Author Topic: Comfort for America's Uniformed Services Elite (Read 774 times)

SlapShot · « **Reply #15 on:** May 06, 2004, 02:49:42 PM »

Just Paypal'ed $50 in Toad ... <~~> ... thanks for bringing this to light.~~

ravells · « **Reply #16 on:** May 06, 2004, 02:50:30 PM »

Well beetle,

It was and is my belief that the coalition went into Iraq to make it a more democratic country. As we've seen, it's going to be a really tough road.

I was more than happy to make the donation to the people at the sharp end - regardless of their nationality.

The world is getting so small, the foreigners will soon be people from other planets.

Ravs

Toad · « **Reply #17 on:** May 06, 2004, 03:41:42 PM »

Slap,

Sir! Thanks!

There is a PayPal link for CAUSE. Go ahead, it's pretty painless!

http://www.cause-usa.org/donate.asp

Beet,

I think it's the nature of the military procurement process in our system. In short, it's the law and how the system works.

There are huge multinational companies that will lobby the Congress for the latest super-duper maxi-blaster kill 'em quick machinery and the lobbies will sling money to Congressmen like there's no tomorrow.

OTOH, trying to get funding for something as plain vanilla as RO/RO ships to get the machinery to where it is needed is next to impossible.

So too for anything considered as an "extra" in a military hospital, I guess. They've got the CT imaging machines but a "phone card allowance" for injured personnel? Congress won't even glance at that.

There's also the "who'd have thought it" aspect with the gaming equipment. Before this happened, would anyone have figured every floor ought to have a couple of Playstations and X-boxes to help heal synapses or just to keep these kids from going stir-crazy?

Lastly, there's absolutely no doubt that CAUSE is a lean, mean DO-IT machine. This stuff gets done RIGHT NOW, not after six study groups make suggestions and changes for six months and then Congress haggles over budgeting for a year. That's why I like them.

Do I wish Congress had funded this stuff before the war? Sure. I don't blame them for not knowing they needed it though and I understand how slow ANY governmental process seems to be.

As for VietNam, one of the reasons for that was that the VA system didn't get much money prior to and during. As I said, it's not the glamourous war-fighting part of the budget. Then there was the whole "guns and butter" thing..... common sense told anyone who thought about it that THAT wasn't going to work. Somebody (or some aspect) always has to pay.

ravells · « **Reply #18 on:** May 07, 2004, 03:27:04 PM »

punt. Eagler.

Ravs

Eagler · « **Reply #19 on:** May 07, 2004, 05:53:16 PM »

thanks Rav

donation otw

ravells · « **Reply #20 on:** May 07, 2004, 06:35:19 PM »

Good man!

~~Ravs~~

Eagler · « **Reply #21 on:** May 07, 2004, 06:57:16 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by ravells
Good man!

~~Ravs~~

fwiw
I donate monthly to this group, have for years

AmVets

Toad · « **Reply #22 on:** May 11, 2004, 12:31:44 AM »

Last punt in my punt gun.

1Duke1 · « **Reply #23 on:** May 11, 2004, 04:09:16 AM »