OBL(UBL) Killed

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by Jim in CT

"we have veterans who sacrificed their lives for this country who are now homeless "

If they sacrificed their lives, where should they live? Only kidding, I know what you meant, and I appreciate the sentiment...

Most of that is because of mental disease, it's not because there aren't programs to help them...you'd have to round them up and strap them down to keep all of them off the streets. I'm not saying I have the solution (I wish I did), I'm just saying that problem isn't as suggestive of a heartless society as you might first think...

As a former EMT, I've passed through a lot of VA hospitals. I can only go by experience with the facilities near me, but every one of them in this region is a dump with poor quality of care. They use equipment, not made by the best company, but by the lowest bidder. The pay for VA staff is generally terrible and it trickles down to poor care.

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

As a former EMT, I've passed through a lot of VA hospitals. I can only go by experience with the facilities near me, but every one of them in this region is a dump with poor quality of care. They use equipment, not made by the best company, but by the lowest bidder. The pay for VA staff is generally terrible and it trickles down to poor care.

The issue of homeless vets (which I thought you were talking about) is diferent from the quality of medical care available to them. The quality of medical care for injured vets is one of the VERY few problems I can think of, that can likely be solved by pouring more money into it. I wouldn't mind a tax hike for that.

Homelessness is a very different animal, one that cannot begin to be cured by throwing money at it. If you built a new house for all the homeless, lots of them would end up back on the streets. Most (not all) are NOT homeless because they don't have a place to stay; the majority have serious mental issues.

I have very limited experience with VA hospitals, pretty much the time I spent in one after I got hurt. My care, I thought, was damn good. But I'd like to see it improved too.

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by Jim in CT

Homelessness is a very different animal, one that cannot begin to be cured by throwing money at it. If you built a new house for all the homeless, lots of them would end up back on the streets. Most (not all) are NOT homeless because they don't have a place to stay; the majority have serious mental issues.

I did refer directly to homeless vets, but then get pissed off about the VAs. Mostly, it's upsetting that they make the ultimate sacrifice and then mostly ignored by the general public.

I completely agree that the primary issue is a mental health issue. That's not to say that there aren't programs that could benefit them. When is make references to them sacrificing their lives, it goes for those that have gone off the deep end and completely lost their minds almost as much as those that have been killed in the line of duty. Without our minds, what life really exits?

[justplugit]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

I did refer directly to homeless vets, but then get pissed off about the VAs. Mostly, it's upsetting that they make the ultimate sacrifice and then mostly ignored by the general public.

Absolutely right JD, I could never understand for the life of me,, why all vets
have not been treated with total and complete respect and given whatever
is needed to bring them back home whole.