President lacks focus on veterans’ needs

Rep. Phil Barnhart

President Bush has been rightly criticized for giving a highly partisan Veteran?s Day speech attacking opponents of his Iraq policies. He used the occasion to attack his opponent in the last election, Sen. Kerry, and defend his own questionable assertions about weapons of mass destruction.

Veterans are not a political football to be kicked this way and that at the whim of office holders. They are our citizens who sacrificed greatly in many wars to protect family friends and our American Ideals. Veterans deserve our grateful thanks and support. They do not deserve to be showcased by the president or anyone else as a part of a political agenda or attack. President Bush should have talked about the continuing inadequacies in veterans? health, education and employment benefits, and proposed a set of real solutions Americans can be proud of.

Contrast President Bush?s behavior on Veteran?s Day with that of the Oregon House Veteran?s Affairs Committee on which I served as vice chair. At the very beginning of the 73rd Legislature, the chair, Rep. Donna Nelson (R-McMinnville) and I agreed that we were not going to get drawn into the politics of Iraq, but instead concentrate on the needs of our Veterans and the desire of Oregonians to honor and protect them.

When the dust cleared, the Legislature adopted most of our proposals:

– Education: Increased tuition benefits to vets from $50 to $150 per month, protected National Guard members called to active duty concerning tuition and class credits, provided for credit for education and training while in the service, and provided waivers for National Guardsmen or their survivors to attend college.

– Employment: Established a ?troops to teachers? program to help vets with college tuition and deal with our teacher shortage at the same time; provided transportation assistance for veterans to get to work, job training or school.

– Housing and taxes: Cut home property taxes for disabled veterans and their surviving spouses, and waived taxes for those killed on military deployments.

– Hunting and Fishing Licenses: Cut fees for active duty personnel and some military retirees.

– County Veteran Service Officers: Greatly increased help to veterans trying to access their federal, state, or other benefits. This may be the most significant change for disabled veterans who are entitled to benefits but have trouble getting them.

I?m proud of the work the Veteran?s Affairs Committee did this session. We showed what can be accomplished when lawmakers put aside their differences to focus on a common goal.

We can only wish that President Bush would also stop trying to seek political advantage through exploiting veterans, at least on Veteran?s Day, and deal better with their legitimate and pressing needs. Our soldiers won the second World War and then, thanks to the GI Bill, came home and won the peace.

Our generation must do as well by our veterans if our children and grandchildren are to live happily and with security.

State Rep. Phil Barnhart represents Central Lane and Linn County in the Oregon House of Representatives and can be found at [email protected] or (541) 484-5119.

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