Do you agree with veterans benefiting from Affirmative Action?

Question

Many workplaces across the country have enacted affirmative action plans which call for the company to hire a certain percentage of veterans.

In other places, veterans are given preferential treatment on loan applications and college admissions.

Veteran status allows you to purchase low-cost quality insurance that is not available to the general public (USAA), and it results in extra pay for many government positions.

As a liberal-leaning independent I have always believed in affirmative action, so I fully support veterans benefiting from these policies. How about you?

Answer 1

I support those remedial measures, but I would strongly prefer measures that would make them unnecessary. First, all States should be required to have an easy transition process from any military training to the equivalent license in the State and the military should add any additional training they need to their regimen to facilitate that process. For example, if you are learning helicopter maintenance, you should come out of that program with everything you know to pass any licensing exam in any State including various regulations that may not apply in the military.



Next, compensation should cover what we're fully asking of these people, including mental and physical healthcare for life as compensation for their service. No veteran should have to qualify for some sort of benefit, it should be automatic. If we give some benefits to a veteran who may not really need it, I'm OK with that, they earned it even if they don't need it. If we don't give some sort of benefit to a veteran who does need it, I'm not OK with that. Similarly for the GI bill, it should cover full tuition for a degree program. They should also better fund the transition programs to help them adjust to civilian life.



If there is still a stigma after that preventing the hiring of veterans at the levels that would be expected for someone of their level of qualifications, then perhaps both further outreach and affirmative action are necessary. Part of why the affirmative action is necessary now is because they aren't getting what they need to reach the levels they are qualified for and deserve for their service to our country. If we fix the underlying problem, much less affirmative action would be necessary, perhaps even none if we do a good enough job.

Answer 2

Veteran preference is usually spouted just after returnees come home from being posted in hot military spots or war. We can expect quite a bit from Afghanistan and Iraq. In the past some of us never used the preference because the economy was better or other reasons. Its a good benefit to vets because many need not to have to deal with loss of money was well as just getting back to in circulation.

Answer 3

If you notice, they get preferable hiring treatment not because the color of the skin they were born with, but rather their own personal choice to enlist.

Answer 4

I don't mind veterans getting preferential treatment. It is the least we can do for them because they earned it.



What did others earn who get preferential treatment because of their race or gender?



You really didn't think this through did you?

Answer 5

Affirmative action applies to race and should never be applied.

Answer 6

it sounds like a good idea to me... but I'm just a silly liberal too...

Answer 7

this sounds discriminatory, but i dont think its true anyway