As a concerned student and citizen, I’m writing to call attention to an ongoing crisis that doesn’t receive the public outcry it deserves: the treatment of our disabled veterans. Suicide has been and remains a leading cause of death among our heroes, and federal budget cuts are making the situation worse.
So far this year, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has announced plans to eliminate 83,000 positions, despite adding more than 400,000 veterans to its benefits program in the past year. Veterans, many of whom already face long wait times and mental health struggles, are being met with reduced staffs, delayed care and an accelerating rise in barriers to accessing their limited benefits.
Cutting these positions is not just a decision to balance the budget; it is a matter of life and death for many of the millions who have served to protect our country.
The Veterans Crisis Line, which fielded more than 3 million calls between 2009 and 2017, also faces devastating cuts. By removing or reducing the funds contributed to these critical support systems, we are abandoning our heroes who have risked their lives for us.
We owe our veterans more than just our gratitude; we owe them care and consideration. This issue should not be a matter of politics, but it should be a matter of personal concern. It is about doing what is right for those who have sacrificed so much for us.
ALEXIS WALTERS
Goose Creek
Honor the sacrifice
Memorial Day is approaching, and the Army will celebrate its 250th anniversary with a big, beautiful birthday parade June 14.
Notably, three days after the Army’s establishment on June 14, 1775, approximately 115 Americans — the majority being militia soldiers — died at Bunker Hill, the first major battle of the Revolutionary War. Our forces lost the battle, but they lit the flame that resulted in our democracy and the freedom we all continue to enjoy as Americans.
Joseph Warren was promoted to major general of the Massachusetts forces three days before the battle, but refused his command in order to fight alongside the common soldiers, farmers and shopkeepers who made up the ranks of the militias. He was the only American general to die that day, having never been given the opportunity to enjoy the freedom that he fought for. He was a 34-year-old Boston doctor.
So, why did they all fight that day? They fought against tyranny and for the ideals that founded America and its democracy. Beliefs such as “all men are created equal,” “freedom and justice for all” and “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
It is well worth repeating Joseph Warren’s reason as to why they fought that day: for “the happiness and liberty of millions yet unborn.” He asked only that we “act worthy of ourselves.”
DOUGLAS DEVLAMING
Charleston
Trade war effects
The primary issue that should be obvious to most is that we are living in a world economy. The United States is a nation of wealth and populated by consumers. We don’t make all things necessary to maintain our existence, and for President Donald Trump to say children might only get to have “two dolls instead of 30” misidentifies the situation greatly.
During the first Trump administration, a tariff was proposed on imported steel. The secretary of commerce at the time, Wilbur Ross, produced a TV spot to show an example of the effect on our daily lives using a can of tomato soup. The televised message said that Ross had purchased the can of Campbell’s soup for $1.99. The cost of the soup once the tariff was implemented would be only six-tenths of a cent higher.
What the message failed to say was far more important. What would a new pickup truck cost? The message was seldom seen after it was challenged. The current trade war is more than a couple of toys or dolls.
Over the years, Charleston has become a major hub for ocean-going container vessels. The Wando terminal was expanded, the Leatherman terminal was added and land once occupied by Westvaco along I-526 will be yet another terminal.
In each expansion, a major cost was the installation of cranes to service visiting vessels. It was reported the cranes were manufactured in China. What would a huge increase in the cost of cranes do to that project, and who would have to pay it?
BUCK ERDNER
Mount Pleasant
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