As we embark on a new year filled with hope and promise, it is important to reflect on a critical situation that has placed a dark cloud over those who deserve much more.
We are talking about the veterans who have served our country, only to find their needs and benefits eclipsed and greatly reduced by those of illegals. Nowhere is this more prevalent than here in California.
The veteran homeless population of California is a whopping 24 percent of the entire nation. The spending plan for the California Department of Veterans Affairs was $391 million from the general fund for the period 2017-18, a decrease of $13 million over the estimates for the previous year.
Meanwhile, according to figures from the Federation for American Immigration Reform, California taxpayers pay more than $23 billion per year in costs for illegal immigration.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Latino homelessness rose 63 percent last year over the previous year in L.A. County, and a large percentage of the homeless were illegals.
The VeteranAid.org website rated states for military retirees based on economic environment, quality of life and health care and this state didn’t even make it into the top 10. In fact, California ranked as one of the states with the least affordable housing.
Veterans have been cast out into the streets of California while illegals reap housing programs, Medicare, Social Security, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, higher education and many other benefits. President Trump said, “Our veterans are not being treated well. Our veterans, in many cases, are being treated worse than illegal immigrants.”
Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said several years ago, “It’s absurd, the things Obama thinks he can get away with … Taking money away from American war heroes, veterans who served this country bravely and proudly, and handing it over to people who aren’t even American citizens, and don’t speak our American language.”
Immigrationreform.com said it best: “Our nation should address the needs of our veterans instead of contemplating ways to give taxpayer benefits to illegal aliens.”
We must support the veterans who have served our country. Their service demonstrates their patriotism for our nation. We need to care for those who have fought for our freedom.
