If Wes Clark's Vets Group and Habitat for Humanity Teamed to Fix Veteran Healthcare Facilities...

[CorpGovActivist]

... that would not only be a dynamite combination, but it would help make significant inroads in purplish-red areas of the country.

With approximately 1264 facilities, it is extremely likely that every DUer lives near one: http://www1.va.gov/directory/guide/home.asp?isFlash=1

- Dave

[sandnsea]

1. Oh hell no

This is 100% the government's responsibility. I was fine with helping to fund the Intrepid hospital because that facility was sort of above and beyond innovative care. But the routine veteran's facilities?? No. The government needs to step up and do the work and we need to stop letting Republicas pretend they care about the troops when they keep letting our vets suffer after they've served.

[CorpGovActivist]

2. The Thought Being...

... that:

1. The sudden push to clean, fix, paint, and refurbish these would create the political will to up the funding; and

2. Some military families that would never otherwise consider voting for a Dem would reconsider, after seeing the true compassion and caring coming from progressives.

- Dave

[Monkeyman]

5. You may be right

[sandnsea]

6. Let's force the govt to do its damn job

If the military families don't pull their heads out after that, well then maybe they will when they get out of the military, have a shit job, and end up relying on Habitat for Humanity for their actual home.

[MonkeyFunk]

3. No

I don't want private charities to have to fix this.

And Habitat for Humanity has neither the expertise nor the resources to fix/build state-of-the-art hospitals.

[CorpGovActivist]

4. What about Building Family Quarters Then? Like Ronald McDonald Houses...

... would you go for that?

- Dave

[sandnsea]

7. Fisher House

The Dem Party recommended Fisher House for charitable giving at Christmas. Do you recall the media hoopla and mass exodus from the Republican Party as a result? No??? I'm shocked I tell ya'.

http://www.fisherhouse.org/inthenews/goodCauses_12_20_D...

[MonkeyFunk]

8. probably not

I'm not that wild about Habitat, frankly. They're a little too religious-oriented, and they don't give away houses - they give low-interest loans to people with very good credit ratings. I appreciate what they do, but it's not on my list of top charities to support.

As for housing families near hospitals, I'm not sure that buildings need to be built to do that. Existing structures could be bought/rented for that purpose.