A WPA could help our veterans

(Image courtesy of the National Archives.)

A veteran who has experienced many bouts of un- and under-employment recently asked, "Why can't there be some type of program to help us out? We didn’t do anything wrong. We come out of the military, next thing you know we're left to fend for ourselves and you just can't make it" (see "Hungry Heroes: 25 Percent of Military Families Seek Food Aid").

A public jobs program, along the lines of a WPA or a CCC could help veterans who struggle with un- and under-employment. And there was actually an effort to create such a program a few years ago, but conservatives blocked it (see "Senate GOP blocks veterans jobs bill").

 

Isn't it amazing that executives of corporations that have engaged in wide-scale fraud, illegal tax evasion, money laundering, insider trading, interest rate rigging, etc., have made millions (and received billion-dollar government bailouts), but hundreds of thousands of veterans can't find decent paying jobs, or any jobs at all? And what does it say about the ethical foundation of a nation, when we tell people, "Go fight for us," and then, when their service is over, we say: "Sorry, we can't afford to help you"?

 

(Interesting articles/reports: "Bank Of America To Pay $36.8 Million To Military Members For Improper Foreclosures," "Debt Collectors Targeting Members Of The Armed Services," and "Report On Predatory Lending Practices Directed at Members of the Armed Forces and Their Dependents.")