Wednesday, July 08, 2015

While the Clown Car Spins and Inane Arguments on Confederate Flags and Same Sex Marriage Rail - Veterans are Ignored....

The more things change, the more they stay the same.
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Americans have a bizarre relationship with war and a horrible relationship with our veterans.  I suppose for non-Americans it makes no sense.
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Let's start with the problem.  Our leaders appetite for sending our troops to war is huge.  Deciding to "put boots on the ground" in Afghanistan or Iraq or Nigeria or Kurdistan or anywhere else is easy for our elected officials.  It plays well to the voters for Republicans and Democrats go along because they either believe in it or are afraid of being labelled as appeasers.
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Funding for war is invariably found. Because war is profitable; bombs, tanks, bullets, drones are among the items built used and rebuilt in American manufacturing plants.
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But while the activity of war uses resources we don't have to replace, it also creates veterans.  Veterans with physical and psychological repercussions that have to be taken care of.  Even veterans that don't have problems right after battle or deployment need health care in later years.  This costs money and politicians hate spending money.  There are no big profit centers in Health Care for veterans.
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Now, for non-Americans, this would be part of the national health issue.  But remember, America doesn't have a national health scheme.  We have private health care, except for veterans.  Veterans have "The VA" - the Veterans Administration, which also has hospitals.  Part of America's agreement to our service members was health care.  You went to war and you were entitled to health care.



But as wars moved from being an option to an obsession, we created more veterans.  (WWI lasted 4 years for the US, Vietnam closer to 9 years, Afghanistan is at 14 and counting.)  Better medical care in the field has left more amputees and wounded service men and women that lived.
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So, has the funding for The VA expanded to keep pace?  After all, we all say we appreciate what the troops did.  We all thank them for their service.  And then the fuckers in Washington don't fund the VA.
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Good, honest and true Americans will often sacrifice for their country.  Many of them are asked, and then answer, the call to war for their country.  It is disgusting that the same officials that send them to war barely acknowledge veteran's needs on their return.  These are the same politicians that agree to pensions but don't fund them.  That go on TV to complain about bridges and roads going to hell, but don't fund the Highway Administration.
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For them, the "army" we send into war is disassociated from the veterans that come back.  And the veterans are easy to defund.  They are a disgrace.
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Joining the Politicians in the pool of disgrace, news media that rather talk about what fresh idiotic sayings vomit out of Donald Trump or who refuses to issues marriage licenses.  News media that actively participates in the dumbing down of the country.
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Rant off.