The Long Cost of War

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the Senate's only socialist and current chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee, speaks the truth about paying the ongoing costs of America's war's.

“If you can’t afford to take care of your veterans, then don’t go to war,” he told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. “These people are bearing the brunt of what war is about. We have a moral obligation to support them.”

He agreed it wasn’t cheap but said the cost pales in comparison to the cost of war for veterans and families who have sacrificed so much. He then described the decision as a choice between veterans and the wealthy.

“If you happen to meet a veteran who is trying to get by on $28,000, $30,000, $35,000 a year and you notice that the teeth in his mouth are rotting I want you to go up to that veteran and have the courage, the honesty to tell him that you believe the United States of America does not have the money to take care of his needs,” Sanders said. “But explain to him why you may have voted for more than $100 billion in tax breaks for the wealthiest.”