Issue Position: Innovation and Entrepreneurship Opportunities for Our Military Veterans
Issue Position
When I was in the United States Army, we had a saying "Never Leave A Buddy Behind." Every day in America, I feel like that is exactly what we are doing. Every day in America, our men and women who once were in uniform and served our country are left on the economic battlefield and are filling the ranks of the unemployed or underemployed.
What good are "transition to work programs" like Army Career and Alumni Programs (ACAP) or Transition Assistance Programs (TAP), when they don't result in jobs for our returning soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines? What good are homeownership programs for veterans and their families when they don't have the income to qualify? Programs to teach veterans how to manage their money are valuable, but what good are they if they don't have any money to manage?
A military mother of two beautiful kids who just transitioned out of the Army and is volunteering for my campaign, said that "many veterans are already qualified for a number of jobs that just aren't open right now. You can't get a job if a job doesn't exist; furthermore, free or more financially manageable education won't lower the unemployment rate. We will only have a more educated unemployed workforce who knows how to get jobs that aren't available."
Now is the time to declare war in our state on unemployment, and put our veterans back to work with meaningful living wage jobs. As your next Lieutenant Governor of Washington, I will lead a ground campaign to do just that by giving veterans the support they need to create new businesses, which in turn creates new jobs. The administration of the Lieutenant Governor's Office will focus on helping existing businesses reboot and increase their productivity which in turn will create new opportunities to employ military veterans. Together, we will provide greater opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship among our veteran workforce. I won't just talk about it--I will charge with the full power of the Lieutenant Governor's office to accomplish this mission.
- See more at: http://www.electfigueroa.com/innovation-and-entrepreneurship-opportunities-for-our-military-veterans#sthash.DQm0zXfV.dpuf
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