Veterans Issues

Dear Editor,

I am writing to you and to all incumbent politicians as a way of venting through our local paper. How can we expect our representatives to understand the common people of this country? 50% of our representatives are millionaires, 37% are lawyers, and 80% have never served the United States military in any capacity. How do we expect them to understand the veteran’s needs and our values? For those who believe, that obstruction at any cost is “NOT” the goal of the GOP, consider the behavior in the house. Here is a concise extraction for easy viewing for those who are interested in VETERAN’S ISSUSES and need to know which party supports veterans and which party does not. The rejected Bills are named:

H.R. 466-Wounded Veteran Job Security Act which became H.R. 2875

H.R. 1168- Veterans Retraining Act

H.R. 1171- Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program Reauthorization

H.R. 1172- Requiring List On VA Website of Organizations Providing Scholarship for Veterans

H.R. 1293 Disabled Home Improvement and Structural Alteration Grant Increase Act of 2009

DETAILS OF BILLS REJECTED BY REPUBLICANS:

H.R. 466- Would actually provide job security for Veterans who are receiving medical treatment for injuries suffered while fighting in defense of our country. It would prohibit employers from terminating Veterans who miss work while receiving treatment for service related disabilities.

H.R. 1168- Would provide assistance to Veterans who are currently unemployed with expenses while retraining for the current job market.

H.R. 1171- Would reauthorize programs in support of homeless Veterans, and assist them with job training and counseling and provide placement services through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

H.R. 1172- Would require the VA Website to list organizations who provide scholarships which do nothing more than direct the department to include information about scholarships for Veterans.

H.R. – 1293- Would help disabled Veterans with home improvements and structural altercations; this would basically help provide wheelchair ramps for veterans who have lost limbs.
The fact that one in four Veterans is out of work, and that Veteran suicides are outpacing combat deaths, despite the fact that more and more are returning home. It was not just the Democrats that were left stunned by the callous and ungrateful behavior of the GOP towards the American people who sent their sons and daughters to defend our freedom. I think we all understand that we are in the heat of an election year and Republicans want to deny the President politics of any kind. It seems the Bill O’Reily syndrome makes it seem that President Obama can do nothing right. Lest we forget that no one person runs the USA. And those who voted to shut down the United States Government (we did not forget) must face the inevitable fact that re-election will no longer be an automatic, this election year. How does the most dedicated Republican live with the knowledge that their parties elected officials can so easily cast a vote to send American soldiers off the war, only to refuse those same Veterans help in getting his or her life back? Seeing a bus load of WWII Veterans being refused access to the WWII Memorial, after riding for 18 hours from Nebraska, crushed me, and still bothers me today.

I am just saying:

John J. Tarantella Sr.
U.S. Veteran