Wisconsin Stiffs Vets

Wisconsin's planned 2012 budget slashes an assistance program for homeless vets by 53 percent and also includes a 19 percent cut in funds used to buy eyeglasses and dentures, Ken Black, secretary of the state's Veterans Affairs Department, told Governor Scott Walker, in a letter last week.

The state budget also considers contracting out operation of the veterans home in Chippewa Falls and a 10 percent cut in the funeral honors budget, Black said.

This budget, Black wrote, does not adequately reflect "the need for increased

outreach and increased demand for programs which assist Wisconsin's

most needy veterans."

Maybe the five Wisconsin lawmakers I wrote about Tuesday, who have strong opinions on how the federal Veterans Affairs Department should develop an electronic health record system, could pay some attention to the plight of veterans at home.