Veteran's Day is a sham.
I have been watching the ads about Veteran's day; those about the sales that will be going on, those few with seemingly patriotic messages but mostly those of a Vietnam veteran with only one arm and no hand on that arm, his face disfigured by burns, begging people to contribute $19.00 a month to support the Disabled American Veterans charitable organization. While the veteran shown is honest and sincere in his efforts as are all of those who give to and work for the organization, the entire concept is dishonest, disgusting, and immoral, if not criminal. It should not be necessary to beg for money to fund the efforts of the organization. As those veterans got in their conditions by the consent of U.S. citizens, especially those corporate “citizens” who profit most from wars. through their elected officials, it should be a legal obligation of all those citizens to take care of them.
The Veterans Administration should be recreated to operated much as the Federal Reserve System does. It should be “an independent organization” within the government with its own Board of Governors but with oversight and review by the Congress. Unlike the Federal Reserve, however, it should have its own funding sources in the form of a flat-rate,progressive tax to be applied to the “Gross Income” of citizens and corporations before any type of adjustments are made.
In addition to the services the VA now does, this organization should expand its housing program in order to eliminate the disgraceful condition of homeless veterans. A condition that makes the greatness of American a sham.
Being more intelligent than the majority of U. S. citizens apparently are and about ten times more cynical than the most cynical, I know this will never happen. Knowing that, I also suggest that the tax rate be so high that it becomes unprofitable for corporations to make a profit from wars and causes our parsimonious individual taxpayers to rethink the costs of war in money,lives and limbs.
Have a nice Veteran's Day.