Op-ed:
Why Were Veterans Issues Left Out of the Republican Debate
By Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots on CPR Worldwide Media /
www.cprworldwidemedia.net
"We're going to have a VA that cares more about our veterans than
about the bureaucrats who work at the VA."
- Florida Senator Marco Rubio when finally asked a question
concerning our veterans
The first of the 2016 Republican Presidential Debates is now one for the
history books and some history it was.
Let's see...moderator Megyn Kelly
was eviscerated by the right for asking tough questions about each
candidates perceived weaknesses; some candidates looked like a deer
caught in the headlights while at the same time a few others shone
bright; but when the dust settled what I and many others watching the
debate noticed was the lack of any true discussion time given to the
plight of our veterans or to the way the Obama administration treats our
current troops when they return home from the theaters of war.
And only at the very end of the debate when a woman in the
audience...Gold Star widow Jane Horton...approached Kelly at the
moderator's table as she was asking her so out of place in a political
discussion 'God question'...as a belief in God as a requirement to run
for president is NOWHERE mentioned in our Constitution...did Kelly break
into the candidate's responses to ask about our veterans. So Kelly in
the few minutes of air time left changed the 'God question' to 'God and
the veterans' and started with Florida Senator Marco Rubio who stated
that,
“I believe God has blessed us with young men and women willing to
risk their lives and sometimes die in uniform for the safety and
security of our people”...and who then went on to address in the short
time he had the need to reform the current VA system and called the VA
to task for NOT firing more executives following a series of scandals at
its facilities.
Only a few minutes of air time was given to speak of those who wear or have worn our nations uniform...shameful...just shameful.
And
this especially bad judgment call by the moderator's as to what
issues needed to be addressed and what issues could have been way-sided
for the time being or NOT asked at all, just added more insult to the
injuries our veterans already face on a daily basis...injuries that
include homelessness, lack of employment, and the fact that it's been
over a year since the 'Veterans Access Choice and Accountability
Act'...simply known as the 'Choice Act'...was passed...an act that was
supposed
to decrease wait times for veterans in need of medical care but has
accomplished NOTHING to date to that affect.
Remember, while the 'Choice Act' was enacted NOT long after the
Phoenix VA Hospital's Dr. Sam Foote exposed the 'needed to be kept hidden'
truth that long wait times for medical care indeed led to the deaths of
hundreds of veterans, this important piece of legislation has yet to
make any real dent in the wait times for treatment meaning that the wait
times at VA facilities mostly remain static. And when you add a
whistle blower's report into the mix...a report stating that thousands of
veterans have lost benefits due to so-called 'mishandling of
applications' at one VA hospital in Atlanta, you just know our veterans
are still in trouble...big trouble... and yet the moderators knew this
and still our veteran's plight...the plight of those who give their
all...was left out of the debate discourse.
So, as some veteran's lobbyists rightfully present their case to
lawmakers in D.C. as to why veteran's health care must be taken away
from the failing government controlled VA system and be put instead into
the private sector where each and every veteran would be assured their rightfully deserved
eligibility for private health care as afforded them under the 'Choice
Act,' this, what should have been a must discussed issue, was completely
ignored until the above said Gold Star widow was vocal enough to force a
change in the debate's pre-set agenda.
Veterans issues and military issues...issues important NOT only to
our service people and their families but to 'We the People' as well for
we see the damage inflicted upon our military and our veterans by an
administration that NOT only seems to relish in their plight, but
instead chooses to extend a helping hand to those who deserve NOT help
but a bus ticket back to from whence they came. And maybe it's hard for many
of those running to truly understand the importance of these issues for
none of the ten top tier candidates has any military service whatsoever
(Donald Trump was issued a draft number but was NOT drafted, Jeb Bush
also got a draft number but he too was NOT called, Dr. Ben Carson and
Governor John Kasich NEVER served, and the other six candidates were too
young to be sent to Vietnam before the draft was ended in 1973).
And after the fiasco that is Obama, questions need to be asked of
each and every candidate with answers given as to how as
Commander-in-Chief they will have our military deal with first, the cuts
to America's military budget...second, the threat of ISIS and islamic
terrorism (NOT just say we will fight them but tell us exactly how they will do
so)...third, who amongst them will they say the two all-important words
'islamic terrorists' or better yet say the truth that we are at war with
islam...all islam...and then have our military act accordingly...meaning
without their hands tied behind their back...fourth, what is their plan
of action as to how our military will face now renewed Russian aggression
and China's expansion in the South China Sea...and lastly, can the
damage caused to our military and the abominable care our veterans
receive be repaired by a simple change in leadership and if so how will
that change be implemented.
And while common sense should tell one that having candidates with NO
military experience could translate into a lack of understanding of the
intricacies as to what impact war has on our troops in the actual
theater of war as well as on them when they return home, it would
have been very telling and informative to hear what each candidate had
to say about the possibility in the future of military experience being a prerequisite
for the position of president. And, by the way, I personally believe it
should be.
But again we were denied that chance as the candidates were NOT given
the opportunity to show our military both past and present that they
are foremost in the concerns of the one who will possibly become their
Commander-in-Chief and who will be faced with trying to undo the damage
this current president and his administration has done to those fighting to keep us free.
And again I say shameful...completely and utterly shameful...and I hope
the next debate moderators afford the candidates the time needed to
address these so important issues.
