- Joined
- Jul 6, 2005
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- 18,930
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- HBCA
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Very Liberal
Even though I think this is an illegal and immoral war in Iraq, I do think that the troops that come back from this environment, whether we agree or dis-agree with their actions, deserve the best from those of us that don't serve our country in such a direct way. However, apparantly the Bush Administration with his barely-a-majority-mandate-Republicans doesn't seem to care about supporting our troops when they come back. And for this, I would like to give them a big FU from the bottom of my heart.
Its not enough that the Big Dog on the hill lies to get us in the war, and Republicans from coast to coast look the other way when he commits impeachable offenses, but they have to disrespect the people that come back from all this crap. And for any Democrats that think they can get off scot free, you are just as much to blame for not being focused and decisive in objecting to this illegal war. Bowing down to these punk-a$$ Republicans is almost as bad as being one. Thank God I'm neither!
Here's a little something from The Nation:
Supporting Which Troops?
By now, it should be obvious that the "pro-defense" party doesn't give a damn about our troops, least of all veterans.
House Republicans ousted fellow conservative Chris Smith as chairman of the Committee on Veterans Affairs for his tireless advocacy of veterans rights. Current Chairman Steve Buyer was promoted, in the words of one Republican aide, "to tell the veterans groups, 'Enough is enough.'"
Senate Republicans have repeatedly voted down funding increases for vets to keep pace with inflation and meet rising needs.
The Bush Administration tried to add an enrollment fee and double the prescription co-payment for VA health care.
And now the VA admits it is $1 billion short on health care funding for this year alone.
After months of dodging Congressional questioning, VA undersecretary for health Jonathan Perlin finally gave the House VA Committee an unexpectedly honest answer last week. It turns out the $1.6 billion spending increase promised last year has been a matter of accounting trickery, achieved by shifting money from one account to another, and cutting almost $1 billion for medical administration, facilities and prosthetic research.
After the testimony, irate Republican Senator Larry Craig joined his Democratic colleague Patty Murray in demanding emergency funds from the Bush Administration. "We're going to pound them like hell 'till we get them," Craig said of VA hearings scheduled this week. "Then we'll make some judgments."
Before Senate Republicans voted down Murray's plan to adequately pay for VA health care, for the second time in two months last April, VA Secretary Jim Nicholson promised the Senate he had the resources required. "I can assure you that VA does not need emergency supplemental funds in FY2005 to continue to provide the timely, quality service that is always our goal," Nicholson wrote in a letter to Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison. The understaffed hospitals, lengthy waits, red tape and frequent complains seemed to be a figment of the Democratic imagination.
At a time when VA funding is 25 percent lower than it was 5 years ago, Murray's amendment would've provided badly needed funds for mental health treatment, new veterans and local clinics. Instead, the $80 billion supplemental for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the $2.6 trillion Senate Budget Resolution for 2006 denies full quality treatment to returning and current vets. The 13,000 soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan since March 2003, 30 percent of whom return with post traumatic stress disorder or other psychological problems, can't even get a little help from their Republican friends.
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional as to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their country." A lefty named George Washington said that in 1789.
Its not enough that the Big Dog on the hill lies to get us in the war, and Republicans from coast to coast look the other way when he commits impeachable offenses, but they have to disrespect the people that come back from all this crap. And for any Democrats that think they can get off scot free, you are just as much to blame for not being focused and decisive in objecting to this illegal war. Bowing down to these punk-a$$ Republicans is almost as bad as being one. Thank God I'm neither!
Here's a little something from The Nation:
Supporting Which Troops?
By now, it should be obvious that the "pro-defense" party doesn't give a damn about our troops, least of all veterans.
House Republicans ousted fellow conservative Chris Smith as chairman of the Committee on Veterans Affairs for his tireless advocacy of veterans rights. Current Chairman Steve Buyer was promoted, in the words of one Republican aide, "to tell the veterans groups, 'Enough is enough.'"
Senate Republicans have repeatedly voted down funding increases for vets to keep pace with inflation and meet rising needs.
The Bush Administration tried to add an enrollment fee and double the prescription co-payment for VA health care.
And now the VA admits it is $1 billion short on health care funding for this year alone.
After months of dodging Congressional questioning, VA undersecretary for health Jonathan Perlin finally gave the House VA Committee an unexpectedly honest answer last week. It turns out the $1.6 billion spending increase promised last year has been a matter of accounting trickery, achieved by shifting money from one account to another, and cutting almost $1 billion for medical administration, facilities and prosthetic research.
After the testimony, irate Republican Senator Larry Craig joined his Democratic colleague Patty Murray in demanding emergency funds from the Bush Administration. "We're going to pound them like hell 'till we get them," Craig said of VA hearings scheduled this week. "Then we'll make some judgments."
Before Senate Republicans voted down Murray's plan to adequately pay for VA health care, for the second time in two months last April, VA Secretary Jim Nicholson promised the Senate he had the resources required. "I can assure you that VA does not need emergency supplemental funds in FY2005 to continue to provide the timely, quality service that is always our goal," Nicholson wrote in a letter to Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison. The understaffed hospitals, lengthy waits, red tape and frequent complains seemed to be a figment of the Democratic imagination.
At a time when VA funding is 25 percent lower than it was 5 years ago, Murray's amendment would've provided badly needed funds for mental health treatment, new veterans and local clinics. Instead, the $80 billion supplemental for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the $2.6 trillion Senate Budget Resolution for 2006 denies full quality treatment to returning and current vets. The 13,000 soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan since March 2003, 30 percent of whom return with post traumatic stress disorder or other psychological problems, can't even get a little help from their Republican friends.
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional as to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their country." A lefty named George Washington said that in 1789.
