Do you think that our government owes anything extra to our homeless vets?

Question

It was reported in the press today that although vets make up only 11% of our total population they make up 25% of our homeless population.

Do we owe these homeless vets any special treatment or programs to help them?

Answer 1

our govenment owes these veterans a heck of alot more then what they've been given

Answer 2

Tricky question. I do believe the government is indebted to veterans, but I'm not sure what the limits should be. There are VA hospitals, the GI Bill and other programs to help needy veterans. God knows, many of these men have seen atrocities, but there is a point where our government can say "this is it."

I do a lot of volunteer work with alcoholics and drug addicts. I am thankful we have the VA hospitals. I have seen some miraculous addiction recoveries and I can tell you that what many of these vets need is beyond anything the government could ever provide. More bored, listless bureaucrats who are slaves to paperwork are not the answer.

I honestly think the solution comes down to people like you and me actually volunteering our time. It's so easy to proclaim, "the government should do something," and then sweep it under the rug.

Answer 3

We owe them everything. Whether you believe a war is a just cause or not they are put in harms way by our government to enforce whatever policy an administration deems justified. For this,they get paid crap. Sounds like a vital job but...... It's easy to make the assumption that the homeless vets are physically or mentally disabled. Probably as a result of there service. They served our country, what else to you need to know to want to serve them now.

Answer 4

I know from experience that as a veteran myself most do pretty well once discharged if they utilize the resources available through the V.A. when needed?

The V.A. has an enormous amount of support for veterans. With that said, the problems that many homeless vets have can be addressed and worked on if we get them into a facility, but many don't want to go?

I would like to see more private sector support towards getting the homeless vets into V.A. facilities so they can receive the dignified care they deserve and earned through there service. We have many problems to try to overcome in our society, the plight of the homeless veterans is a serious one as well as so many others and yes we should always continue to provide support for all Veterans who want the help.

So, if you hear of someone or know someone that's a homeless Veteran ask them if you can help get them to a facility. It could save there life and return there dignity for those that truly want the help.

Nov. 11th is Veterans Day, please don't forget about our troops, they aren't forgetting about you...

Answer 5

What we owe them is some kind of education, therapy and job placement to help them integrate back into our society as much as possible, so that they don't feel isolated and out of place enough to end up a homeless person. They put them selves in extreme situations and in harms way for everyone of us and no I don't think that it is too much to ask to go out of the way to make sure that they are going to be o.k.

I think that this report is telling and extremely disturbing as well as the reports of the neglectful treatment that they receive at Walter Reed. When you come back with your legs blown off, they shouldn't make you jump through hoops for treatment.

Answer 6

I think our government and those of us as citizens have a responsibilty to any part of our society that are without the basic needs (food, medical care, shelter), vet or not. There are special treatment and programs in effect but any civilization that can produce the wealth that we produce should be embarrased at the poverty endured by those less fortunate in our society.

Answer 7

Yes, but qualified. Those who served in non war time deserve the GI Bill and other perks, but not a lot of special treatment.

Those who served in the wars deserve everything we can do for them. They have to compete for jobs with those who did not serve and so could attend college, get a head start on their careers and establish households and families.

Thousands and thousands of our current war veterans are mentally and physically damaged . The armed services and our government is trying to WEASEL OUT OF PROVIDING TREATMENT AND PAYING COMPENSATION just as they did with AGENT ORANGE.

Remember those crazy Vietnam vets? We have a new crop. Now it's called PTSD.

Our prisons are bursting from over crowding and America incarcerating a larger percent of its people than any other democracy in the world. We need prison, parole, and sentencing reforms and rehabilitation programs now.

Some of our brave heroes will be sentenced for crimes they commit because of PTSD. We do not want them condemned to the warehousing America's inmates are now subjected too. We need to reform the prisons now.

Answer 8

Of course. Ordinary citizens only sacrifice a portion of their property for tax purposes to support the government but these people sacrificed their lives not only to support the government but also to protect us, citizens. Special treatments and livelihood programs are just small incentives that do not even measure up to the true standards of compensating justice they rightfully deserve.

Answer 9

Jack..You need a lesson in civics. We have a volunteer military but that does not eliminate a citixens military obligtion. We simply no longer have a draft to conscript citizens into the military.

Thse young people made a choice to put themselves at risk to meet this obligation. To suggest they brought this on themselves is one of the most disgusting and foul attitudes I have ever seen.

This is a great forum to debate issues, but to suggest these vetrans brought their problems on themselves is like blaming a rape on the victim.

Answer 10

We owe everything to our people, regardless if they are a vet or not.

The richest country on the planet treats its own people terribly.

It amazes me the number of people who fight for the fat cat knowing that they are getting screwed by them.

Example:
50% of all bankruptcies are due to medical bills. Out of that, 50% of them had medical insurance. These are people who planned for their future, but their insurance ran out and so did their life savings, losing their homes, and their comfort.

No one in America should ever go through that.

Peace

Jim

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Answer 11

WE owe them something ; that's for sure ! It is scandalous for our vets to be homeless .