President Bush is contriving to decrease funding for veteran’s health care
in 2009. This is a betrayal to our soldiers who will return home from Iraq and
Afghanistan as well as to veterans from past wars.
A reduction of veterans’ health care funds is also abhorrent because the cost
of providing health care to veterans will only rise. Further appalling is that this plan was announced after Bush had adamantly stated that 21,500 additional
troops will be going to the Middle East to fight.
In 2008 alone, 5.8 million patients, including 263,000 Iraq and Afghanistan
veterans are expected to seek treatment, according to the Veteran’s Administration, and the number of veterans coming to the VA for help has been
rising five percent a year.
Statistics such as this make it conspicuous that the President is demonstrating
poor judgment and has failed to exercise forethought in this life-or-death matter. If his proposed budget cuts come to fruition, it would be disastrous for every veteran, healthy and ill.
Presently, medical care for veterans is funded at $35.6 billion and will increase
to $39.6 billion in 2008.
In 2009, however, medical care for veterans may be decreased to only $38.8
billion and remain at this level until the year 2012.
Veterans do not deserve to be treated in this manner. These valorous men and
women have risked their lives to defend our country and to not give them the care
they need is an insult.
Bush believes that he will only have to contribute an additional one percent per
year on domestic agency operations, including the VA. This is utterly erroneous.
In fact, soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan will INCREASE the veteran population by 26 percent, according to CNN.
It is very important to Bush that this war be won, but victory cannot be
achieved at the expense of soldiers and veterans.
Unfortunately, however, money continues to be spent on the military while
medical care for veterans is suffering.
More money cannot be devoted to the war than is spent for the welfare of the
men and women who were involved in it, for a soldier’s life and well being are
equally valuable, on and off the battlefield.
Bush should derelict his plan to decrease funds for veteran’s health care
and commit himself to taking care of the veterans
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I am still amazed that some of the men I served with in Iraq can still support a man who cut veterans' benefits while we were still in Iraq getting attacked in the name of his global vision of democracy. I am glad that those who aren't necessarily affected by it are angry as well.
http://www.ivaw.org/user/326
Justin C. Cliburn