7 Facts About Our Veterans That Will Shock The Hell Out Of You

[Scuba]

http://front.moveon.org/7-facts-about-our-veterans-that-will-shock-the-hell-out-of-you/


..snip..

One-third of the adult homeless population are veterans.

There is an estimated 196,000 homeless veterans in the US on any given night. Twice as many will experience homelessness at least once during the course of a year.

..end..



Chew 'em up, spit 'em out. I hate those little fucking yellow ribbons that say "I support the troops".

[RKP5637]

1. It's the damn disgusting Henry Kissenger syndrome to me ...

“Military men are dumb, stupid animals to be used as pawns for foreign policy.”

[Solly Mack]

2. K&R

Whenever I hear "I support the troops" I check to see if I'm standing in a shit puddle.

[MarianJack]

3. Hay you long haired hippie commie!

Making those ribbons gives jobs to thousands of children in china!

Of course I'm not calling YOU a name Scuba. I'm just thinking about what a rightist would say! I refuse to put one of those ribbons on my car!

PEACE!

[sad sally]

4. In 2010, the President said veteran homelessness would be eliminated in 5 years.

Today there over 3 million homeless Americans, more than 1.6 million are children, or 1 in 45 children in the US, living on the streets, in homeless shelters or motels, or with other families. Where will affordable housing come for all these people?
#####

President Barack Obama made several promises related to veterans' welfare during the 2008 election. Among them was his pledge to expand housing vouchers for homeless veterans.

A little history on housing for homeless veterans: In 1992, the Department of Housing and Development (HUD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs began the HUD-VASH program. The program provides vouchers to aid veterans in finding a place to live by subsidizing a portion of rental payment.

In June 2010, the Obama administration announced a plan to end homelessness in a report entitled, "Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.” The administration incorporated the program into its five-year plan to eliminate veteran homelessness by 2015.

Congress provided funds for 10,000 additional vouchers each year from 2008-2010, leading to a total of 30,000 by the end of fiscal year 2010. Congress cut the program's funding in the 2011 budget from a proposed additional $75 million to $50 million. This pays for approximately 7,000 additional vouchers.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/promise/116/expand-housing-vouchers-program-for-homeless-vet?du

[frazzled]

5. If this shocks you, you haven't been paying attention

We've known about the homeless veteran's situation for many years now. My neighbor is a (now retired) minister who ran a homeless shelter, and the preponderance of the people there were veterans.

I'm just glad this administration has done some things to try to address several things on the list: the very first piece of the "jobs bill" gave hefty incentives to employers to hire veterans and is now signed into law; and he made it easier for veterans to claim federal benefits for post-traumatic stress syndrome (before they had to prove what caused their illness; now they no longer do).

[The Genealogist]

6. The troops deserve better

People can plaster their homes in flags, their cars in yellow ribbons, and those in earshot with jingoism all they want, and still not truly support the troops. Supporting the troops means more than cheering on a war. It means more than cheering on soldiers on the battlefield. It means support when they get back homes. There are VA loans, hospitals, insurance, some job support and other services. But it needs to be a lot more. These are people who have put their very lives on the line in service to the country. They deserve more.

[Scuba]

7. +1