Pork-laden defense bill gets one right: Will help disabled U.S. veterans get on the golf course

An addition to the 2006 defense bill will help get disabled U.S. vets golf carts that will have them on the course.

There are few things our government enjoys slapping things on to major bills that make their way to the President’s desk. The vast majority of bills that make it through Congress have some type of pork attached that generally either benefits few, or takes things away from many.

Take a recent billion-dollar port security bill. In today’s political climate, voting against a bill to help secure the nation’s ports would be roughly akin to sending birthday cards with $5 in them to known terrorists. The bill easily passed – as did the attachment on the bill that essentially bans Internet gambling for Americans.

Recently, President Bush signed a massive, $532.8 billion pork-laden defense bill that includes $11 billion in pork, including $775 million from Montana Sen. Conrad Burns alone.

Of course, some pork is better than others. Inside the defense bill is a provision that will help make golf more accessible for disabled American veterans.

Originated by California Congressman Sam Farr the provision will help to add single-rider golf cars at courses on U.S. military bases.

“As wounded soldiers and other military return from Iraq or other combat theaters, they are provided prosthetics and given intense physical therapy designed to bring them up to athletic competency. One of the key therapies employed is golf,” Farr said in a press release.

Until now, however, veterans have found that few golf courses - including those owned by the Department of Defense - provide specialty golf carts that allow them the mobility to swing even if they can’t use their legs.

There are nearly 150 military golf courses that host more than 4 million rounds of golf per year. According to a survey by the Paralyzed Veterans of America, six percent of its members play golf and 21 percent said they would play if the courses were accessible.

Most military courses have standard golf carts, but few have adaptive carts with a swivel seat and hand controls that can be used by disabled golfers who can’t walk.

“The technology is there,” said Farr. “There are carts that can carry the disabled right up to the tee box and not crunch a blade of grass.”

“This could not only benefit the disabled vet, but also anyone with a disability or mobility problem, if the golf industry understands the need to make courses more accessible,” said Bob Wilson, executive director of the National Amputee Golf Association, who lost both legs in 1974 while serving on the USS Kitty Hawk.

So while pork is a bad word in political circles, in this case, we’re glad to see it go to an often ignored group that truly deserves our tax money and attention - U.S. disabled veterans.

–WKW