(Room #) (Name) House Office Building
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative: Robert Turner
It saddened me to hear that a few months ago a bill to assist veterans in finding jobs, in which their military skills would be utilized, was voted down in Senate. Sponsored by Senator Patty Murray, "Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012", was thought to be a sure pass. The vote was 58-40; only 2 more votes were needed to pass this bill. This bill was effectively killed on the Senate floor by the Republican party on September, 19, 2012. The "Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012" was meant to tackle feelings of uselessness by giving our overqualified heroes an opportunity to work in fields appropriate to their abilities (For example police, firemen, armed security, etc.). Another government organization known simply as the VA program is suppose to provide jobs and other services like health care to veterans. In a recent assessment of the VA program, it was revealed that the systems in place to help veterans are not receiving sufficient attention. The organization seems unable to handle the imminence amount of cases refereed to them. The VA program's failures also have indirect consequences to those they serve. In a recent study by the "Center for a New American Study" new statistics revealed that we are losing the battle against veteran suicide. Startling results show that every 80 minutes a veteran commit's suicide. In 2011, 20% of all suicides in the United States were that of veterans. Many of those who thought about suicide said it stemmed from feelings of uselessness when they return home, from combat. The primary subject of "Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012" was to tackle these feelings of uselessness by giving job opportunities to veterans appropriate to their skills. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that presently the unemployment rate for veterans who served in Iraq