Everyone supports our veterans...

...well, almost everyone, anyway.  Recent national polls show that 85% of Americans think it is more important to prevent cuts in veterans' benefits than it is to reduce the budget deficit - finally, something that a vast majority of Americans can agree on.  So why did 40 Senate Republicans block a bill that would have provided a billion dollars over five years to help veterans find jobs?

I won't try speculate on their motive (but I think I know what it is, and it has to do with the upcoming presidential election) but really, given the untold trillions that this nation has devoted to waging wars that required immense courage and sacrifice on the part of our brave members of the all volunteer armed forces, why would we balk at spending a billion bucks to help them transition into the civilian workforce when they return from war?  That's a rhetorical question because there in no rational answer that doesn't involve crass political cynicism and hypocrisy, traits that are unfortunately all too common among those politicians who put the interests of their financial benefactors ahead of the interest of the country in general and our veterans in particular.

I'm too angry about this to explain in any rational way just how wrong this whole situation is or why you should be as appalled as I am by the sheer duplicity of those who blocked the bill for their own political gain.  Happily for you, John Stewart has already made the case very effectively in his usual informative and entertaining way - so watch  this episode of "The Daily Show" and if you, after listening to the testimony of those two American heroes, are not as outraged as I am, well I guess you must be part of the 14% that John speaks of.

Please find out how your Senator voted on this bill, and if he/she was one of the 40 who blocked its passage, then I hope you will take this into account when casting your vote because if they oppose a cause that is supported by 85% of Americans whose interests are they serving?

And if you vote for any of those clowns you really need to get that "I support our troops" bumper sticker off your car.