This Is How You Support The Troops

by Stuart Shapiro

The Democrats are routinely decried for not “supporting the troops.”  And they regularly run away from anti-war positions as a result.  However, it is a Democratic President (or more precisely the Secretary of Veterans Affairs) that made this announcement:

Veterans who were exposed to herbicides in service and who suffer from one of the “presumed” illnesses do not have to prove an association between their medical problems and their military service.  This action helps Veterans to overcome the evidentiary requirements that might otherwise make it difficult for them to establish such an association in order to qualify for healthcare and other benefits needed as a result of their diseases.  The “Presumption” simplifies and accelerates the application process and ensures that Veterans will receive the benefits they deserve.

Democrats have to mention this kind of stuff every time they speak in front of a veterans group or an American Legion hall.  Supporting the troops doesn’t mean supporting a particular conflict (although it does mean giving troops adequate supplies during that conflict).  It means supporting the troops from the moment they enlist to make a huge sacrifice for this country and for the rest of their lives.

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.