U.S. Senator and
Republican Presidential Nominee Hopeful
Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
Speaking at a campaign event in Iowa on Wednesday, an Iraq War veteran, who identified himself as "Dan," stood on his prosthetic leg and asked Mr. Cruz how the tax cuts he is proposing would affect the Department of Veterans Affairs and what plans he had for helping veterans.
Mr. Cruz responded:
"We need to be innovative if we want to help veterans. We need to be practical and pragmatic. But we also need to remain vigilant with our government's out-of-control spending, and find ways of mitigating expenses wherever possible. So we need a president who is willing to tackle the hard issues, and come up with innovative solutions to these problems head-on.
We need to make spending cuts that not everyone will be happy with, but we need to come up with solutions that make up for those cuts too. For instance--and I'm just thinking out loud here--but the Girl Scouts make a lot of money selling cookies each year, and it brings attention to their cause. We're talking billions and billions of dollars here. That's an innovative idea right there, and I just came up with it on the spot. That's what I want to bring to the White House."what eye thynk: If this is the kind of idea he comes up with "on the spot," I shudder to think what he would suggest given time to ponder on it.
And, for the record, the Girl Scouts raise approximately $700 million each year from their cookie sales. 75% of that goes to local councils, 25% goes to the bakeries.
Mr. Cruz continued:
"Something like that, selling cookies, would generate billions of dollars for veterans while also connecting them with their friends and neighbors in a new and innovative way. Think about the opportunities these veterans would be exposed to. Think about the potential of meeting a new employer, for instance. This idea would raise billions of dollars for vets each year, gives veterans the sort of public attention they deserve, and could open new doors for our nation's bravest fighting men and women. this would be a golden opportunity for veterans, and for America."The smugness, the out and out condescension this arrogant ass demonstrates in this statement is breath-taking. These men and women put their lives on the line, many of them return home maimed like Dan, and Ted Cruz thinks handing them a begging bowl along with their discharge papers is a "golden opportunity?!!!" This is the sort of attention Senator Cruz thinks "they deserve?!!!"
Any member of our military--past or present--who voices a preference for Senator Cruz for president should be summarily admitted for a mental evaluation.
I have heard a lot of outrageous political ideas in my lifetime, but none have disgusted me as much as this.
I responded once, and when I hit Publish, it went away. So, let me try to remember what I said.
ReplyDeleteAs you know I am a Vietnam veteran and have been rated 40% disabled by the VA. During my many trips to the VA hospital in Cleveland, i have seen people, and talked to many of them who have one leg, no legs, who have cancer, who are blind, and who just cannot go outside without an escort for their quarterly visit to the clinic. They just don't have that mental capacity any more. Back in the 50's, they said it was shell shock. These days, it is PTSD. I have a friend who has been suffering with PTSD since he came home from Korea in 1952. The point is that I cannot imagine any of these people going door to door trying to sell cookies in hopes to raise funds for their own care. It is absolutely pathetic that a country who sends its young men and women off to war cannot take care of them when they come home. It is beyond sad that private organizations have to be formed in order to get donations for veteran's care.
So, for the pompous, arrogant Mr. Cruz, I have a decision for you. You can go back to Canada or to Cuba, or anywhere else where you will never have to interact with an American veteran. Sometimes our freedom of speech can be such a curse.