In recent years, our leaders in Washington have pitched a series of temporary tax credits and special hiring initiatives aimed at getting veterans back into the workforce; these programs have, predictably, underperformed. Again, these temporary and targeted programs may be well intended, but their ineffectiveness represents yet another failure of status quo thinking. What’s needed is an agenda of pro-growth policies, restrained spending and limited government — proven strategies for getting the economy moving.
But we shouldn’t just wait for the next administration or the next Congress to take up our issues; veterans of all ages must make their voices heard in letting our leaders know that we expect them to look to the needs of our brothers and sisters. Those of us who work in the field of veterans’ advocacy, as I do with Concerned Veterans for America, must be prepared to hold the next administration accountable for responding to the needs of veterans.
Regardless of who wins on November 6 — and as I write this, it appears the race will go right down to the wire — veterans are still going to be deeply concerned about these issues. It’s up to the next administration to develop and implement a real veterans’ agenda that speaks to this critical population, with effectiveness and commitment.
Darin Selnick, a U.S. Air Force veteran, is an independent consultant and a member of the Concerned Veterans for America’s organizing committee.
