Discussion Concerning Veterans Affairs

Discussion Concerning Veterans Affairs

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional as to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their country."

~ George Washington

When considering the areas in which funds are to be disbursed in this proposition, the most important block of funds are those 9% which are to be dedicated to assisting Military Veterans and their families.  This proposal addresses four separate areas of concern.  It does not discuss Health Care benefits and insurance as those are inclusive under the Health Care section of Proposition 420.  What this section does deal with however are four issues dealing with the living standards of those who serve as well as honorable compensation for sacrifices made.  This first part focuses on ensuring that our serving Military Personnel need not be burdened unduly worrying about the basic living expenses of their families.  The second part is an attempt to address the dishonorable situation in this land wherein Veterans, men and women who served this nation with distinction, are counted among the homeless.  A suggestion is then offered which considers a means to assist Disabled Veterans with a pension to assist with the costs of living.  Finally, recommendation is made to dedicate a portion of the revenue received through the National “Hemp Tax” to establish a “Fallen Soldier” fund, designed to directly and immediately financially assist the families of those who perish in the line of duty.

With the current unfocused conflicts which the United States is involved in along with the on-going economic troubles faced due to the excessive debt incurred, one of the more shameful situations that has evolved is the need by some military families to resort to pay-day loans and food stamps.  This is a shame which blights the Nation, one which must be rectified.  Therefore, means need to be established to apply a percentage of the “Hemp Tax” funds dedicated to Veterans Affairs to directly assist Military Families with basic costs associated with living expenses.  Exactly how this should be implemented would need discussion and input from a variety of sources though a suggestion would be to either create a fund with which Military Families in need may tap when needed on review or an equal disbursement throughout the Armed Services addressing certain pay grades and situations.  However this is ultimately implemented, it desperately needs to be established.  Our Soldiers, regardless the dangers they so bravely face, must be assured that their Nation loves them enough so as to ensure the domestic welfare of their spouses and children.

“Veteran – hungry, homeless - please help – God bless”  How many such signs grace street corners across this country?  How often are those words accompanied by the word “disabled” and carried by an unkempt individual with obvious physical impairments?  How is it that the United States allows even one such sign to grace even one street corner in this land?  Of all national disgraces ever embraced by the United States, this epidemic of heroes turned loose, penniless, to face the night without shelter must rank within the most infamous of all.  When Johnny comes marching home, not always is there a home to return to for the military was home.  Not always is that Government Issue Joe capable of dealing with this world so far from a battlefield.  Then there are those who, by any thousands of possible circumstances, find themselves destitute and in want of shelter.  Very few choose to end up in the streets.  The directing of funds to a program designed to offer shelter and structure along with the tools to take control of ones life is not a hand out.  What needs to be established is a program to do just that.  One possible aspect of that program could be the establishment of multi-unit dwellings specifically designed to offer rooms from which to reestablish themselves within a supported support community of fellow veterans.  A national discussion needs to be joined on this subject.

It would be honorable if Disabled Veterans, with their medical fully covered, were offered a pension sufficient enough, as funds become available through the increased national acceptance and commercial use of Hemp, cover with certainty, at the minimum that needed to ensure a roof over their head.  This would be separate from the issue of housing homeless Veterans as here it would be an assistance to any Disabled Veteran, regardless their home, to ensure that basic living expenses are paid.  As the total revenue from the “Hemp Tax” becomes greater and greater over time, before too long this Nation will be able to cover those expenses with ease.  It is the least that could be done.

Finally, for those who sacrifice even more and whose family suffers most, such a loss in the service of the United States should never have financial stresses added on top.  All funeral expenses should be covered.  Also, a fund should be established from which to financially assist those who survive a Soldier.  This fund should be designed to offer relief from initial financial burdens and be used to relieve debt of those who remain so that added financial stress doesn’t also result in the loss of property.  As we should not suffer our Veterans to be homeless, we should not allow their grieving children to do so either.  This fund should eventually become supported enough to allow for full scholarships to the children of those lost.

The suggestions offered within these four areas are by no means the singular course which should be taken.  A national dialog needs to be developed wherein the breadth of our community may input their ideas in how to ensure continued support for those who offer themselves so nobly.  All that is offered here are the briefest of sketches.  It is the need for such programs and the potential manner of their funding that stands out in bold relief.  ‘Hemp for Victory’ was the name of a government sponsored film aimed at encouraging domestic Hemp production during the Second World War.  That cry needs to be remembered, needs to be answered, and Hemp offers that possibility.