We Can't Afford War No More

No matter whether you think the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were correct or mistakes--it is clear the costs of those wars are going to be hard to "justify"--and for those Democrats and Republicans who are concerned about "deficit spending"--I've got news: we can't afford wars like Iraq and Afghanistan no more--and the greatest cost is human:

U.S. vets' disability filings reach historic rate – USATODAY.com: "America's newest veterans are filing for disability benefits at a historic rate, claiming to be the most medically and mentally troubled generation of former troops the nation has ever seen. A staggering 45% of the 1.6 million veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now seeking compensation for injuries they say are service-related. That is more than double the estimate of 21% who filed such claims after the Gulf War in the early 1990s . . . these new veterans are claiming eight to nine ailments on average, and the most recent ones over the last year are claiming 11 to 14. By comparison, Vietnam veterans are currently receiving compensation for fewer than four, on average, and those from World War II and Korea just two. . . Government officials and some veterans' advocates say that veterans who might have been able to work with certain disabilities may be more inclined to seek benefits now because they lost jobs or can't find any. . . As the U.S. commemorates the more than 6,400 troops who died in post-Sept. 11, 2001 wars, the problems of those who survived also draw attention. These new veterans are seeking a level of help the government did not anticipate, and for which there is no special fund set aside to pay."

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