Obama: We're Failing Veterans

Homelessness, suicide, and unemployment rife among US vets

This Veterans Day, 70,000 veterans will sleep in the streets. Unemployment among post-9/11 veterans is above 10%. And suicide among troops is at an all-time high, and now kills more soldiers than the Afghan war.

This morning Obama promised to improve how the government serves veterans, in remarks at the Veterans' Day ceremony at Arlington Cemetery.

"Today, a proud nation expresses our gratitude, but we do so mindful that no ceremony or parade, no hug or handshake is enough to truly honor that service," the president said. "We must commit, this day and every day, to serving you as well as you served us." He continued, "No veteran should have to wait months or years for the benefits you've earned, so we will continue to attack the claims backlog. We won't let up."

Obama's point is implicitly political, suggesting he'll push for increased federal funding to the Dept. of Veterans Affairs. Vets have recently had to wait months for an under-staffed VA to process disability, tuition, and housing claims .

There's also a long wait list for mental health care and no long-term treatment offered for Traumatic Brain Injury, a leading factor in suicides according to a HuffPo report.

Via the Huffington Post, Washington Post, and Politico.

Should to government allocate more funding for the VA?

[SoPas]

Absolutely. A no-brainer.

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

We're failing veterans by having an anti-American in God's House to mislead them. Every time I turn on the TV and see the president still campaigning, I get sick. When will this president ever do anything? The fiscal cliff? Benghazi? Our poor troops. Yes, we're definitely failing them.

[Cheenoguy]

@Neo_NtheMatrix
It was your party that voted against programs to help veterans get jobs. It was members of your part that wanted to deny widows and orphans of veterans a cost of living increase. It was your party that lied to create a war for them to die in with Iraq. It's your party's pundits who want to send them to die in Iran.

[InjusticeSucks]

@Neo_NtheMatrix Yikes you need to take some meds.

[MRMacrum]

Should Washington allocate more funds to Vets?

Of course they should. No matter how one feels about the military actions our country stupidly gets itself into, the men and women who fight those wars should be accorded every advantage we can give them.

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

We have about $400k annual salary for an empty suit in the White House that we could donate to helping veterans. That would be about $1.6M dollars over 4 years. That's a huge start. I mean, you know Mr. "Spread the Wealth" shouldn't mind donating his salary to those less fortunate who happen to be our military veterans that he put in harm's way. He doesn't need the money anyway, because he's one of the 1% he loathes so much. Too bad his money wasn't honestly earned.

[MRMacrum]

@Neo_NtheMatrix - Maybe you ought to tell Obama that you will match him dollar for dollar up to what you can afford or he can to the cause. Money and mouth come to mind.

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

@MRMacrum - I already do that based on the abhorrently high taxes I have to pay due to liberal spending. If liberal voters didn't allow liberal politicians to steal all the money that conservatives pay in taxes our veterans would be well taken care of.

[artjeb]

@Neo_NtheMatrix You have a veteran here that agrees with you 100%

[MRMacrum]

@Neo_NtheMatrix - So I take it your answer is no?

[FollowTheMoney]

Money isn't the problem with the VA. The bureaucratic Bull Crap is. Government doesn't do anything efficiently. They can't because they only answer to them selves. Give me the money and I will take care of myself. I/ we do not want nor do we need a nanny.

[CanisCanemEdit]

As I understand it, our govenment certainly failed SEAL Team 6 and our Veterans in Benghazi.

[IraqWarVeteran]

Happy Veterans Day!

[LetsAllBeHappy]

hm-IraqWarVeteran-thank you and all veterans for your sevice

[IraqWarVeteran]

@LetsAllBeHappy Thank you! I'm proud to have served my nation.

[FFX_VA]

A salute for my fellow veterans, take a moment to remember those who cannot be with us or their families today. Their dedication to our country and preserving our freedoms does not go unnoticed. Thank you for all you have done and are doing for America the beautiful.

[Cheenoguy]

Thank you for your service. And if you have family thanks to them as well for the sacrifice they made by letting you go serve.

[dances-weebles]

thank you... you, also.

[marine1]

It took him four years to figure this out, no wonder we are loosing ground to every other nation out there.

[VCP]

No it didn't take four years. He tried to pass a vet job bill twice but republicans blocked it.

[DARSB]

@VCP True dat, most recently in September. http://goo.gl/TRXkc

[VCP]

@DARSB Republicans have convienant memories. Oh and isn't it funny how that NOW they want to help the imagrents. That will not make them very popular with their hard line Tea party brethren.

[martydotcom]

HR passed vet job Corps bill which was then filibustered in the senate by GOP disgrace.
Takes VA 1 yr. to process disability claim disgrace
Post Traumatic Stress an epidemic 4 tours abuse volunteer army would never have been permitted in Army of draftee for wars of choice
Traumatic brain injury frequently undiagnosed
Stll much better than treatment received retuning from Nam

[marine1]

@DARSB Looks to me like the design of the bill was wrong from the get go and in violation of rules. What is so hard about doing something rught the first time around. Also, with this goverment, NOTHING should be passed that is open ended.

[Penn1699]

Yes, please help our Vets!

[Dan_Tien]

The best service toward Veterans that I can think of is putting an end to the perpetual wars. How many deployments can a serviceman be expected to endure before suicide looks like good? Beside the acknowledged suicides, how many troops simply stand up during firefights just to get the inevitable over with?

[FollowTheMoney]

You've got to be kidding. Good soldiers are not cowards, They don't kill them selves because they have to full fill their obligations. War is what soldiers do. We have a 100% voluntary force. We were not promised a place to live or a job when we full filled our military obligation. We were promised medical care for service related injuries and a few other benefits. We don't want any ones pity, we just want what we were promised.

[Dan_Tien]

@FollowTheMoney So then, why do soldiers kill themselves?

[FollowTheMoney]

@Dan_Tien Week or mentally ill soldiers. They are the exception, not the rule. I would suggest that they are products of today's society.

[Dan_Tien]

@FollowTheMoney Even the stoutest heart can only take so much.

[FollowTheMoney]

@Dan_Tien My son is a Captain in the US Army, and I was a Staff Sergeant in the Army. I did two combat tours and son has deployed three times so far. I'm well aware of the stresses placed on combat soldiers. So you can believe me when I say, The soldiers that kill them selves lack character or are mentally ill. They are the exception , not the rule.

[fact-check]

This photo-op will result in very little meaningful reform as long as military occupations continue to be used as a geopolitical tool to control the world's dwindling oil reserves.

[bsking]

Obama we're failing veterans... he should stay away from this term until everyone has forgotten Ben Ghazi

[stepped_in_it]

Well....well said sir!

[UBU]

Is just more talk with no action to back it up????

[puppybrownie]

Obama, you're failing anyone who works for a living!

[InjusticeSucks]

Yes we are and it would have been 1,000% worse under the GOP/Pee party.

[goldmoneyparty]

America needs a Voter Owned and Voter operated political party!
www://www.goldmoneyparty.com

[RobertJHarsh]

The military is used for cannon fodder for this stupid and illegal wars. They are just used up and spit out. It's a disgrace for the US govt to misuse people in this way...not that it cares at all.

[LetsAllBeHappy]

yes-

[marine1]

I was happy once, it wasn't all it's cracked up to be.

[ST_Louie_Sue]

Barry has a lot of nerve saying anything about veterans, or just about anything else in this country. Still gonna cut the DOD budget Barry? You pompous @ss. Is it 2016 yet?

[zimm48]

republicans voted down a veterans jobs bill this year ! check the facts.

[UBU]

zimm48 Check out the details of that bill. It was written to fail.

[Starsplash]

@UBU Then work it out? Fix it? compromise? you know try to make it un-fail?

[Zoe2012]

Obama has let every hard worker and saver down, evidenced by the vote against him.

[Jim49418]

Just ask Petraeus how much Obama cares about Veterans!
There are already SIX veterans jobs bills in place right now, and no one in this administration can say how they are doing, or where the money is going!
You can blame republicans all you want, but back in August of 2011, in order to get the debt ceiling raised, Obama agreed that no spending bill would pass unless there was a $2.00 savings for every $1.00 spent.
His hands are tied when it comes to spending bills. And it is he himself that tied them!

[jmann88]

Dear Berry, please stop taking million dollar trips to Martha's vineyard and golf trips. Please also do the job you were hired to do instead of wasting millions going to your buddies in Hollywood. Please be a leader and not a celebrity. Thanks

[Jim49418]

Obama spent close to a $billion on his canpaign.
Just think how that money could have helped our veterans!
Too bad that Obama doesnt back up his words with actions.

[Starsplash]

@Jim49418 and Romney didn't spend money on his campaign?

[jmann88]

@Jim49418 yea no doubt a few million to the VA would help a lot. But really Obama is in it for himself. He always say he wants to do stuff.. well don't talk about it be about it