When we spend more on vet benefits than the entire operation of the federal government we have a problem

America with its standing Army has become everything our founding fathers warned us about. Our entire Federal government operations is ran on 6% of the discretionary budget. Our benefits to Vets has now raised to 6%. This means all the people who are working in the FBI and the CIA, and every other branch of federal government are exceeded by benefits to veterans. The huge mistake of invading Iraq has come back to bankrupt this nation. No candidate but Paul and Kasich are talking about cuts across the board. Bernie who heads the senate committee on Vets wants to give out more welfare to vets, Hillary the same, because to talk bread and butter economic values and fiscal responsibilities when talking about vets is a no no in American politics. We have become so militarized with over 60% of our discretionary budget going to active military spending and vet welfare that it is necessary to create fear, even the irrational fear of terrorism somehow connected to military spending.

We as a nation are lost when we panic over 1 dead American a week, as our spending has become so corrupt and skewed that we are not even debating the failures of our policies.....instead we have candidates who spit on the constitution and want to expand war. American common sense requires somebody to have the courage to speak the truth.

Almost every pro war person on this forum in response to the death of one American a week to terrorist is getting some kind of welfare benefits based on their serving in the military. No wonder there cannot be sane budget discussions when those welfare payments now exceed the cost to operate the federal government.

So do you think that someone with regular employment that is hurt in some fashion on the job should be entitled to workman's comp or disability income if they cannot perform any gainful employment?

While I agree that some vets (and I have met a few locally) are scamming the system with such things as sleep apnea I do not agree that even all volunteer force vets with a legitimate service related or aggravated by military service disability should be denied the benefits they are due.

You fully know that the cost of workman comp is borne by employers who pay some rather high premiums. I do. We are talking about socialism and welfare in regard to vet welfare payments. I understand a worker paying into medicare and social security with matching contributions from employers, but my neighbor served three years in Viet Nam working in the kitchen who never saw combat or was ever at risk, and never paid any premiums or contributions and has received over a million dollars of medical benefits at the VA facility in Madison Wisconsin. He deserves it, but the question is how did we allow these welfare programs to exceed the entire cost of operation of government. We complain about a grandmother getting food stamps, but we clam up when talking about the out of control vet welfare payments. Bernie Sanders...increase them......Hillary Clinton.....increase them......where is the debate to cut military spending and this growing contingent liability....we are being bankrupted with over 60% of our discretionary spending going to military expense, while our transportation and research budgets get ignored, and our debt increases. Where are the candidates who are talking about military spending and making massive cuts......they are overwhelmed by the distraction of one American dying a week from terrorism and the racist hate for muslims and Mexicans. Where has our collective sanity gone?

Mr. Markle.....what say you to a socialist program which is now consuming as much of our budget as running the federal government......crickets......expected.

I had a next door neighbor who spent one year in the Navy when they discovered he had rheumatoid arthritis. It was the crippling kind that your hands get all disfigured. They retired him on 100% disability and he got $36,000 a year tax free in VA payments,full medical care for him and his whole family and college paid educations for all his kids.They modified his nice house for a wheelchair which he got through a VA loan which he only used to go the to VA and his new customized truck. They were even going to put in a swimming pool for his exercise but his yard was too small. This was 15 years ago and he been collecting that for almost 20 years. This was for one year in the Navy in which he never even left the US let alone served any combat. I'm sure the $36000 is much more now. The vets here now don't have to pay property taxes while they're deployed or are disabled They get discounts from just about everywhere and the benefits go on and on from cheap food at the commissary to cheap gas.Now the rest of the world who have dangerous jobs and risk their lives everyday get none of those. I don't have a problem w/ the ones who saw combat but the ones who sat on a ship working in the ship's store while they faced no danger or a personnel office- I have a problem.

It is a welfare program which is totally socialistic and it is now equal to the entire cost of running the federal government. Crickets among fiscal conservatives. Kasich has made no bones about cutting spending. He cut military spending in the 90s, but when we do not reduce the military and we are spending trillions and building contingent liabilities which will bankrupt this country, it is time to talk about the obvious......we need to cut military spending. The entire thing has become obscene as we use military response to a criminal justice violation and we go bankrupt in the process. The hardest thing to stomach is that neither party is debating this issue. Bernie is the head of VA in the senate and he wants more welfare, which Hillary who will not be out done by Bernie agrees. Rand Paul has been consistent in asking questions about the rabbit hole and how futile our spending has become.....when will a moderator ask a question which is relevant?

2seaoat wrote:America with its standing Army has become everything our founding fathers warned us about.  Our entire Federal government operations is ran on 6% of the discretionary budget.   Our benefits to Vets has now raised to 6%.  This means all the people who are working in the FBI and the CIA, and every other branch of federal government are exceeded by benefits to veterans.   The huge mistake of invading Iraq has come back to bankrupt this nation.  No candidate but Paul and Kasich are talking about cuts across the board.  Bernie who heads the senate committee on Vets wants to give out more welfare to vets, Hillary the same, because to talk bread and butter economic values and fiscal responsibilities when talking about vets is a no no in American politics.  We have become so militarized with over 60% of our discretionary budget going to active military spending and vet welfare that it is necessary to create fear, even the irrational fear of terrorism somehow connected to military spending.

We as a nation are lost when we panic over 1 dead American a week, as our spending has become so corrupt and skewed that we are not even debating the failures of our policies.....instead we have candidates who spit on the constitution and want to expand war.   American common sense requires somebody to have the courage to speak the truth.

Yes, lets just FIRE all federal workers per advice of Seaoat. He won't be around long enough to see the longterm affects of his silliness, but lets just do that.....

Pay attention. That one American dying a week from terrorist attacks has bankrupted this country with the fear and panic of over reaction and use of military power instead of intelligence. No, I am not talking about eliminating the military. No, I am not talking about taking benefits away from vets. I am talking about drastic military cuts and the realization that the military should only under the most extraordinary circumstances be involved in good police work and domestic issues. The threat of terrorism should primarily be handled by the CIA, State, Homeland security, the FBI, State, and local police jurisdictions which all have greatly expanded after 911. It should not be our military intervening in other nations domestic disputes, or traitors trying to bootstrap these terrorist acts into a need to put American kids and wealth back into the Middle East. Nope.....let us start discussing the truth and the cost of the over reactions from the Butchmeups having hissy fits.