100% Pay Rate

[john999]

I wrote my senator and told him that a 20 year old permanently and totally disabled single vet gets about 2300 dollars a month. In my city it is almost impossible to buy a house, a car, and pay for the basic ammenities of life on 2300 a month much less support a family and raise kids. These youngsters are at a major disadvantage as are all disabled vets. Unless you have some other income you will find it hard going on even 100%. The rate for 100% disabled vets should be doubled and then maybe it would compensate for the loss. Houses and condos in my neighborhood go for around 300,000 bucks. How does someone making 2300 a month pay a mortgage, and insurance for a place to live unless they rent. I bought my house 20 years ago for 70 thousand before I was 100%. What was the GI Bill invented for if it does not serve the severely disabled who can't afford to buy a house anyway? The draft dodgers in Congress all live the good life and the people who bleed for the nation get poverty wages. Home of the free and land of the poor for most of us.

[Pete53]

JOHN:

Thanks for writing but do you think he really cares? After all a Senator gets over 175,000 a year lots of bribes and kickbacks, payoffs, lots of freebies.

[Ricky]

I agree. However, I do not think you will see any increase.

The first reason for no increase is we all have to understand the named "leaders" of this country. They consider themselves the "elite" class. As such their only concern is to remain in power. They do not even care if it is a Repub or democrate majority - their goal is personal power. With this thought process they could care less about a veteran or anyone else in America. You have to give it to them for they are smart when it comes to maintaining power. They study, deal and what ever else it takes to maintain such power. Their actions in congress are done merely to fool us common folk. They pick and chose which bills they know will fail or meet their goals - never are their actions meant to support any sector of the American population- they are simply put into place to fool the public into voting for them. If that don't work they target special interest groups with money for projects etc... even if such an action is illegal they go for it for their desire and need for power overrides their basic sense of human self preservation.

Second - The non-serving public feels that veterans are a bunch of crazy drunks who are sucking the country dry. The majority of the non-serving public simply does not have the big ones needed to voice their true feelings. In public they cry support, support, support, however, behind closed doors they sigh in disbelief at the fact a crazy and drunk veteran sits around all day, riding his harley or jumping in his RV pulling his Bass Boat down to the river and their tax dollars are paying him 2300.00 per month!!!!! After all the veteran is just faking his disability so he can sit on his lazy but....... You will never see these feelings come out but be warned they are there. If you could only be a fly on the wall behind the closed doors............

So the next time someone thanks you for your service simply say "thanks, are you a veteran?" If the reply is no (and he/she is not the spouse/child/mom/dad etc.....of a veteran) smile and keep on moving for he probably has a knife in his hand waiting for you to turn your back. If the reply is yes give the vet a hug and thank him for his service. Only a veteran, spouse or close family member knows the plight of a veteran. They are the ones who truly love and support the veteran community and truly understand the disabilities associated with the veteran community.

Sorry for the rant and I hope I do not offend anyone but this is just how it is in America. God bless America and her hereos and may he have mercy on those who work to the deteriment of those hereos.

Edited August 3, 2007 by Ricky

[MikeS]

Ricky:

I could not have said it better myself.

Mike S.

[Jay Johnson]

Passing a concurrent receipt bill that covers *ALL* medically retired vets would help some (I know an extra $1000/month would be a big help to us), but they do need to revisit the amount in general as well, especially given the ridiculous inflation in housing cost since bush took office. The house I'm in now (renting 'cause I can't afford to buy it), is worth about 450K....the owners bought it about 3 years ago for 250K...that's an ****80%**** increase in three years, yet we got, what, a 6% increase in compensation over the same period....insane!!!!!!!!

But, the fiscal conservatives that tell us how the economy is doing don't seem to factor in housing costs into the "economy"...to them, the stock market is up 2K points so everyone MUST be doing great......right???

[john999]

If the politicians think veteran benefits is an issue they can get milage out of then they may be more inclined to help. You see they passed a pretty large increase recently because they all want to appear to be supporting the troops. These bastards can count votes and they can count money. I do detect public sympathy lately. I have had three or four strangers come up to me and shake my hand because I was wearing my Vietnam Vet hat. That never happened during last 35 years.

[Ricky]

Jay - CR is just the kind of thing I was speaking of..... CR is a vote getter therefore it is a power pill for them. Although everyone in the elite say poor veterans, just look at the injustice of this outdated law. Then in the back rooms of the capital it is used to stir the workings of the national vet organizations by breaking off small crumbs of CR laced rice cakes. The NSO can then jump up and down with joy and waive the flag in front of the veterans saying lookie at what we did. The politicians all run back to their desk and author an immediate full CR bill for all veterans knowing that it will never pass. Then on their web pages you can read about their undying and dedicated support to the veteran community and the fact that Sen X drafted and sponsored a full CR bill. he is sorry for the defeat but he will be sure to try again next year!

So you see CR is a money grabber for the NSO (membership increases due to the excellent job they are doing) and a fake effort by untold senators simply to gain votes from the vet community.

I would not be surprised that when it is time for the full phase-in the crooks that run this country do not try to repeal the CR law. Only time will tell.