So Where Do We Go From Here?

So where do we go from here?

by Tom Barnes, Staff Writer

As a left wing Democrat who helped elect President Obama to office, I am quickly tiring of the photo ops, the pretty face photogenics and the overly conciliatory approach to opponents to real change in government in the power centers of D.C. I want real change. That is what I voted for. This president is now beginning to worry me. He is much too conservative for my liking and frankly, he is not the President , so far, that he promised to be. Where is the change? Where is the new legislation that was promised? How have disabled veterans and veterans at large had their lives changed in the five months that this President has been at the helm? I don’t see it.

I grew up in Philadelphia with a family heavily involved in GOP politics. That GOP is dead and has been dead since The Gipper took office and set this country on a course of completely unregulated and unsupervised Reaganomics that brought us crashing down almost thirty years later. "Hands off" was the Republican outcry to anyone who attempted to halt the irresponsible head long rush to personal greed without proper oversight of the monies involved in what now has become a caricature of the American dream. Less than 1% of the American population now controls over 23% of all American wealth. This is what veterans have defended in the last thirty years? I think not.

And it gets worse.

Homelessness among combat veterans from the wars in western Asia is almost out of control. Women who are veterans are showing up on the streets with children in tow almost 4 times more often than non veteran women. For men, it is about twice as many homeless for veterans than for non veterans. General Shinseki was given the job of Secretary to the Department of Veterans Affairs for his courage in telling Congress in 2003 that it would take hundreds of thousands of troops to subdue Iraq. He was isolated for that statement by the DoD and eventually forced to retire. Now he is in charge of veterans welfare. We don’t support him if we sit here silently. So what do we tell him?

Lets tell him to support the findings of the Veteran’s Benefit Commission and have him push Congress to give disabled veterans a 25% increase in pension funding for quality of life balance. Lets tell him to make weekly visits to V.A. Hospitals around the country and talk to the amputees. He will get some insights there. Lets tell him to ignore the big shot veterans organizations in D.C. that are constantly lobbying for agendas that have damned little to do with taking care of disabled veterans or veterans needs and have more to do with setting priorities for national policies that are completely devoid of veterans interests. Lets tell him to ignore the big shots and listen to the little guys.

Let’s tell him that if it is a choice between supporting a ‘don’t burn the flag’ ammendment or supporting more money for veterans, we will just let the flags burn! This is a red herring issue that is deliberately drug out of the closet year after year after year to keep all of us divided and away from the real issues. That is to say, the issues that cost money…the issues we really need addressed. If we are not asking them for money, we are wasting time. We don’t want flag ammendments we want MONEY to be put into the coffers for veterans to use to better their lives.

And one more thing.

Lets tell the President to wake up and start delivering on the promises he made. I admit, he is one swell looking President and is always completely composed and an incredibly photogenic Democrat. I don’t care anymore. I want to see the action that I voted him into office to receive. Enough with the photo ops Mr. President, lets get some action for veterans. And lets get it soon. I tire of the John F. Kennedy imitation. Lets get some action for veterans and real legislation for their benefit.

CWO3 Tom Barnes, USCG (Ret.)

Associate Member

Alexandria Virginia Democratic Committee