Dan McGlynn: Walker plan hurts veterans by hurting caregivers

[Joanne98]

Dear Editor: Caring for veterans is a trust between our country and the veterans who put their lives on the line. Gov. Scott Walker’s attack on workers who provide care to our veterans and seniors betrays that trust and jeopardizes care.

I served my country for almost four years, including one year in Vietnam, then I spent three years as an outreach counselor for the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs in the 1970s. The care available to Vietnam vets, and the manner in which it was offered, left much to be desired. We were limited term employees ourselves and, despite the success of our program, had to move on to jobs with family-supporting wages and benefits.

Things have improved dramatically since then. Now, other veterans tell me that Wisconsin’s veteran care system is top of the line. Part of the reason is that the people who take care of veterans can support their families and work to increase the quality of care.

That’s why I was shocked to hear that Walker is slashing the pay and gutting bargaining rights for the workers who take care of our veterans in nursing homes.

Walker’s proposal won’t fix the state’s long-term budget problems -- the only way to do that is to create policies that put Wisconsinites back to work. Instead his plan would bring us closer to the dysfunctional veteran care system of nearly four decades ago. For a Vietnam veteran who’s not getting younger, that thought chills me.

Dan McGlynn

Wisconsin Rapids

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