If only life were like Hollywood movies so many of our problems would be quick to solve or would be even non-existent.
Rep. Jeff Miller, the Florida Republican who chairs the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, points to the new Tom Hanks movie “Larry Crowne” as an example of an unemployed 50-something Navy veteran who goes to college in order to catch up with those in industry with a higher education. Of course, I haven’t seen the new movie and Miller doesn’t suggest what happens to Crowne so Hanks’ character stands as a victim with no real solution to his problems.
Miller writes in the National Review Online that veterans have plenty to offer upon their returning from a tour of duty. To his credit, Miller voices his opinion for ensuring employers keep open the jobs which were left when overburdened National Guard and Reservists were called to duty during this country’s extraordinary “Ops Tempo,” or operational tempo, milspeak for military folks working their butts off during the last decade or so as civilian soliders. The House Vets chairman also opines that jobs should be there for military personnel who were medics who can transition to EMTs or how those who drove up-armored trucks could go to work for the nation’s trucking industry.
But what about artillery soldiers who spent their time riding sentry with a machine gun on a HUMVEE in Iraq or a Navy petty officer who specialized in keeping Tomahawk missiles in ship shape and ready at a moment’s notice? For at least the last 30 or so years I have been gone from the Navy, I have seen an ever-increasing desire to put more military veterans to work by either cross-training, retraining or translating jobs of former military men and women into careers that are realistic for them and their military training.
Too often though the types of programs put together for veterans — sometimes these are through government programs — are more a pipe dream.
One also must worry for the fate of new veterans with the current animosity the Republican Congress has for the federal government. Many veterans often find a better chance of matching their former military skills with jobs through the federal civil service. Yet, some congressional members would like to see thousands of federal jobs cut and those remaining jobs with small salary and little chance for advancement.
Well then, the Republicans always have their fallback to suggest, the private sector. Perhaps so, but if we are cutting jobs, why can’t we also cut jobs those which the GOP would say could be replaced by private sector employees? Why do we need a government anyway? Perhaps one reason would be to protect the security and safety of all those rich folks who should pay no taxes, if you hear the GOP talk about it.
The Republican Congress is talking out both sides of their cheeks. If House members like Rep. Miller want to help veterans, then they should get on the ball and start doing things to create jobs rather than blame the President for all our economic woes. If the Republicans want to displace our federal workforce — something I happen to be really, really against — they should start thinking beyond mere displacement.
Many veterans would probably be glad to tell Congressman Miller that talk is cheap. But things like food, gasoline, electric bills, medicine and transporation costs, that is a whole different ball of expenses.
