#NFL In Due Keeping

I agree with @nflcommish;

@SuperBowl is perfect time to recognize #WWII veteran #MedalofHonor  Hershel Williams.

After 73 years, the @nfl didn't have a better time and wouldn't want the fame, $$$, and celebrity to go to his ego.

#PleaseStand

http://tinyurl.com/y98x5bly

Conservatives would rather pay lawyers than veterans

The Conservative government says that they support veterans but their actions show they would rather pay lawyers to fight a class action lawsuit from 7 veterans than pay each of them $100,000.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/feds-spent-694k-in-legal-fight-against-veterans-1.2209816

Fantino claimed,  "There are “real” and “meaningful” programs to help veterans and returning soldiers. On this side of the house, we deliver to our veterans,” he said during question period.

The government made sure the costing for $700,000 came from Justice Department rather than Veterans Affairs. 


And this is who they are fighting:

 http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/disabled-war-vet-calls-class-action-against-gov-t-the-biggest-battle-of-his-life-1.2131341

Major Mark Campbell was lying in a hospital bed, just starting to comprehend losing both his legs above the knees in a Taliban ambush, when he found out the federal government had stripped his lifetime military pension.
"I expected to just move off into the twilight and retire, but unfortunately it's just like the cliche out of a Hollywood movie," said the Edmonton man, describing the conclusion to 33-years of service after a final tour in Afghanistan.
"I come home and I find that, honestly, the biggest battle I've ever faced in my entire life is here at home against my very own government."

...

Campbell, who also lost a testicle, ruptured his eardrum and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, said he has been stripped of benefits amounting to about $35,000 -- a plight he would have avoided if not for accepting a second call to duty in Afghanistan. His lower body was decimated by the blast of an improvised explosive device while his team rescued another injured Canadian.

This soldier volunteered for a mission when he could have taken his pension and retired.  Instead, he risked his life and was punished for it.

Why would soldiers join up for unlimited liability? Why would they volunteer for missions that risk their life for volunteer operations overseas? They are making it too costly down the road in case we need people to sacrifice for the country.

Instead, they gave the money to lawyers...

Why did the Prime Minister take so long to sack Fantino?

The previous Veterans Affairs Minister was a bumbling underperformer, whose only flaw was following the PMO's orders. Julian Fantino was a train wreck of a manager, destroying the good will of the veterans that have suffered over a 13 year war in Afghanistan. Fantino couldn't spend out $1.1 billion in budget and they called it "good fiscal management".  Veterans are dying faster in Canada from suicide than killed in action. It's disgraceful. It is a real problem that can't be covered over.

It was so obvious things were not going well, this was costing so much and proving that the Conservatives really didn't care for veterans. Veterans won't trust the government to take care of them when they argue in court that the government isn't responsible for veterans.   So why did it take the Prime Minister so long to sort this out?  Why would you tell Canadians a lie, that things were going great and that you were doing well and then get rid of the minister?  How is this open and transparent government?

How much do the Conservatives believe in PTSD treatment for veterans? $4 million per year for all veterans for 50 years. That much but no more.

Government's shabby lie to veterans.

The Conservatives announced a $200 million dollar investments "over 6 years" for PTSD but it turned out to be $4 million dollars per year for all veterans all over the country over 50 years.  That's less than they spend on PILT payments to the City Of Ottawa.

I tried to apply for veterans support when I left the army post Bosnia. It proved to be lip service and a waste of time.  I gave up. I know that's not the right way to do things but once you hear no enough it seems less worth it.

My grandfather, Squadron Leader Frederick Charles Kruger, flew bombers in WWII and received the Distinguished Flying Cross from the King of England himself, and fought with Veteran's Affairs for 20 years to get a pension for hearing loss due to flying planes with 4 * H-24 1500HP engines outside his ears for nine to 10 hour missions.  They argued he couldn't prove that his hearing loss was job-related.  But he refused to give up and finally he got what he was owed.  What he deserved.  He was as entitled to his entitlements as any politician is.

My logic was I didn't suffer near as much trauma as my grandfather did, nearly shot down many times,  and I could make so much more working than not so I felt it was pointless.  That's how they cut costs because we are honorable, and they exploit that so they are not. Because we are willing to sacrifice everything, and they want to balance the books. And give themselves bonuses for keeping costs down.

It's shameful to talk up their support yet deliver nothing. It's mean-spirited and dishonest. It's sociopathic.

I want all fellow veterans to remember how much your pain and suffering post trauma means to the Conservatives.  It means less than 11,000 pairs of Danner leather combat boots.   It means less than 1 LAV Light Armoured Vehicle per year.  It means less than the advertising budget for how well Veteran's Affairs is doing.

What their ideological goggles don't see is that the more mean spirited and careless they are towards previous veterans makes it far less likely to get the next generation to commit to something as permanent as death on a foreign shore for a cause that means nothing to you personally.  Who wants to die for the Conservatives?

Minister Fantino's Performance Agreement

According to the Treasury board agreement, Treasury Board Performance Agreement, the objective of these forms is to:

"The objective of this directive is to promote a commitment, shared by managers, employees and their organizations, to sustaining a culture of high performance in the public service."

So when the auditor general reports that:

"Ferguson’s report says 80 per cent of veterans face an eight-month wait to find out if they are eligible for benefits -- a period of time that’s twice as long as Veterans Affairs Canada’s four-month standard.

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/ag-report-vets-face-long-waits-complex-process-for-benefits-eligibility-1.2118010#ixzz3KgbYmyiU

"

Then will the government rate his performance by the same standard they expect from everyone else? A civil servant would be treated as an underperformer.   Will they follow their own rules and lead by example?