shows Bush doesn't care about veterans."
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