Why Do We Take It?

[SouthernBelle]

I know this has been said before, but we don't have to take this. Why can't we do the same things the Presidential candidates are doing and start raising money to get every Veteran who is able to travel to descend upon Washington D.C. and demand something. What is stopping us? Is it because the Bonus Army didn't get what they wanted when they wanted it? I don't think so. GDSnide said it right. FEAR. People are afraid now. But what are we afraid of? We don't have to take it. Hundreds of people doing small things are great, and can't be downplayed, but at the same time, if we had a massive group of Veterans marching in DC that would get attention. We could run adverts on TV, radio, and get the local news involved. Start raising money. It may take a few years to get enough money for every Veteran ABLE to travel to come, but we've got time. We're sitting here waiting on the VA to give what EVERY AMERICAN VETERAN DESERVES. Lets stop talking about how bad it is, and lets actually do something BIG. There are people on here with VERY good contacts in Congress. Give them the CHANCE to fix the system, and if they don't, then we go, if they do fix it, we donate the or put into a trust the money raised. The trust can be used for Veterans and their families who are still waiting, or if there is an emergency. What is stopping us? If those of us on THIS forum can't get together, then NOBODY can, so lets do it! We ought to prove that a nonviolent "PROTEST" still works wonders.

We should be angry, but kind; demanding, but polite; and firm but soft-spoken.

Edited October 14, 2008 by SouthernBelle

[yoggie2]

Belle:

Whatever the VA does to your husband should be of grave concern to you. Sometimes when we are not up to a fight its our spouse who stands in for what is needed

I appreciate your advocacy and wish that there were many more like you.

Great post Pete53..........

[Chuck75]

Unfortunately, the WWI veterans tried to do something similar about promised pensions that were deliberately delayed until many of the veterans had passed away. The end result was that the army was called out to remove them from Washington.

One of the many current problems is simply that veterans bills etc. are classed under the "revenue neutral" category.

The next issue, which is a major one, is that veteran related funding is not a mandatory part of military appropriations on a percentage basis.

Finally, veterans are in a class that the government considers of lower importance than others.

A. The usefulness of the disabled veteran is nil/negative to the government.

B. The disabled veteran is a burden on the government due to the obligation the government has. In the government's way of bureaucratic and political thinking, the impact of such obligations should be minimized any way possible.

I know this has been said before, but we don't have to take this. Why can't we do the same things the Presidential candidates are doing and start raising money to get every Veteran who is able to travel to descend upon Washington D.C. and demand something. What is stopping us? Is it because the Bonus Army didn't get what they wanted when they wanted it? I don't think so. GDSnide said it right. FEAR. People are afraid now. But what are we afraid of? We don't have to take it. Hundreds of people doing small things are great, and can't be downplayed, but at the same time, if we had a massive group of Veterans marching in DC that would get attention. We could run adverts on TV, radio, and get the local news involved. Start raising money. It may take a few years to get enough money for every Veteran ABLE to travel to come, but we've got time. We're sitting here waiting on the VA to give what EVERY AMERICAN VETERAN DESERVES. Lets stop talking about how bad it is, and lets actually do something BIG. There are people on here with VERY good contacts in Congress. Give them the CHANCE to fix the system, and if they don't, then we go, if they do fix it, we donate the or put into a trust the money raised. The trust can be used for Veterans and their families who are still waiting, or if there is an emergency. What is stopping us? If those of us on THIS forum can't get together, then NOBODY can, so lets do it! We ought to prove that a nonviolent "PROTEST" still works wonders.

We should be angry, but kind; demanding, but polite; and firm but soft-spoken.

[SouthernBelle]

You're talking about the Bonus Army. I'm well versed in their cause and the outcome. I'd like to have a mission statement that encompasses not only assistance for Veterans but legislative action and changing the ways Veterans are looked at by our government. They are not just Veterans. They've been in the Military, which makes them soldiers and if there's one thing I've learned, it is that you can take the soldier out of the Military, but it is a much larger, if not impossible task, to take the Military out of the soldier. So these Veterans aren't just a Veterans Affairs issue, they are a Military issue as well and should be treated fairly and compassionately. Currently, like you said, they're not considered "useful" by our government, which is unfortunate and ultimately wrong. I may be rambling now. I'll stop.

Unfortunately, the WWI veterans tried to do something similar about promised pensions that were deliberately delayed until many of the veterans had passed away. The end result was that the army was called out to remove them from Washington.

One of the many current problems is simply that veterans bills etc. are classed under the "revenue neutral" category.

The next issue, which is a major one, is that veteran related funding is not a mandatory part of military appropriations on a percentage basis.

Finally, veterans are in a class that the government considers of lower importance than others.

A. The usefulness of the disabled veteran is nil/negative to the government.

B. The disabled veteran is a burden on the government due to the obligation the government has. In the government's way of bureaucratic and political thinking, the impact of such obligations should be minimized any way possible.

[Rockhound]

As I see it, there is but one other group of people who are treated worse than we are and has had as much if not poorer treatment and have poorer results trying to get what is due them and that is the Native Americans who were killed, abused, put on reservations so they could control them better, and many other wrongs that they have yet and it is doubtfull they will ever get any just or equitable relief from our government over land stolen and treatese broken and money owed due to outright lies, mismanagement and outright theft, that had you or I done these things, would have spent the rest of our lives in jail for.

The African Americans and others of color, are only slightly above us in there treatment by our government. We fight and die for our country and then are soon forgotten as the Veterans claims are delayed, denied, hoping we will go away or die before they are finally forced to approve our claims.

The only way I see something happening, is to do it state by state, every veteran living in a particular state, marching on that states capital, submitting a patition signed by all, no matter what their Political affiliation, promising to vote against re-election of anyone who is in office at the time, if the Veterans needs are not met. I would hazzard to guess that their are enough swing votes by Veteran's that could prove fatal to an incumbant, should all the veterans vote against re-electing anyone who fails to do anything to bring about an effective change in the VA.

Veterans must stand together, regardless of being Republican or Democrat, or Independant. If the polaticians feared they would be voted out of office they might just do something constructive to help Veterans and improving conditions at the VA.

IMHO

Rockhound Rider

Voting for an incumbent this year only means the same old things will go on, that does nothing to improve Veteran issue's. We have to vote as one to make a difference.

[john999]

Local VA bosses hate to be put on the spot by the people they are supposed to serve. They are not used to it. They can't hide as well as those guys in Washington. If you can get to the local guys you can really cook them in the local newspapers. Ask William who posts from St. Petersburg. He gets calls from the St. Pete Times looking for more dirt on the local VA.

[SouthernBelle]

I'm looking for dirt on them right now.

Local VA bosses hate to be put on the spot by the people they are supposed to serve. They are not used to it. They can't hide as well as those guys in Washington. If you can get to the local guys you can really cook them in the local newspapers. Ask William who posts from St. Petersburg. He gets calls from the St. Pete Times looking for more dirt on the local VA.