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NEWS > U.S.A. > RETIREE BENEFIT CUTS MAY FORCE ELDERLY SOLDIERS BACK INTO ACTION
RETIREE BENEFIT CUTS MAY FORCE ELDERLY SOLDIERS BACK INTO ACTION
September 20 2011
Washington, D.C. – No one likes cuts to their wages but it happens. That is especially true in today’s economic climate which has seen people across all spectrums of life suffer moderate to severe financial meltdowns, taking what was once almost assured and making it into a panicked and chaotic situation. Unfortunately, that may just be the new reality for many people, particularly those depending on government benefits.
With the government continuing to struggle with its own finances just about every program is facing cuts including the programs that help retirees in their old age. Such social benefits are simply not a part of the new American economic reality and it may end up forcing a lot of people back to work, even soldiers who might have believed that their fighting days were long behind them. With word that benefits for veterans may face cuts, many are facing the new reality of war even in old age.
“It’s on the table; everything is on the table really. We have few options right now and as much as it pains everyone to take money away from veterans, we may have no other options. Things need to be cut, spending needs to be reduced and everyone is
going to see the effects of that,” said a Congressional insider. “It isn’t going to be popular, that’s for sure, but there is $900 billion on the table and that money has to come from somewhere. Cutting benefits to veterans won’t push things over the edge, but it will help.”
Veterans are entitled to pension benefits after 20 years of service, upwards of half their salaries.
“Obviously we don’t want to see people suffering but there is the want and there is the reality. Some vets are just going to have to reduce their living standards or they are going to have to go out and try to get new jobs. We realize the market is tough, but the military is always hiring and they do have experience,” continued the insider. “We know its older soldiers who will be hardest hit. They have more medical costs than younger people and are less capable of retraining for new employment. I’m sure the armed forces would welcome their experience though, I’m sure they will always have a place. I mean the old vets, the people from World War II and Korea, they wouldn’t be asked to go out on the battlefield again, I would imagine, but they can still help doing paperwork and clearing out the garbage. Everyone can pitch in and help.”
It’s not clear how the cuts will impact disabled veterans. Generally, an absent limb is reason for exclusion from military service.
“It’s going to hit a lot of our people really hard. It’s going to be tough if we have to put them out on the street. I mean these people fought for our freedom and leaving them with a few bucks and calling them a taxi, that just doesn’t seem right but we have to do what we have to do,” said a representative for a D.C. area veteran’s home. “A lot of these people just look forward to activity time, they like their early breakfasts and like to be in bed by five o’clock at the latest. They would have a hard time adjusting to life on the front lines again but I guess they will do what they have to do to survive. God bless them all.”
The White House has started to draft a bill which will create a division for the aged in the military, a program expected to cost upwards of $200 billion.
Mike Michaels, American Correspondent
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