Can you honor Veterans while impoverishing them (and their families)?

Today is Memorial Day and lots of politicians will be draping themselves in the flag attending ceremonies spouting meaningless platitudes about illusory freedom and our brave soldiers.  The mainstream media will eat it all up too.

Politicians love to connect themselves to the fake glory side of war while avoiding the real bloody aspect and the aftermath of those who served, died, were wounded and families left behind or left to deal. The media complies because connecting war with honor and glory makes for movie trailer-esque heartwarming moments one the otherwise ignored 6:00 news.

A lot of the same politicians who will be all flags and speeches today also want to end Social Security and Medicare as we know them.  They claim they're saving the programs, and the mainstream media let's them get away with that line, but they're not. They're just changing the programs to make them worthless and unsustainable in the long term so they are more easily eliminated.

This weekend, a group of veterans organizations released a report describing how Social Security affects veterans and current military personnel and families. Here are just some of the facts and figures from that report:

• Social Security pays benefits to over 9 million veterans.
• In 2010, the average monthly Social Security benefit paid to a veteran was $1,289.
• About 4,000 children have been left behind by soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. That number is expected to go up due to continuation of both wars and shorter life expectancies for soldiers returning home. Survivors are eligible for monthly social security payments on average $842.
• For some survivors, Social Security may be a large percentage of or their only income.
• Approximately 771,000 veterans receive Social Security disabled worker benefits, averaging $1,100-$1,200 per month.
• The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Benefits Administration received 1,013,712 disability claims in 2009 and projects to receive 1,318,753 in 2011—a 30 percent increase. How do many of these disabled vets live from month to month? Social Security.
• A service member earning between $25,000 and $30,000 who is supporting a spouse and two young children holds disability insurance, through Social Security, with a present value of well over $400,000. Without Social Security, they have what's left over from their $25,000 to $30,000 salary after paying expenses.....zippo.

So, while we listen to the politicians talk about honoring veterans and watch all the military symbols of bravery and freedom they can gather on stage with them, we need to remember that the only way to honor our military men and women is to make sure they are taken care of when they get back, or their families are provided for if they don't. There is no freedom for the family in financial shambles. There is no honor in squalor and starvation.

The way to honor the soldiers and preserve their families' freedom is to stop glorifying flags and medals, and senators wearing military honors they didn't really earn, and start protecting what keeps disabled soldiers, war widows and orphans (and lots of other people) secure and free, Social Security.