Veteran’s Day 2015
Ted Folkert
November 11, 2015
Veterans! How can we thank them enough? Unfortunately, it seems easier to forget them than to remember or thank them. Especially those sleeping under bridges or on the sidewalk on skid row.
Every weapon that is used in warfare or any other classification of defense or military aggression has a person attached. That person is a member of the military who at some point became or will become a veteran. The weapons get lots of consideration since they are a large part of our economy and a large part of the largess of our public treasury that is bestowed upon the behemoth corporations who manufacture them. The veterans get lots of talk during political campaigns but are left on the back burner of the stove of issues that drive our economy at budget time.
The veterans have no choice about the battles in which they become engaged, injured, killed, or maimed for life either physically or mentally. And then, those who survive with injuries become invisible as we walk past them on the street, invisible when the budget battles are being argued by our fearless leaders, and their family members’ needs become invisible when they die.
Perhaps blinders are issued when our leaders are elected to office. You know, blinders like we put on horses so they won’t get spooked. But political blinders are not designed for preventing our leaders from getting spooked. They are designed to prevent undesirable matters such as veteran benefits from interfering with the important matters for our leaders, amassing campaign funds so they can be reelected and continue to receive generous benefits for their part-time work and the generous lifetime income and care bestowed upon them for making all of the vital decisions about running the country.
If we all contributed $1.00 today to veteran programs such as health care and housing it would give them $300 million to start the much overdue process of taking care of those who paid the price for our freedom and welfare.
Let’s all say thanks to a veteran today. Give a veteran a dollar today. It’s the least we can do.
Think about it!