If Republicans Really Supported The Troops They Wouldn’t Propose Privatizing the VA

[babylonsister]

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/05/26/republicans-supported-troops-propose-privatizing-va.html

If Republicans Really Supported The Troops They Wouldn’t Propose Privatizing the VA
By: Rmuse
Monday, May, 26th, 2014, 11:14 am


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War should be any nation’s last resort to resolve a conflict regardless the circumstances, and yet for Republicans and their conservative supporters, there is never a good reason not to send more Americans to die as if this nation needs more fallen soldiers to memorialize at the start of summer. In fact, despite Americans still serving in Iraq and fighting in Afghanistan, and a war-weary public ready for a rare period without war, Republicans have clamored for more wars with no regard for the men and women whose job it is to put their lives on the line for their country. During the Bush administration, any criticism of the senseless loss of life and resources expended in Iraq and Afghanistan brought swift accusations that advocating for peace was not supporting the troops. However, Republicans have never supported the troops; not while they were in Iraq and Afghanistan and certainly not after they returned home.

The recent revelation that severely underfunded Veterans’ Administration hospitals were responsible for Veterans dying waiting for care is an abomination. That is not supporting the troops; it is using and discarding them after they served their purpose of enriching the military industrial complex. The simple fact that VA hospitals were left using creative scheduling schemes because they were burdened with patients should be all the proof any American needs to comprehend that Republicans have never cared about, or supported, the troops after their service was complete. It is important to remember that while Republicans refused to fund new hospitals, Veterans’ jobs bills, or their pensions due to “budgetary constraints,” they always find more than enough funds for tax cuts for the rich, new military hardware the Pentagon does not want or need, or funding to start more wars whether it was in Syria, Libya, Iran, and recently in Russia.

If Republicans supported the troops and appreciated the sacrifice of those who made it home alive, then they would not propose privatizing the Veterans Administration, cut Veterans’ pensions, obstruct Veterans’ jobs bills, reject Medicaid expansion, cut active-duty soldiers’ food stamps, or block new construction for desperately-needed VA hospitals. There has been a call for the Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs, Retired General Shinseki, to resign or be fired after reports surfaced Veterans died waiting for treatment at VA hospitals, but if Republicans adequately funded the Veterans’ Administration there would be no so-called scandal. The only scandal remotely related to the unnecessary Veterans’ deaths is that there are insufficient hospitals and medical facilities as a direct result of Republicans underfunding the VA.

Republicans argue, like they did when they withheld increased security funding for diplomatic missions that led to the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi, that they have to prioritize where funding goes, but that is never the case when they subsidize the oil industry, corporate agriculture, pass budgets with new tax cuts for the wealthy, or call for new American military intervention at the drop of a hat. The warmongers in Congress, and there are many more than those appearing on news programs condemning the President for not rushing to war, are beholden to the very substantial military-industrial complex and its profits and have barely-concealed contempt for the men and women whose lives are on the line. Their contempt is publicly manifest when they oppose funding for Veterans whether it is for jobs, new medical facilities, or cut Veterans’ pensions to protect tax breaks for the rich and corporations.

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If America never goes to war again, the people have enough fallen and living service members to memorialize and honor for their sacrifice, so if Republicans are always pushing for more wars just to give the people more fallen heroes to honor on Memorial Day, they are more malevolent than anyone could imagine. War should always be the remedy of last resort for any nation if for no other reason than supporting the troops by not putting them in harms’ way. Republicans readily put the men and women of the military in harms way whether it was sending them to fight and die in their wars of choice, or forcing them to wait for medical care at underfunded Veterans’ hospitals. The real travesty is that it is not because Republicans want a perpetual line of fallen soldiers, airmen, and sailors to remember on Memorial Day, but because they love war as much as they hate the Americans tasked to fight them; especially those that make it home alive.

[liberal N proud]

1. Republicans only care about the rich and big business.

Profit for that group above all.

[shenmue]

4. Exactly

[blkmusclmachine]

2. GOP: Profit over everything else, bay-bee!

[Skittles]

3. they don't give a flying fuck about troops OR veterans

it's always about the almighty dollar to those greedy chickenhawk bastards

[LynnTTT]

5. Let's face it

If Obama said, yes let's privatize. Effective July 1, well dissolve the VA media l system
Vets can call around and find the best health plan possible, using local doctors and the federal government will pay the premium in full. Then when the vet turns 65, they can go into the same medicare system all seniors are in....... The GOP would go ballistic and say how dare Obama do awayy with the treasured Health care system that vets know ans love.

[Historic NY]

6. Privatizing means someone is going to make a profit at the Vets expense & care...

the less spent means the more profit.