IS THIS HOW WE WANT TO REMEMBER OUR VETERANS? I THINK NOT! I HOPE NOT!

As we take time to remember those men and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to the nation, we should also take time to remember how we treat those veterans who are still with us.

It is a disgrace that the Bush administration has continued to slash funding for veterans' health care, especially in the area of nursing home services. There will be an estimated 1.3 million-plus vets aged 85 and above by 2012, more than double the number presently. Although a Veterans Administration report 1984 warned of this, the agency has cut back on nursing home and mental health services, hoping that Medicaid and the private sector can pick up the slack. VA is already in violation of a 1999 federal law mandating a minimum of 13,391 beds, as it only has about 12,000 nursing home beds available. And Dubya and Friends want to slash that to less than 10,000 by next year.

Even for those veterans who are able to get in VA nursing or retirement homes, the care is seriously lacking. The Washington Post reported last Wednesday that a group of veterans at the U.S. Armed Forces Retirement Home in northwest Washington, DC have filed a class-action lawsuit against Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the home's Chief Operating Officer Timothy Cox alleging that the over 1,000 residents can no longer get prescriptions and regular physician checkups there due to cuts in service since a new management team took over two years ago.

Our great nation has an obligation to those men and women who served their country. Unfortunately, this administration seems not to care about people unless it's one of their wealthy business partners. We need a change now.

And to all our veterans...thank you for your service and sacrifice on our behalf. God bless you!