Put politics aside and help veterans

The state of Wisconsin would rather play political games than actually help veterans in need. The closure of two residences that serve long-term care needs of veterans is a mark of shame on the state and a slap in the face to all those who served their country.

In what seemed, at the time, to be signs of ushering in a new era of bipartisan cooperation, last July the state passed a new biennial budget. Budgets, by their nature, are instruments of compromise where the goal should be to do what is necessary and then go through the wish list of what is possible to do.

State budgets are also political tools, especially when it comes to trying to influence the perception of voters. Are you grumpy about your school property taxes going up? Well, blame the governor’s stunt to allow districts to raise per pupil spending, and ignore that the legislature very specifically chose not to increase any general aids to schools.

With political operatives always looking ahead to the next election cycle, they never miss the chance of making the other party out to be the bad guys.

The budget eliminated $1.9 million in funding to keep the two veterans' homes open. Whether it was an oversight or a calculated political maneuver remains up for debate. The reality is that, without the funding, the facilities were forced to close, sending those in the facilities scrambling for placement elsewhere and eliminating an important safety net for veterans in the region.

To a household, $1.9 million is a lot of money. In terms of the $111 billion state budget, it amounts to 0. 017% of the total two-year budget. In comparable spending power, the amount barely covers the cost to resurface a mile of STH 29 this summer.

For the homeless veterans and their families who were served by the veterans' homes, the money for their programs provided a lifeline and a path forward.

Rather than working to serve veterans and restore funding for the veteran homes, there is finger-pointing. Legislators say the governor could shift money from elsewhere to cover the program costs, while the governor’s office says it is the job of the legislature to appropriate the needed funds.

While the politicians bicker, veterans in the homes are having to be relocated to facilities far from the area, with some being placed in homes out of state. This makes maintaining any sort of connection with families and friends more difficult, which negatively impacts the well-being of these veterans and their families.

Politicians are so focused on pointing fingers about who is to blame that they have forgotten that their primary job is to work for solutions.

The legislature and governor must set aside their partisan bickering and put the needs of veterans first by working together to restore the funding of the veterans' homes.

Central Wisconsin Publications Editorial Board consists of publisher Kris O’Leary and Star News editor Brian Wilson