Me & Uncle Joe

Last week, this came in the mail. I teased my friends on Facebook and told them I would reveal the contents.

I might have oversold it. 

Because my daughter pointed out that while it was cool to get a White House letter, it wasn't exactly the big deal I had made it out to be. Nevertheless it got me back on my political activist high horse and inspired me to write back...

6-18-22

 

President Joseph Biden

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Washington, DC 20500

 

Dear Uncle Joe,

 

I just received your letter regarding additional benefits for US Veterans. I showed it to my daughter who quickly pointed out that it was a form letter. And, much to my dismay, not actually signed by you.

 

“Come on, Man.” 

 

In short, your response will not suffice.

 

Here’s the deal: my uncle Ron served in the US Military. He was a Marksman with the Army Reserve in the early 1960’s, I think you were about 60 something years old. He did not see any combat duty and had been honorably discharged by the time we stuck our nose in Vietnam.

 

More recently, he had to abandon his home in Palm Springs and move into an Assisted Living facility. The managers of the facility told us he might be able to defray the exorbitant living costs with financial aid from the VA. Perfect, I thought, because I was also subsidizing his living quarters and any help would be appreciated.

 

Especially if it left more money in my pocket when it comes time for me to move into a dirty nursing and suck pureed cheeseburgers through a straw.

 

But it wasn’t perfect. 

That VA financial aid is reserved for veterans who have been in combat or served during times of war. I would not deny these brave men and women one penny. They served and were willing to lay down the lives for their country. 

 

However, so did those who sacrificed a part of their lives for the betterment of others. 

 

And that is simply not fair.

 

I’ve written numerous letters to the VA, to various congresspeople from Southern California (Karen Bass and Ted Lieu), to your dipshit predecessor and now to you. In fact, I find myself writing to you 8 months after my Uncle Ron, passed. Penniless and reduced to a shell of a man.

 

All to no avail.

 

So let me spin this another way. Let’s look at this through the lens of a political strategist. After all, that’s what your colleagues in the GOP always do.

 

How about a clean bill, (or line item, I’m not up on my K Street vernacular) that lays out $5 billion or $10 billion, again I’m not a wonk, to assist ALL Veterans with their late years assisted living needs? 

 

First, because it’s simply the right thing to do and eliminates the disparity that hurts so many.

And secondly, because it will easily pass in the Democratic House, it will put GOP Senators, who make so much hay on their phony support of the military, on the hook. Plus, it slaps them in the face with an issue that has overwhelming bipartisan support among the citizenry. 

 

Shame them the same way the Pentagon and the VA have shamed our valiant men and women who served but have gone so unserved.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Rich Siegel