The Top Five Campaign Issues Military Wives Should Watch

So, Jay has now been in the Middle East for 4 weeks now. I miss him a lot, but I’m even more focused on the upcoming election. I have been involved in politics since I was 17 years old. I studied Communications and Political Science in college and I’ve volunteered on countless campaigns at the local, state and national level. The next President and the next Congress will affect the livelihood of military families in ways that we haven’t seen since the Vietnam War. Here are the issues that I think every military wife needs to investigate before going to the polls.

5. The Future of Stop Loss

I think all of you know what stop loss is. I know it’s an issue that will affect me. Jay will be in Iraq 6 months after his volunteer obligation to the Army expires. Stop Loss was originally delegated to the Secretary of Defense by executive order on September 14, 2001. Military families need to watch the Stop Loss policy closely in the election because as military enlistments decline, the number of soldiers forced to stay in the military on the back end will increase. The Stop Loss policy is the draft on the back-end. Most people are opposed to implementing a draft, but no one has confronted this issue full force. Barack Obama has pledged to end Stop Loss, McCain has pledged to keep it in place. Another issue with Stop Loss is the fact that right now there is a bill in Congress that will give $500 monthly to those who are affected by Stop Loss. This bill will make these payments retroactive. I really don’t think $500 is enough for Stop Loss, but that’s just my opinion.

4. Watch the Economy Stupid

As we all know, the economy has taken a turn for the worst on Bush’s watch. Most economists say the economy will always balance itself out, but government intervention plays the largest role in the counteracting the balancing act of the economy. This is actually a principle of Adam Smith, a demigod for the Republican Party. The war in Iraq is a costly war that is negatively impacting the economy. In addition, there are companies who are banking on the misery of ordinary consumers. People are losing their homes, people are paying more at the pump, people are in debt, and, worst of all, people are losing their jobs at unprecedented rates. Now, our government is bailing out a company that paid its executives tens of millions of dollars this year. Every American will be affected by this awful economy, but American soldiers may be facing less funding due to the irresponsibility of the Bush Administration. Our government cannot pay for every necessity, and that’s a reality. We need to elect a president and Congress who understands the impact of the economy. One of the presidential candidates publicly admitted that he knows nothing about the economy. 

3. The Use of Incompetent Contractors 

This is the first war where contractors make up a large percentage of the military work force in Iraq and Afghanistan like Halliburton, KBR, Black Water, and many more. These contractors have negatively impacted our military. Halliburton has destroyed property in Iraq and mismanaged oil fields. KBR (a subsidiary of Halliburton) operates the water and filtration systems on Army bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their systems have been electrocuting and killing soldiers. Isn’t it enough that soldiers are faced with violence every day? Should they really be worried about taking a shower because contractors like KBR are incompetent and suffer no penalties for their negligence? Black Water–the infamous mercenaries in this war–have killed innocent Iraqis. As a military wife, you must think about how these situations affect our military. When innocent Iraqis are killed, insurgents are angered and they want to kill American soldiers. The worst part about the contractors in Iraq is their relationship with politicians. We all know that Dick Cheney is the former CEO of Halliburton. He gets some serious stock options because of his former role with the company, so he is profiting from the crappy work that Halliburton and KBR are doing for our soldiers. Erik Prince, the founder of Black Water has personally given more than $200,000 to Republican causes in the last decade. All of these contractors are being awarded no-bid contracts for the work, and they have made billions of dollars from American taxpayers. In the good old days, soldiers took on the responsibilities that are being done by these irresponsible contractors. We need to elect people who won’t pay back their buddies or try to profit for war themselves.

2. Health Care for Military Families & Veterans

Universal health care is on the agenda for Barack Obama and health care savings accounts (HSAs) are on the agenda for John McCain. Unfortunately for military families, health care savings accounts are not an option. Military families cannot enroll in high-deductible health plans, which are the cornerstone of HSAs. Universal health care, on the other hand, is something that military families know well. The health care systems established on military bases are a form of universal health care. You go to the Army Medical Centers on an Army base and you pay no co-pay, you pay nothing for prescriptions (if you’re a soldier and like $3 if you’re a family member), and you receive quality care. My husband had surgery twice this year. The care we received at the private hospital in our hometown, was less than stellar. We waited in the emergency room for 6 hours, we had tons of paper work that had to be filled out before he could be admitted, and the physician’s assistant was totally confused about his surgery and thought he was supposed to get the wrong organ out. Did I mention he was in grave pain throughout this process? The army hospital was a completely different experience.  We walked in, we showed an I.D., he had his surgery, the doctors were professional, and everything was great. I think everyone should be able to walk in and show an I.D. and get the care they need, just like members of the military. Actually, I think we should have the same health care that Congress has. Health care is an important issue with the number of injured veterans who are coming home. We need them to have proper care and universal health care can give them the options they need to get specialized care anywhere in the country.

1. The Next Phase of Iraq and Afghanistan

George W. Bush is doing absolutely nothing to change the direction of Iraq. Our president is waiting for this issue to come across the desk of the next president. This may be a good thing since W is not known for making the most intelligent decisions. What’s next for the war? There has to be an exit strategy. If we continue to participate in this war just for the sake of participating in it, we will probably lose another 4,000 troops, making the grand total 8,000 lives lost due to the need to invade a country in search of weapons of mass destruction that never existed. Regardless of if you’re on the right or the left, we need to make decisions about the direction of the war. One presidential candidate said that he’d rather win the election over winning the war. He also said that he’s fine with this being a 100-year war. Every military family needs to really think about this issue. Can Americans afford this war? Is this war a distraction from the war on terror? Contrary to what some people believe, terrorism is alive and well. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan has been a big recruitment poster for terrorist groups. What happens when another September 11 happens? Will we be able to re-group without our military present? Our next president owes military families a timetable for withdrawal. We have to know when to say enough is enough. 

The Top Five Campaign Issues Military Wives Should Watch are my obviously full of my personal opinions about the state of public affairs in our country. I hope everyone will do their homework, and create their own top 5 issues list and determine which candidate will serve you best. This year, we need to think carefully about the decisions we make for the presidency and for Congress because these individuals will be deciding the fate of all military families. Every military wife needs to make this decision for herself and not make your voting decisions based on your husband’s decisions. Hillary Clinton, Geraldine Ferrara, and even Sarah Palin have proven that you need to find your voice as a women and be heard. Voting is the best way to be counted and be heard.