Veterans Unhappy With Benefits
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The Last of the Light Brigade
~Rudyard Kipling There were thirty million English who talked of England's might, There were twenty broken troopers who lacked a bed for the night. They had neither food nor money, they had neither service nor trade; They were only shiftless soldiers, the last of the Light Brigade. They felt that life was fleeting; they knew not that art was long, That though they were dying of famine, they lived in deathless song. They asked for a little money to keep the wolf from the door; And the thirty million English sent twenty pounds and four! They laid their heads together that were scarred and lined and grey; Keen were the Russian sabres, but want was keener than they; And an old Troop-Sergeant muttered, "Let us go to the man who writes The things on Balaclava the kiddies at school recites." They went without bands or colours, a regiment ten-file strong, To look for the Master-singer who had crowned them all in his song; And, waiting his servant's order, by the garden gate they stayed, A desolate little cluster, the last of the Light Brigade. They strove to stand to attention, to straighten the toil-bowed back; They drilled on an empty stomach, the loose-knit files fell slack; With stooping of weary shoulders, in garments tattered and frayed, They shambled into his presence, the last of the Light Brigade. The old Troop-Sergeant was spokesman, and "Beggin' your pardon," he said, "You wrote o' the Light Brigade, sir. Here's all that isn't dead. An' it's all come true what you wrote, sir, regardin' the mouth of hell; For we're all of us nigh to the workhouse, an' we thought we'd call an' tell. "No, thank you, we don't want food, sir; but couldn't you take an' write A sort of 'to be continued' and 'see next page' o' the fight? We think that someone has blundered, an' couldn't you tell 'em how? You wrote we were heroes once, sir. Please, write we are starving now." The poor little army departed, limping and lean and forlorn. And the heart of the Master-singer grew hot with "the scorn of scorn." And he wrote for them wonderful verses that swept the land like flame, Till the fatted souls of the English were scourged with the thing called Shame. O thirty million English that babble of England's might, Behold there are twenty heroes who lack their food to-night; Our children's children are lisping to "honour the charge they made - " And we leave to the streets and the workhouse the charge of the Light Brigade!
If your officer's dead and the sergeants look white,
Remember it's ruin to run from a fight:
So take open order, lie down, and sit tight,
And wait for supports like a soldier.
Wait, wait, wait like a soldier . . .
When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier.
Go, go, go like a soldier,
Go, go, go like a soldier,
Go, go, go like a soldier,
So-oldier of the Queen!
from A Young British Soldier by Rudyard Kipling
Remember it's ruin to run from a fight:
So take open order, lie down, and sit tight,
And wait for supports like a soldier.
Wait, wait, wait like a soldier . . .
When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier.
Go, go, go like a soldier,
Go, go, go like a soldier,
Go, go, go like a soldier,
So-oldier of the Queen!
from A Young British Soldier by Rudyard Kipling
Sad how the LIberals cooperated on this Bill and it passsed parliament in a week - Rather fast would you say. Now they are up in arms.
But isn't it sad that we have to await orders from the government? Why not just start giving? Now I'll be honest here: I give about a dollar a year to veterans when I buy a poppy. That said, I also give regularly to other charity. However, I'm sure those that haven't selected a charity yet could take up the cause here, no?
Canada ought to check with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, in most cases our veterans get excellent care and a good compensation package. (full medical and around $60,000+ per year or higher for one 100% disabled) Aid and attendance if needed is also added on. I have a friend who was shot thru the spine in Vietnam and is now paralyzed, he receives over $85,000 per year, large down payment for a home . That is of course all tax free, including all taxes on home, school etc.. Still doesn't make up for what he went thru, but makes life bearable.
And that's a double-edged sword. On the one hand, we do need to take care of our injured veterans. On the others, we need to ensure a balanced national budged. I can see a number of solutions for Canada:
1. Raise taxes, reduce government spending in other areas, an use the money acquired that way to help the veterans,
2. Reduce government spending overall to pay off the national debt, and let private charities take care of the veterans,
3. Continue as we do now and not care about our injured veterans, or
4. Borrow to care for our veterans, only to weaken the nation as a whole in the long term.
Personally, I'd be in favour of 1 or 2 above, recognizing that one weakness of 2 above is that even those who give to charity might not necessarily give specifically to our veterans. Of course that does not diminish the moral value of their contribution, as understandably there are competing charities to give to. I still like the freedom of choice this gives though. Seeing that should private charities fail in this regard, the government must step up to the plate, then I'd say we need to do it responsibly by either raising taxes or redirecting government spending before we raise benefits to veterans. The question is though, do we have a principled enough government that will be honest enough to admit that to care for our veterans requires a sacrifice on all our parts, or will we have a government that will find the easy way out by increasing help to veterans without asking for a commensurate sacrifice on our part, either by relying on our charitable contributions or tax increases.
Either way, I can understand the sentiment behind helping our veterans, but it must be done in a principled, responsible, rational, and planned manner, and not just in an expedient, unplanned and ad-hoc manner with no thought given to long term consequences.
Just to take the US as an example, it's nice that it takes care of its veteran, but owing to a lack of sacrifice among the civilian population (heck, paying our taxes is not that great of a sacrifice compared to war), the US is now falling straight into the jaws of bankruptcy, and Canada is sliding right behind.
Our older vets have never been given the recognition they deserve. Many of these
guys went over seas for four or five years before they got home. Canadians were
given some of the dirtiest jobs there was and did well. The tradition has been and
is a standard for other armies to strive for. I am not a cheerleader for the military
but Good God, if you want people to stand on the front line for you anywhere in the
world then they should be given recognition that other countries give their troops
coming home. If we can give the world to refugees and family reunification,
immigrants who come to this country, then for heaven sake we can demonstrate
our gratitude and respect by taking care of them when they come home.
What I think is shameful is the fact that they have to demonstrate in the streets.
guys went over seas for four or five years before they got home. Canadians were
given some of the dirtiest jobs there was and did well. The tradition has been and
is a standard for other armies to strive for. I am not a cheerleader for the military
but Good God, if you want people to stand on the front line for you anywhere in the
world then they should be given recognition that other countries give their troops
coming home. If we can give the world to refugees and family reunification,
immigrants who come to this country, then for heaven sake we can demonstrate
our gratitude and respect by taking care of them when they come home.
What I think is shameful is the fact that they have to demonstrate in the streets.
Which was?
I can agree to that in principle. The question is, how it will be carried out. If we truly care for our troops, we'll increase our help to veterans. And if we truly care for our country, we'll force our politicians to maintain its economic integrity. Now if we care for both our troops and our country, this thus leaves us with the choice of campaigning to shift government spending towards our troops and/or increase taxes so as to be able to do so in a sustainable manner. Or alternatively we step up to the plate with more charitable contributions as individuals. Any of these options. The option we should not tolerate though is for the government to borrow to help veterans out of fear of imposing a sacrifice on the part of Canadians.
In other words, help our vets, but do so in a principled and not cowardly manner, by being honest about its costs to the government and taxpayers and not just putting it on the shoulders of the next generation.
If Canadians are not willing to make the sacrifice in some way, then I say let's not borrow money, let's not help our vets, and wallow deservedly in our national shame.
Try Google - You will find the answer - You will also find a lot of info on how Veterans are treated like crap by DVA
All I ever hear is we will have to raise taxes and we have to sacrifice this and that.
What we need to do is actually find out where the hell the money is going at the
present time, and from there we have to spend it properly, after that process we
then can determine whether or not we have to raise taxes.
I think most of government has been operating in a vacuum and they have no idea
what priorities are.
What we need to do is actually find out where the hell the money is going at the
present time, and from there we have to spend it properly, after that process we
then can determine whether or not we have to raise taxes.
I think most of government has been operating in a vacuum and they have no idea
what priorities are.
No - Tell me any one that signs up for and i use capital UNLIMITED LIABILITY - meaning - told to go and do something and their is a great possibly of you dying - Veterans in this Country have been treated like dirt for generations by the Govt.
Do not let you total disgust with soldiering interfere with doing what is right for someone Killed, Serious Physical Injuries and mental disorders that they carry for life - PTSD - look at the long term health impact that this has on one person - Now throw in the family as well because they have to live and deal with it as well..
I went before a Board for a back injury - Normally 3 people sit on the Board - 2 did this time - One person was a retired Admiral and the other a Political Appointee when it was a patronage appointment under the Liberals.
I nearly choked when the civilian asked my what a Rucksack was. How do you think I did on that one when she had no freaking clue as to what a soldier does. I lost my appeal.
That I can agree to. The question then becomes the order in which it will all be done:
1. Raise taxes,
2. improve benefits for veterans,
3. determine where we can shift spending, and then
4. determine whether we can afford to reduce taxes afterwards.
Or...
1. Shift spending towards veterans' benefits, and then
2. determine whether we still need to raise taxes.
The first option above would likely be the quickest, seeing that it would avoid endless debate about what to cut (or I could be wrong, seeing that it could also lead to endless debate over what taxes to introduce or raise). The second option I'd think would the slowest owing to possible endless debate over where to cut spending, though again I could be wrong and it might be more quickly solved than where to raise taxes.
Either way though, we need a government that will take a principled stand here. We don't want a cowardly government that will raise veterans' benefits right away and then do nothing about either reducing spending elsewehre or raising taxes to balance the debt to win political brownie points by getting something for nothing via a typical Trudeau-esque or Reaganesque borrow-and-spend policy. I'm sure if we really do care about not only our veterans but our country too we can help our veterans while keeping our country stable and find areas we can either cut or tax.
How can anyone compare paying tax's with what a veteran has given. You voted for your tax's or at least accepted what was imposed. This should not even be a debate, what you should be doing is marching on Ottawa and demanding what ever they the disabled veterans need. The U.S. VA budget is not what is bankrupting us.
Give your disabled veterans at least the same percentage wise as we give ours.
http://www.whitehouse.gov//sites/de...s/fy2010_factsheets/fy10_veterans_affairs.pdf
Give your disabled veterans at least the same percentage wise as we give ours.
http://www.whitehouse.gov//sites/de...s/fy2010_factsheets/fy10_veterans_affairs.pdf
It appears you misread my post. I am aware of how the DVA treats veterans. Private insurance companies treat their policy holders with a similar disdain, trying every trick in the book to avoid paying out and saving the companies profits for their shareholders. DVA is no different than WCB.
My apologies - i see how my friends who have sufered massive injuries are treated un the so called new Charter - i wrote my MP tinight and told him at the next election i would be following him from door to door handing out information on how Vets are treated by this Govt.