Don’t rely on luck to help veterans

It seems everyone is talking about tonight’s big Powerball jackpot. Including one Wisconsin legislature who has plans for spending the state’s share of the big prize. You see, if the winning ticket is sold in Wisconsin, the state gets a pretty good chunk of change. Assuming there is a single winner, who chooses the cash payout, the state would receive an income tax windfall of more than $65 million. Senator Tim Carpenter of Milwaukee says if the $1.4 billion Powerball ticket is won in Wisconsin, he will draft a bill that puts all of the state’s share of the tax obligation in the Veterans Trust Fund. The Veterans Trust Fund funds educational training, transitional housing and other important services for veterans. Carpenter is right when he says “Our veterans have sacrificed so much, now we must uphold our end of the bargain and commit to taking care of our servicemen and women.” But if Carpenter and other lawmakers are so concerned about the lack of funding for the Veterans Trust Fund, then they should fund it. It shouldn’t be tied to some pie-in-the-sky dream of a winning Powerball ticket. Hoping a winning ticket is sold in Wisconsin is hardly showing a commitment to funding our veterans needs.