My latest column. -WB
America Has Spoken And It Said: "Hell No We Can't!!!"
For OpEdNews: Bill Wetzel - Writer
Nearly two years ago I received a phone call. It was from a formerly homeless friend of mine. He was a Vietnam vet and a recovering alcoholic who was just starting to get his life together after a series of health problems forced him to sober up. I had been working with him on a project of mine, a short documentary film about his life, homelessness, battle with drugs and alcohol and interest in writing. Bill was an interesting guy, outgoing, intelligent and fun. I was expecting his call, however it was immediately obvious that he was shook up.
His voice wavered as he said to me: "Bill, Tom is dead".
Tom was Bill's best friend. A skinny whisper of a man who, like his friend, was a military veteran and a bad alcoholic. Unlike Bill, Tom was quiet, meek, and spoke so softly that you could barely understand him. I always looked at Tom with sadness, he seemed to have given up on life. He walked around spiritless and defeated. But he was a sweet guy, the kind of person who appreciated an act of kindness. I could see him brighten slightly when I'd give him a few dollars, or when I'd give him some cookies or whatever other food I had made. He sometimes would tell a funny story, like how he once lost his hat for a few days and when he found it and put it on a cute baby gopher came crawling down his head and over his face.
But now Tom was dead.
Found by his best friend, lying homeless and broken. He was literally in the dirt. He literally had to sleep and wallow near his own urine and feces. He may have frozen in the night, he could have had some other ailment, maybe he drank himself to death, or he maybe just totally gave up on life. But he was dead. That was for certain. A United States citizen who served his country in the military, died alone and penniless, while lying in the dirt. Let that sink in for a moment. Could you imagine dying that way? Could you imagine any of your closest loved ones living a life like that, dying in the dirt?
He deserved better.
I am under no delusions. Homeless people are often homeless for a reason. They have problems. Mental illnesses. Drug and alcohol addictions. Lack of personal responsibility. But all too many slip through the cracks. Certainly we can do better. And certainly we can watch out for the people who serve this country in uniform a little better too. They are more than campaign props and applause lines in a stump speech.
Which brings me to this. Several years ago, Senator Barack Obama introduced the "Homes For Heroes Act" in the Senate. This bill would help provide housing for low-income veterans, alleviating at least some of the problem. But it didn't last long in the Senate. In fact, virtually anything that would help low-income people or veterans doesn't last too long in the Senate. Why? Because Republicans kill almost anything that doesn't help their base, the incredibly wealthy. They have consistently killed bills that would help veterans with medical care, treatment for mental illnesses and PTSD disorders. They even stanched a 2006 amendment by Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed that would have purchased much needed equipment for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan because it would have been paid for by rolling back capital gains tax cuts for wealthy Americans.
Here is what I'm getting at.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/America-H... 
