In response to Our hawkish leaders soon forget veterans.

I wrote this response to a letter to the editors this morning.  Of course Jeffrey J. Weiss, director, Catholic Peace Ministry, Des Moines is more upset that the dream act died than he is concerned for veterans. He, like other use veterans to advance their own agenda and could care less about those of us with the balls to take the oath and stand a watch. Something I bet he didn't do.

The federal government keeps using up the veterans and spitting them out. It's time that they took a look at their spending habits and get their priorities straight. The Constitution states that the government is to protect our country. That means the military and the people in it. Abe Lincoln established the VA system after the civil war to care for those that fought and to provide for the widows and children of those that died. Currently, homeless veterans are left to fend for themselves while our government spends money on things that they have no business spending it on. The first item of business should be the defense of our country and the care of those that swore a oath to defend it. But instead we are thrown under the bus because they have to buy the votes of those that have their hand out. Want welfare? join the military. They will feed you 3 times a day and give you a place to live.

I do not understand why it is that we have to fight for the benefits we were promised when we took our oath. We didn't make the government wait or just give part time. After they are done with us we are just so much waste to them. There was a article in yesterday’s paper about a paralyzed veteran and the way his family is taking care of him. Good for his family and its good that the VA is helping too. But what about the millions of us disabled vets that are having to hire lawyers and fight for years for our benefits? I myself have been fighting the VA for over six years just to get what they promised me in 1973. If I had a choice, I would rather still be a productive worker. I liked the job I was doing and paid plenty each year in taxes. But now that I'm unable to work, they have no use for me. Unlike so many other veterans, I'm not homeless, but I could be. All because the VA has been ordered to reject every claim as many times as possible.

They keep this up in the hopes that the veteran will either give up or die. That's the way they save money. Money shouldn't be the issue. The issue should be the care of the people that gave what they had to their country instead of to a bunch of slackers that are too lazy to get off their a** and go to work. There are a lot of vets out there that gave a lot for their country. The wounded among us gave a lot and some, the ones that died, gave all they had. Maybe it's time to have a system where everyone serves. Two years in the military and the only out would be for religious reasons or medical. Let the kids of the rich and famous serve right beside the kid from the ghetto. Then they can go to college or join the workforce. And the ones that have objections should serve a couple years in the peace corps. A good round of service to your country will give you a better understanding of what the Constitution means. And a better understanding of what veterans go through.

Here's a idea for all of the illegal aliens that want to be citizens. Enlist in the military. That should be the only "path to citizenship" allowed. That will give them the incentive to assimilate into our culture. It's easy to cry and demand things when you don't have skin in the game. We should be working to maintain our status as the greatest nation on earth. We should have a strong military and we should be treating our veterans with the dignity and respect that they deserve. Everyone should be writing to your congress people and demanding that something be done. I don't mean the government should buy a house for every veteran. But every veteran should be getting everything promised. They promise you the moon to get you to sign and then treat you like s*** when they are done with you. And as long as the children of the rich, famous and politicians don't have to serve things will never change