I’ve stayed out of the Social Security wars because I am in favor of addressing our long-term structural debt, and I am a realist about how Washington DC views its debt obligations. I acknowledge that the makeup of the commission is tilted against the progressive position on how to fix our fiscal house, but I am willing to wait for their recommendations before working on a full-scale campaign to discredit their work. I haven’t had a word of criticism for those who choose to do advance work, but I have no desire to join them. But Alan Simpson is really a problem. I can put up with him acting like a pompous ass, but he’s now stepping all over the president’s message. Last night, the president said the following to the nation:
Part of that responsibility is making sure that we honor our commitments to those who have served our country with such valor. As long as I am President, we will maintain the finest fighting force that the world has ever known, and we will do whatever it takes to serve our veterans as well as they have served us. This is a sacred trust. That’s why we’ve already made one of the largest increases in funding for veterans in decades. We’re treating the signature wounds of today’s wars — post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury — while providing the health care and benefits that all of our veterans have earned. And we’re funding a Post-9/11 GI Bill that helps our veterans and their families pursue the dream of a college education. Just as the GI Bill helped those who fought World War II — including my grandfather — become the backbone of our middle class, so today’s servicemen and women must have the chance to apply their gifts to expand the American economy. Because part of ending a war responsibly is standing by those who have fought it.
The next day we’re greeted to an Associated Press story where Simpson blames veterans for gobbling up too much money in health benefits.
“The irony (is) that the veterans who saved this country are now, in a way, not helping us to save the country in this fiscal mess,” said Simpson, an Army veteran who was once chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Can I just say, shut the fuck up?
The issue in context is a bit contentious and relates only to a subset of veterans who were exposed, or may have been exposed, to Agent Orange. But the context is almost irrelevant. You don’t tell a combat veteran that he or she isn’t helping to save the country by failing to renounce some of his or her benefits. If Simpson considers it part of his job to embarrass the president once a week, the president should consider it part of his job to replace Simpson.
