Coby Dillard on service
Our buddy, Coby Dillard, sent us the text of his latest editorial and he said that he’s interested in what veterans have to say about it, so he sent it here for your opinions;
TOO OFTEN, when we start talking about the nation’s fiscal health, the discussion begins with cuts to the military and veterans. Under the Obama Administration, the Department of Defense has made more cuts than other cabinet agencies combined — and that’s before sequestration began. Military retirees face changes and increased out of pocket expenses for the TRICARE program.
One would think that it disrespectful to ask those who risk everything, every day, to bear the brunt of our politicians’ irresponsibility. However, there is a group of veterans who, if asked, might be willing to make another sacrifice on behalf of their country.
The VA’s disability compensation system pays veterans based on the disability percentage assigned by the VA; the higher the percentage, the more the veteran receives.
A veteran who is 100 percent disabled and unmarried receives a monthly payment of $2,816; when spouses and children and dependent parents are included, the payment exceeds $3,000 a month. In some rural areas, this is enough to live in a degree of comfort.
A veteran who is 10 percent or 20 percent disabled receives a payment of $129 or $255. This may cover a few expenses, but is not nearly enough to allow the veteran to live on without finding work. While veterans rated at 30 percent disability or above can receive additional monies for spouses and children, those below that threshold cannot.
To be certain, a disability percentage does not equate to a higher or lower degree of sacrifice; all who serve bear the weight of the nation. Also, a truly grateful nation should work to take care of those who have borne the battle, as President Lincoln said.
Suppose, however, that the government asked its veterans rated at 10 percent and 20 percent to give up their compensation as an act of sacrifice; as their final act of service.
Temporarily, of course; the compensation could be reinstated when the nation is in better fiscal health. But what if the government requested that these veterans — especially those in lucrative jobs — voluntarily give up their compensation until the nation was better situated to fully show appreciation for their service?
How many 10 percent and 20 percent disabled veterans would take them up on their request? As one, I know I would.
We as a nation have lost the true meaning of sacrifice. For many, it means forgoing the iPhone 5 for the iPhone 4. Veterans don’t have that problem; we know, better than most, what it means to forgo something — birthdays, holidays, anniversaries — in service and support of a greater good.
And if asked to do so again, I believe many of us would.
Category: Veterans Issues
How about the WH gives up its privileged life and lives in a cheap, crappy apartment with one detective instead of more servants trailing behind than Julius Caesar?
So, I sacrifice so that Congress critters can live the high life and keep their high end medical, throw money at frog penis studies, art endowments for a Crucifix in urine, PBS, NPR….and so the Obama girls can go to the beach and then skiing (while my grandson stays home because his parents can’t afford a trip), Barry jets around pushing gun grabbing when he and Mooch are not in Hawaii or golfing with tiger?
Is that what is proposed? I’ll think about it.
Until the time comes where sacrifice is shared and the government practices fiscal stewardship, I don’t see anyone embracing this idea. I think you might find veterans in a position to switch to their employers insurance and use Tricare as a second payer, **IF** the country as a whole shared in the effort and wasteful spending was cut.
Wait. If wasteful spending was cut, this effort wouldn’t be necessary at all.
Does he mean the system that is rife with Fakes, Phonies, and Posers. He expects them to give money back. Hell the Coast Guard practically teaches a class on how to scam the VA.
I don’t know what military occupation he had, but every day I come to work, I am sacrificing for the Country.
I manage over 100 enlisted service members and 60 junior officers. One of my E4s manages three Department OPTARs worth $1.5M. I also guide 5 other officers. Operations are 24/7. The unit never stops working; ever. Careers, pay issues, personal issues, dependent issues, etc (we all know what is required) all have to be managed.
For this work I receive $42,708. Doesn’t even begin to match what I could make as a civilian. If that figure was multiplied by 3, we might be in the ball park. ….but he wants me to sacrifice some more? No thanks.
Until Congress is reduced to eating enough MREs to give them colitis, I will not consider changing my position.
I gave up some holidays and birthdays, but I only served 6 years and have no disabilities. I am fortunate that I am healthy in my mid-50s and still am able to run my fat 4ss around a soccer field and referee.
I would be very uncomfortable asking veterans to give up a 10 or 20 percent disability payment because I have no way of knowing how difficult it is to find a decent paying job with a disability in that range. If that extra money means the veteran or his family can afford a better home or finance a better education for his children I would be extremely reluctant to ask that, even if those veterans were willing.
The part of much of what irritates me about the sequester is that we are asking the DoD to take a bigger hit, we are asking our true 1% ers to do more with less and we are not asking those people who are here illegally to take a hit. In state tuitions for illegals, driver licenses for illegals, subsidized medical care and housing for illegals no one dares discuss that because it is politically difficult. Instead of asking the sh1tbags whose entry into the USA was a crime we would like the folks who were willing to risk all for the nation to be the first to give up a meager benefit.
Cotton subsidies, tobacco subsidies, roads for Wal-Mart, mismanaged timber subsidies, Libya, Egypt, Syria subsidies….an endless stream of money to the undeserving.
For me I am extremely uncomfortable asking veterans to once again give up something, even if only a small comfort, when so many other programs and subsidies designed to make undeserving and self-serving people wealthier remain sacrosanct in this discussion.
YMMV of course.
Get back to me when you tell me what the federal government has to give up first and I’ll take your idea seriously.
In my opinion, the disability benefits are an earned benefit from injuries related to service, as part of our countries ‘Thank you’ to the individual for putting their lives and bodies on the line in the nations defense.
I’ve known career Air Force guys in their late thirties that have hearing problems from working on the flightline. Their 10% disability will not be a lot, but probably help keep them in audiologists and hearing aids when they are older.
I’ve known many, many paratroopers with bad backs, knees and ankles. Their disability will most likely be used to help defer the costs of orthopedic surgeons and physical therapy when they are older.
I know ER doctors that suffer such severe PTSD from their revolving door deployments that they are no longer able to practice emergency medicine. Their disability will pay for their counseling and support services.
I could go on and on, but for injuries sustained in the performance of service for country should not be touched.
If serious cuts are to happen, they need to happen to our welfare system and to the perks our political leadership enjoys at the same time. The risks inherent in trying to balance the budget on the backs of the military and it’s veterans are huge, with far reaching implications. You cut deep enough, and people stop volunteering.
No one wants to fund the fire department….Until your house is on fire. No one wants to pay for flood control systems…Until the rains come. No one wants to pay for a military…until the barbarians are at the gates.
As a side note, I personally feel that the new tactic/mantra of ‘asking the veterans to sacrifice to lead by example’ is complete and utter horsecrap. We, the service members past and present, have already sacrificed. We sacrificed our time with family and friends, and big portions of our lives. We have sacrificed our bodies and minds, and some of us our lives.
It plays on our sense of honor to give something up to inspire others when it is highly unlikely that our sacrifice in this manner would even be noticed by the body politic. It’s blatantly manipulative and disingenuous, and quite frankly, insulting. Go after the people who haven’t served their Country or community first. When everyone else is feeling it, we will step up once again.
VOV must have been reading my mind. I want welfare and Social Security Disability overhauled, if you can work then you should be working in my book. Recently I watched a woman texting on a new iPhone while buying groceries, her buggy was filled with steaks, expensive food items and other sundries. When paying for the goods she whipped out a EBT card and paid for all of it. I paid for my few items and walked out to my car and lo and behold she was getting into a fairly new SUV with all the bells and whistles, rims, custom paint job, blah blah blah.
That sort of thing chaps my ass, I work my butt off with my 60% disability to make sure my family is taken care of and my tax money goes to someone who is driving a tricked out SUV while eating ribeyes on my dime. They want us to sacrifice more to help with the economy…No. We put our bodies on the altar of service to this country and in many cases bear the scars and injuries to show for it. We earned it in blood and pain, let those that leach from the system bear the brunt of the burden for once.
When I was initially given a rating by the VA it was 20%, and a lot of denials for other issues I am now covered for.
Give back what they give as a pittance and hope you do not apeal their pathetic decisions? Hell No!
How about those who gave nothing who take so much from our Government be forced to give up a little something.
I get the whole, let’s be noble and fall on our swords for the good of the Nation… because we are almost just dumb enough to do it again, but not quite that dumb anymore.
We have nobly given of ourselves in blood,sweat, and tears, as well as body parts… let those who do not even know the meaning of the words duty, honor, and sacrifice give back what they have not earned.
My niece was a surgical nurse stationed in Iraq. She spent so much time on her feet that she developed bursitis in her hip joints. That’s something that will not go away, and if she goes back to nursing service after her kids are grown, it will come right back, which means her return to doing what she was trained to do is going to be very limited. Do you think she should actually be asked to give up her disability allowance when she put in six years in a war zone?
I don’t think so.
let me just add to that.. If I had to, if as a measure of last resort after all other measures were undertaken and all that was left to cut, then yes. It will never happen though.
We could set the example, but it would not be followed by the lazy, greedy, shiftess, dependapottomus soceity we live in.
I know what it is like to go hungry so my children could eat, I know what it is like to work 2 jobs to make ends meet, I know what it is like to not have the latest and coolest gadgets because I had bills to pay…. Why should I sacrfice even the smallest bit again while those mentioned continue to bleed us dry.
I’m one of those who receives a monthly 10% combat related disability. Do I want to give this up? I and many others already gave at the office and will carry those scars for the rest of our lives. It’s about time our elected officials gave back or paid it forward, we did our share, now how about the thousands of government employee’s in Washington start giving back. It’s always the veteran who has to sacrifice for our country! This is so much bullshit. Oh yeah my 10% comes from being blown off the top of a Sheridan in 1969, I still have pieces of Chicom steal coming to the surface 40 years later, RPG’s tend to spray everything. I just have to shake my head, I’m just not stupid enough to give it back when so damn many have to back up to their government checks on the first of the month. My final comment……………”KISS MY ASS”
sure cut VA EARNED benefits as soon as UNEARNED entitlements (SSI ‘disability’, WIC, EBT, Medi-Care and Medi-Caid, SCHIP) are cut at the same level
I retired after 20 years and I am blessed to be healthy and not disabled. That is not the case for so many of our vets and to ask them to give up some of their money so our government can turn around and give it to the moochers is unacceptable. Our politicians and the WH can start making big sacrifices and not try to save a few dollars on the backs of our vets. The next step would be to cut benefits in the Social Security disability which is rife with fraud. When our government makes a serious attempt at cutting fraud and waste at all levels then we can have a discussion.
Mr. Dillard sounds like he would enjoy the company of the guy from the StLPost. At what point have we given our “fair share”; we’ve already led from the front and continue to do so. If I wasn’t already in a foul
mood this would definately get it started.
I’ll give up my 20% when hell freezes over!
No.
Shockingly, after almost a quarter century, I have no disability, but if I did, I wouldn’t give it up.
I have to admit, it was with some serious hesitancy that I clicked on the comments link here. I was fully expecting to be the odd man out in saying not just no, but hell no. I both pleased and sad at the same time that I’m not.
As ANCCPT says, the lead from the front thing is bullshit at this point (I’m paraphrasing of course). We already lead from the front and look at what it gets us. We already sacrifice quality of care and quality of life, we go see doctors who are over whelmed, deal with civilians who are burned out and indifferent, and spend months on waiting lists for treatments that we need.
And we do it, we might grumble and complain about it, but we suffer through this treatment believing that the process is flawed but it would be ungentlemanly, unsoldierly of us to demand more and better treatment. Most of us view it as just another sacrafice we must make to this great nation.
Now people want us to give up more? No. Its time our example was followed, and others suck it up and drive on.
Why not let the VA charge Medicare for services to retired or disabled vets, for non-service connected stuff? Some of us have no other insurance.
The answer is a resounding HELL NO.
#5, YN2, did six years; my 10% is for high blood pressure (which is as much ex-wife connected as service connected).
I agree in principle with what everyone’s saying: vets shouldn’t have to sacrifice more. But, realistically, there’s some of us who could. Not that I make that much now (I’m a certifying official at a college), but I wouldn’t miss the payment if it were gone.
That is, however, just me…which is why I framed this in terms of the government asking each 10%/20% veteran if it was something they were willing to give up of their own accord. I imagine some would say “hell no,” and that’s fine with me.
I only have one thing to say.
http://video.foxnews.com/v/2270689277001/taxpayers-foot-bill-for-bidens-third-vacation-in-3-months/?playlist_id=1621774019001
I thank Mr. Dillard for thinking of us and valuing our opinions. My own opinion goes like this: I worked with a gal that seemed to think that entitlements are deserved simply because you exist. We got into that discussion and she mentioned that she noticed a DVA envelope at my desk one day, so she asked me if I’m all for entitlements being cut that if I would be ok with returning my disability money, too? I responded that there is a big difference between the two. She asked me what that difference is. I said: I earned mine.
Do we actually think that the government, who have shown such stellar responsibility with the people’s money, would actually put that added money to proper use? Would it actually bail us out of our economic misery? Or, would they spend it haphazardly like they do every cent they get now? Are we to honestly believe that after the economy got better, that they would magically give it back to us? We all know the answer to this. As others have mentioned, also, if the cuts were across the board, no sacred cows, then it would be a true shared sacrifice, however, giving our pittance back to a government with zero fiscal responsibility while others are unfazed would be tantamount to giving our executioner the rope to hang us with.
I am a 20% rated vet, i broke my back in 3 places on a jump back in early 05 and 20% is what my injuries were deemed worth. ive also been told as i get older and my back deteriorates, i will receive more. for the time being i am healthy and in better shape than when i was in the army, ill enjoy that while i can. as a rule, i live in pain, but have learned to cope with it. now 7 years after i got out, i am asked to sacrifice again? my check covers my phone bill and car ins, i work for state of oklahoma as a cop and get paid the same thing i did in the army with out BAH. i had given brief thought to this proposal but with all the wasted spending, i should have to pick up the tab? i work over time constantly to ensure my bills are paid, i havent had a weekend, much less a vacation, in over a year. tell that worthless man calling himself the potus to give up his vacations and work my hours and ill give it another brief thought
add into it, that if we gave up our compensation, it would just be spent again somewhere else. every time any politician talks about a cut, the next breath is how they are going to spend the money that is saved. its never paying down debt or even borrowing less, its another government hand out to someone that never earned anything!
Also, Coby, what you are suggesting is means testing. If we go down that road, then we should do that for every government program, including social security and medicare. Does John McCain need his disability check? Probably not, but as I said, it’s earned. does he need social security or medicare? Probably not. Does Warren Buffet need social security or medicare? How about George Soros? Does John Kerry need his salary? I doubt it. Romney didn’t take a salary as Mass. Governor, because he didn’t need it, however, it was his for doing the job i.e. earning it. Those that have the means now, might not have the means later and that check might make the difference between living in an apartment and living on the street.
So, the first paragraph doesn’t seem to relate well to the meat of that story…
This is an April Fool’s joke, right? If not, Colby and that clown McClellan ought to be sent over Niagra falls in or on a barrel. I have no service-related disability so I am not personally affected–not in that one sense, anyway. However, I am personally affected by what this misguided suggestion does to my psyche and heart. I don’t know Mr. Colby. I don’t know Mr. McClellan. But I know as much as I care to know about both right now. Maybe later when I’v had some time to cool off, I can offer more on this issue. By right now, I am seeing red and thinking anything but calm and constructive thoughts.
If you want to see a major riot and revolt, try asking the 10-20% disabled Vets to give up their money.
I guarantee the VA or the Federal Gov’t would give them no heads up or warning. Hell, people get up in arms when their annual clothing allowance check is a week late. You think asking them to give up a monthly check, which many in poorer areas rely on, for the “good of the country” is a good idea? Basically, just tell them to roll over and take it.
Why only ask the vets to give up a little extra anyway? Ask Joe Normal on the street if he’d like to pay more taxes voluntarily. They’ll say no just like we will. Balance the budget, start paying down debt, lean up government waste *everywhere* and then we’ll talk. The answer will be no, but we’ll still talk. I got out of the military in 100% one piece, but when I die, I will probably be fresh out of ‘next of kin,’ and I *might* consider giving the value of what I own to the feds when I’m done with it if they do their part. Otherwise there will probably be a ‘reaperman memorial park bench’ somewhere in the city.
For what its worth, I started a White House petition demanding an end to Presidential vacations. Very few of these petitions get enough signatures to require an official response, but I suspect that someone in the White House considers the petitions to be a form of feedback.
http://wh.gov/LHYY
Could I financially figure out a way to give up my 20%? probably could….Now – WOULD I give it up so we can continmue providing F-16s and M-1s to the Muslim Brotherhood Or pay the Pakis $2,000,000,000 (which is approximately 653,595 YEARS of my payment) annually? I am 60 and thinking I would like to retire but will probably work till I am 70 to make ends meet for me and the wife (also a vet). At that point the medical and 20% turn crucial. Now, if you were in Congress after a few short years you would start receiving more for your Congressional retirement than SS will pay me for working since I was 14…. how about reforming that? How about killing off the “jet me home” flights for Biden and the rest? Come talk to me AFTER the pork is gone….we’ll see, Until then, no, I think I would rather hang onto my 20%.
It is a slippery slope, here’s why.
Let’s say Vets did agree to the cut. What would happen next is the VA would want to rate everything at 10 or 20%.
Then it would be any rating of 10 or 20% wouldn’t be paid.
SO, they would want to avoid paying Vets that have multiple ratings of 20% which of course add up to more.
In the end any rating of 20% or less would be ignored and only ratings 30% and above would be figured in the combined rating.
So you have 20% on both knees? Bilateral comes out to about 40% but the individual ratings each would be ignored (Because of the 20% rule) and presto, no payable rating.
It seems like we hear about millions in wasteful government spending on an almost daily basis. That wasteful spending adds up and very quickly overshadows the payments to those veterans who receive a 10-20% disability check.
I think that we need to look to other areas for cutting before we ask those who received a service connected disability to make any more sacrifices.
Okay, I’ve done my homework (a little cramming) on Mr. Dillard and I from what I read he is a level-headed man who, unlike McClellan, does not appear to be out to stir the pot with his suggestion. So he ran the forfeit flag up the pole and no one here is saluting. He has the answer he sought. The mere suggestion that any Veteran should have his or her disability compensation delayed, reduced, or denied is outlandish. The reasons are too obvious to state, I would think. But, evidently, I would be wrong. Those who have given the most are to give more? It’s like giving to a charity, I guess. You give once and for the rest of your life you’re labeled a donor and every charity this side of Peking (or whatever it’s called nowadays) is hitting on you. But, of course, there is a difference. You can so no to the other charities. When the charity is the government, you don’t get a choice. So, it’s no, no, and hell no to this idea.
#35, that I would be against. It’s one thing to ask people do make a cut voluntarily, but another to just snatch the rug out from under veterans.
#37, “no, no, and hell no” are the answers I’ve gotten from just about everyone on this one….with a few willing to accept the idea, provided other cuts are done elsewhere. I’m fine with both.
@10, Robot Wrangler: YEAH, I’ve been there, seen that, too. More than once when in the checkout line at the grocery store, I’ve seen some well-dressed twentysomething with a @ $150 manicure and a nice new cell phone pay for her food with WIC and food stamps, and with a smirk on her face when she does! I watched in disbelief one day when some fat, slovenly welfare sow was at the register berating the cashier because she dared to tell the welfare sow that her Food Stamps would not pay for the cooked fried chicken, but she could buy the raw chicken, oil, and batter instead and cook it herself! We HAVE to cut the “Gimme” programs, no ifs, ands, or buts!
Coby,
I would say it would be better to ask those that havent sacrificed anything for this country to give up their entitlements before asking a veteran to give up their disability no matter how little it might be.
When does it stop once it begins. Sure they might say that the payments will resume after the financial crisis has been averted, but they also said that my C&P wouldnt take more than a few months. 2 years later I finally got my rating and even then it didnt include a TBI or the migranes that went with it. They couldnt get a budget passed in 3 years, they cannot agree on much of anything and honestly I dont intend to be the one supporting their inactivity. If you want the money from somewhere then ask Congress to take pay cuts, ask them to give up perks and all the things that being a congress critter involves.
Stop sending money to countries that are not our allies in any true meaning of the word. Screw Pakistan and Egypt and any other 3rd world shithole that will take our money and ally with our enemies behind closed doors. Quit giving money to those that are able to work but refuse to do so and milk the system, quit giving it to those who are not citizens of this country and are here illegaly. My great grand parents somehow managed to immigrate from Lebanon without having to resort to illegaly entering the country.
There are metric shit tons of areas that could be cut without asking the veterans to shoulder yet more burden. We showed our willingness to put our country ahead of ourselves, time for everyone else to suck it up and do their share.
@39 Yea I saw that at the Corner Market on Hardy Street a few months ago. You know we both work at Shelby right?
I am the second person to sign your petition
Comrades in Arms:
Oh, if ONLY I could go back to work!
I’m totally disabled because of my back, which now creates other problems as well, and it’s even more complicated by the side effects of all the prescribed medication I’m taking.
Since I’m not a military retiree, it’s because I’m an unemployable disabled war veteran that I’m authorized to reside in the Armed Forces Retirement Home.
From the Department of Veterans Affairs, I receive ten percent service connected compensation.
The majority of my income is a disability pension from the Social Security Administration, which is based on the income I earned when employed as a Correctional Supervisor at the Utah State Prison.
I would LOVE to give up my pension and go back to work!
But, alas and alack (Ah lack a lass!), it ain’t about to happen, because I have too much trouble standing and walking, I’m totally exhausted physically, and I’m intoxicated from all of the drugs.
My doctor says my back is too badly damaged, that nothing can be done, and I must live with the pain.
He referred me to a surgeon, who is still running tests, but the surgeon agrees that nothing can be done.
Mox nix.
Xin loi.
Thank you.
John Robert Mallernee
Armed Forces Retirement Home
Gulfport, Mississippi 39507
Mr Coby D,
Thru gritted teeth of courtesy, I have to say that I agree with most if not all of the above statements, and add this:
Get the Kongress Kritters to reduce their lavish pay; get rid of their platinum health care and buy it off the open market like the rest of us; get rid of their diamond retirement and contribute to SocSec, 401k’s, and other open market retirements like the rest of us.
As well as reforming the SocSec and other entitlements to a “means” tested basis, get rid of the unConstitutional beltway bureaucracies that do worse then nothing, infest the Gubbment and pick our pockets dry: Dept of Education, Dept of Energy, BATFE, EPA, to name just a few.
Come back to me when all these are done. Then we’ll talk again. On the other hand, we probably won’t need to. In the meantime, the answer is not only NO, but HELL NO. Can you hear me now?
I am rated at 10%. So,if I give up my 10%, wouldn’t that go back to my retirement pay? So then, I would not be giving up anything other than paying tax again on that 10%.. I would never give up any of my money to give to someone who has not earned it.
From my perspective, as a civilian, asking active military and vets to sacrifice more than they already have should be the very last thing we do.
The main purpose of the Federal government is to provide for the national defense. That should mean that items that fall under national defense should be off limits for cuts until every other item in the Federal budget is cut. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be efficient and cost conscious with taxpayer money, but cuts for our military should be a last resort.
Senator Coburn has identified billions in wasteful, unnecessary programs that could be cut if Congress had the will. They won’t, because for most of them, their purpose in Congress is to serve themselves, not the people.
Give the jackals in Congress MY money so they can give it to illegal aliens, use it to take my guns and double my health care costs….?
Sir, you have lost your bloody mind; get over your wimp self.
Why is it always Veterans they ask to sacrifice, again? Why, because as a group we’re a pretty patriotic bunch and they are trying to guilt trip us into things like this. When most of us read this, I’m betting we all started thinking, “well…I kinda see what they mean…” then reality kicked in and we started commenting. Screw this! When all of the above is done, welfare cheats, SSI, etc. etc., when the “water suckers”, (as my wife calls weeds), sacrifice, I’d think…THINK about it. Until then, screw these Congress people that got us into these messes, then try and guilt trip us into giving up EARNED benefits before the “Water suckers”. Fuck them!
Honor and Courage
The author can kiss my ass. If it wasn’t for my VA disability income, we wouldn’t have a roof over our heads.
I’ll be happy to consider further sacrifice, when I see a culling of the welfare rolls, starting with every single person who is NOT a citizen.
@46, Sen Coburn wants to close commissaries. While it could work in a lot of areas, in others it would hit service members wallet hard. I do agree with eliminating things like the $5.2 million to determine what lessons about democracy and social decision-making could be learned from fish.