[Harmless Teddy Bear]

I feel that a dollar of benefit I take is a dollar that could be applied to some other veteran program, but...it is just me.

Except it wouldn't.

Government accounting is totally different then anything in the real world. Every dollar a government program does not spend is deducted from their budget the next year. So you not taking a benefit just means that someone at the close of the fiscal year will be frantically ordering pens, post-its and other office supplies.

I wish they would allow government programs to have "rainy day funds" where ever thing you managed not to spend this year could be tucked away for when demand is up or to save for some major capital expenditure.

But they don't.

[rlmorel]

I know...I know how it all works, but...it is a personal thing, not a strictly rational thing.

I have long tried to live my life by telling myself that if it feels wrong, it is probably wrong...so if I am going to make an error in judgement, then it will be a generous error that I could have likely cut a finer corner on.

That is why I don’t view askance the way anyone else approaches things like this...I can hardly hold it against people for having better instincts and more common sense than I do...