BACHMANN PLAN SLAMMED BY VETERANS' GROUPS (American Legion v. Tea Party?)

Washington Monthly ^ | 1/29/11 | Steve Benen

[Recovering_Democrat]

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) broke unexpected ground this week, presenting a budget plan that included freezing Veterans Affairs health care spending and cutting veterans' disability benefits considerably.

To put it mildly, the Bachmann proposal has not gone over well among groups representing the needs and interests of veterans.

[Recovering_Democrat]

Before the day was over, groups like the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans and AMVETS also chimed in.

For her part, the right-wing congresswoman told a local reporter yesterday that her proposal to undermine veterans' needs was intended to generate discussion. I suppose Bachmann succeeded on this front.

[Recovering_Democrat]

Let’s tread carefully here....

[pnh102]

There should be no discussion of cutting any benefits for veterans or any military spending until all spending on welfare, education, and other social spending is cut to 0 first.

Our veterans sacrificed too much to be thrown away at the expense of paying for a useless person's welfare check.

[dfwgator]

Bachmann is toast. The charge that she wants to stick it to vets will stick.

[red irish]

why on earth would she do this? It’s stupid! How about a cut in the government leaders salaries!

[PGR88]

Veterans are indeed worth - but this demonstrates exactly why our Government is in paralysis, and the budget issue will never be solved.

[Our man in washington]

For most veteran’s medical needs, do we really need veteran’s hospitals? Couldn’t the government save money by just paying a regular hospital to do the work?

Of course, we need a few veteran’s hospitals open for dealing with combat-related problems where regular hospitals might not have the specialists.

[WestwardHo]

My husband and I are both US Army veterans. I got out in 1978. Husband retired in 1990.
I don’t know who started the policy, but, sometime after Viet Nam the government started trolling for “disabled vets” in order to bestow extra benefits.
Let me be clear, combat related, or signifigant duty related disabilities deserve help. BUT! Offering disability pay for vague, nondiscript, insignifigant, minor “disabilities” that in no way affect a person’s ability to work and function has got to be addressed.

[pnh102]

Veterans are indeed worth - but this demonstrates exactly why our Government is in paralysis, and the budget issue will never be solved.

Indeed. Welfare is never, ever cut.

[Hoodat]

For most veteran’s medical needs, do we really need veteran’s hospitals? Couldn’t the government save money by just paying a regular hospital to do the work?

DING DING DING !!! WE HAVE A WINNER !!!

[ThunderSleeps]

There should be no discussion of cutting any benefits for veterans or any military spending until all spending on welfare, education, and other social spending is cut to 0 first.

Bravo! Well said! Get the lazy SOBs off their backsides and put to work. No more free money. It is unconscionable to consider cutting benefits for those who have served and protected our freedoms while letting freeloaders bask in the safety and security provided by them. Not just no but hell no!

[RocketRoland]

I am a veteran and I am retired living on Social Security. Saying that I left AARP a long time ago because of its selfishness.I have children and grandchildren that I do not want to leave this mess to. I am willing to sacrifice and even freeze all of my entitlements and maybe give a few back. I have served my country in 3 different capacities and now I am willing to sacrifice.People need to be considerate of those coming behind us. We also need to stop all these illegals from coming in here and some of our folks need to be willing to do labor. Now is the time for all good Americans to come to the aid of their country.

[Hoodat]

The charge that she wants to stick it to vets will stick.

Gee, I wonder why it never stuck when Democrats did it.

[mnehring]

Vet issues should be near the end of the list to cut. I’m sure we can find areas in the VA that can be run more efficiently, but there are so many other areas we can focus on without having a public fight over vets.

[lurk]

The VA is a cesspool of pork, inefficiency and corruption. Read Stolen Valor to see how they go trolling for vets that they can get diagnosed with PTST so they can bill the govt billions for their ‘treatment’.

[org.whodat]

Standard attack piece, where is the plan that says all of this, I doubt it exists.

[Rappini]

I think we all know that’s not going to happen so lets let it play out and see what happens before we all go Pelosi on it.

[Steely Tom]

Everyone's got an excellent reason why their "benefits" shouldn't be cut. Except me. And people like me. We don't get any benefits, unless you call the roads we drive on benefits, and the schools our children go to benefits.

Oh wait. I pay about for the roads with a tax on every gallon of gasoline I buy, and I pay for my kid's schools with an explicit tax every year. It's almost $10,000 a year where I live. So I pay for my "benefits." And I also pay for their's.

And the problem is, along with the vets, who actually have a case, there are millions and millions of others who will scream just as loundly and just as convincingly about why not one single penny of their largesse can be touched. Not a penny. Tens of millions of others, and more millions coming into this country across the borders every year.

[org.whodat]

You are correct, have a so called disabled vet near my home, he can split wood for hours and goes poaching all the time. Not a damn thing wrong with him.

[glorgau]

I’m a “disabled vet” and totally agree with restrictions on disability “double dipping”.

Disability payments are for survival, not for prosperity.