If anyone can offer conclusive evidence of authenticity for the first part... please let me know! I believe it, though. Sounds like something Senator Glenn would say.
I was named after John Glenn. I was born the same time as his flights orbiting the Earth. He has always been a hero and an inspiration to me. This comment is not against my namesake, but to the Republican Party as a whole. I too am a vet who has served his country with pride and honor. Why, if the Republicans are so strong on their military and proud of our contributions, have they REDUCED the veterans’ hospital care funds by millions and have slashed $15 billion from the veteran programs over the next 10 years? http://www.vaiw.org/vet/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=59 That my blogging friend, is just plain wrong.
I'm sorry I can't answer that. But I also know that the more things the government funds, the less money my husband gets to bring home to his family... because the only place the government can go to get money is to all of us, in the form of higher taxes.
If our government funded all the things people want it to, we'd be a completly socialist nation, getting ration books for food and healthcare instead of a paycheck. That is not what I want for my grandchildren, either.
There really are no simple solutions... but I do agree that caring for those who serve/have served our country should take priority.
Your response is a good example of the balance that needs to be found in Washington today. Nobody likes higher taxes. Least of all people like me who represent the dwindling middle class and are living on a very tight monthly budget. But, as you pointed out, we need to honor our vets and take care of their needs too. We tend to give them tokens of support by placing cute little magnetic ribbons on our cars but most of us are unwilling to spend the money necessary to insure they get taken care of once they come home from the battlefield. There needs to be unity in this matter. And aside from posting car magnets, we need to support our troops.
Yes. But maybe we'd have more to spare for the vets if our government weren't called upon by every Tom, Dick, and Harry to feed, clothe, and otherwise care for their welfare... something that I don't believe government was ever intended to do.
Government should be there to serve and protect. That means a strong military, including AFTER their service is completed... building and maintaining roads & bridges, and regulating businesses to prevent fraud and cons. EVERYTHING else should be taken care of by private charities, and people SHOULD support those charities.
Unfortunately, too many people see the U.S. government AS one big fat charity from which they expect to benefit without ever paying INTO the system. : (
I think the worry about the US becoming an entirley Socialist state is a bit alarmist. True, nobody wants to pay higher taxes, but the things we need have a price. Keep in mind that the Communist Dictatorship (not truly Socialist) only lasted 40 years, while the United States Democracy (with borrowings from both Socialism and Capitalism) has lasted more than 200 years.
I don't think many would argue that the need to educate the children of this country, and to care for those who protect it, is an utmost priority. These are two things, in my mind, that cannot be compromised. Most everything else is fair game. In fact, as an artist, I preferre the Natioal Endowment for the Arts to be eliminated, if the money can instead go to education, where kids can learn to appriciate art, and grow up to fund it themselves by attendending plays, museums and concerts.
But we MUST care for our veterans; past, present, and future. Even if we don’t agree with the decisions our leaders make. They are who allow the rest of us to pursue our dreams.
You won't find any argument from me on that score. However, I think it's a shame the way our education dollars are squandered, and I believe there is a much better way it could all be done. Unfortunately, it would require complete elimination of the current system in order to replace it with a more efficient one.
One of these days I'll write out and publish all the material I have pondered on the subject. ; )
6 comments:
I was named after John Glenn. I was born the same time as his flights orbiting the Earth. He has always been a hero and an inspiration to me. This comment is not against my namesake, but to the Republican Party as a whole. I too am a vet who has served his country with pride and honor. Why, if the Republicans are so strong on their military and proud of our contributions, have they REDUCED the veterans’ hospital care funds by millions and have slashed $15 billion from the veteran programs over the next 10 years? http://www.vaiw.org/vet/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=59
That my blogging friend, is just plain wrong.
Johnny
I'm sorry I can't answer that. But I also know that the more things the government funds, the less money my husband gets to bring home to his family... because the only place the government can go to get money is to all of us, in the form of higher taxes.
If our government funded all the things people want it to, we'd be a completly socialist nation, getting ration books for food and healthcare instead of a paycheck. That is not what I want for my grandchildren, either.
There really are no simple solutions... but I do agree that caring for those who serve/have served our country should take priority.
Your response is a good example of the balance that needs to be found in Washington today. Nobody likes higher taxes. Least of all people like me who represent the dwindling middle class and are living on a very tight monthly budget. But, as you pointed out, we need to honor our vets and take care of their needs too. We tend to give them tokens of support by placing cute little magnetic ribbons on our cars but most of us are unwilling to spend the money necessary to insure they get taken care of once they come home from the battlefield. There needs to be unity in this matter. And aside from posting car magnets, we need to support our troops.
Yes. But maybe we'd have more to spare for the vets if our government
weren't called upon by every Tom, Dick, and Harry to feed, clothe, and
otherwise care for their welfare... something that I don't believe
government was ever intended to do.
Government should be there to serve and protect. That means a strong
military, including AFTER their service is completed... building and
maintaining roads & bridges, and regulating businesses to prevent
fraud and cons. EVERYTHING else should be taken care of by private
charities, and people SHOULD support those charities.
Unfortunately, too many people see the U.S. government AS one big fat
charity from which they expect to benefit without ever paying INTO the
system.
: (
I think the worry about the US becoming an entirley Socialist state is a bit alarmist. True, nobody wants to pay higher taxes, but the things we need have a price. Keep in mind that the Communist Dictatorship (not truly Socialist) only lasted 40 years, while the United States Democracy (with borrowings from both Socialism and Capitalism) has lasted more than 200 years.
I don't think many would argue that the need to educate the children of this country, and to care for those who protect it, is an utmost priority. These are two things, in my mind, that cannot be compromised. Most everything else is fair game. In fact, as an artist, I preferre the Natioal Endowment for the Arts to be eliminated, if the money can instead go to education, where kids can learn to appriciate art, and grow up to fund it themselves by attendending plays, museums and concerts.
But we MUST care for our veterans; past, present, and future. Even if we don’t agree with the decisions our leaders make. They are who allow the rest of us to pursue our dreams.
You won't find any argument from me on that score. However, I think
it's a shame the way our education dollars are squandered, and I
believe there is a much better way it could all be done.
Unfortunately, it would require complete elimination of the current
system in order to replace it with a more efficient one.
One of these days I'll write out and publish all the material I have
pondered on the subject.
; )
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