Vet Benefits

FoxNews ^ | February 20, 2004 | Brit Hume

[FlyLow]

John Kerry -- running in part on his record as a Vietnam veteran -- insists President Bush -- "[has] not kept faith with veterans across the country, and one of the first definitions of patriotism is keeping faith with those who wore the uniform of our country."

Kerry specifically accuses the president of cutting the Veterans Administration budget. But, in fact, that funding is now higher than at any point in the past ten years, and it's going up twice as fast under President Bush than under President Clinton.

What's more, according to the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center, the number of veterans receiving health benefits is going up 25 percent under President Bush's budgets.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

At least Clinton's lies were delivered with a smile.

Kerry is one angry dude with a chip on his shoulder.

He is not a nice person at all.

[EEDUDE]

I think folks are starting to see this.

The longer he campaigns, the worse he looks!

[My Dog Likes Me]

Kerry does seem especially grim, doesn't he?

I predict he'll have a Howard Dean moment in a debate with Bush (like when Gore physically charged GWB in a debate), and it'll be all over.

[bushfamfan]

It would be nice to see what Kerry said with Clintoon's taking care of our nation's veterans-of course he said nothing. The facts need to be put out there over and over and Kerry needs to be held accountable for his lies.

[Milligan]

Kerry keeps on saying he is for the veterans, but I do not see it anywhere in the US Senate Armed Forces Committee website. His only reference is about himself serving in Vietnam and being highly decorated. My web search only came up with his investigation into the victim's of agent orange, Iran-Contra during the mid 80's, POW/MIA's status, and getting a favorable trading position with the N. Vietnam during the 90's. He was listed on many committee dealing with trade with Asia during the Clinton years.

In Masschusetts, we call him a phoney bologna! A crock fUll of $^!+!

[DaBroasta]

Wonder if John F-ing supported his hero Clinton in denying thousands of veterans health care by forcing them out of VA hospitals to make room for the homeless, the indigent, and the plain f-ing lazy?

[Grut]

Well, I used to believe in veteran's benefits until I had to deal with the VA. I wrote the whole thing off a couple of decades ago.

[jackbill]

One of Ann Coulter's latest column contains a gem that is so relevant to so many threads:

Liberals simply can't grasp the problem Lexis-Nexis poses to their incessant lying.

[joesnuffy]

The VA Medical Center budget is far from keeping pace with the pressure put on it by the many newly wounded and disabled veterans who desperately need care....the VA is still woefully underfunded...

It is quite true that Pres Bush has increased the VAs budget well over what the "we loathe the military" types of the last POTUS's political party has...but it is by no means up to taking care of today's new veterans and yesterday's older veterans..

Pitting the younger veterans against the older... increasing the competion for increasingly scarce care...aggravating waits of 6 months or more for care and adjudication is one of the highly embittering products of this cheapskate and simply..bad policy

No one pushed veterans out of the way faster than Clinton...and Kerry's trackrecord on veterans is certainly no better..and given his treason.....far worse

There is no reason to believe that if Kerry were President the VA and disabled veterans would do anything other than languish...as did the POW MIAs Kerry promised to work towards freeing...

Kerry not only has no problem with screwing over disabled veterans, POW MIAs...he has no problem dishonoring the memories of the fallen and casting aspersions against the living and piling on disrespect for those who fought and gave their lives in the War in Vietnam

Seems like in the rush to uplift Pres Bush over the Dems the whole truth about the VA never gets told...just half truths like...Pres Bush is doing better than Bill Clinton... Thats the nice thing about the Clinton's....they were and are so low...that just about anybody looks good against them...the same goes for the current crop of dems...

Of course.... GW looks good against this background...

The real issue is "are disabled combat veterans getting adequate care and are their cases adjudicated in a timely manner"?.... The answer to that question is still a resounding NO!

.....Merely doing a quite a bit better than the worst we have ever had ...still isn't cutting it...if the needs of the combat fallen and their families aren't being met

imo

In the words of George Washington:

"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 nation"

[Gritty]

Good comments!

[norton]

Amen to number 10.
But sure not a new situation,
wasn't a picnic in the seventies.

PS, I learned something from the original article:
"John Kerry -- running in part on his record as a Vietnam veteran..."
Gee, I didn't know that.

[winker]

Don't forget the restoration of Spousal Benefits here either! The wives of veterans need Medical Benefits they once had before The clintonistas came along. This is a call to arms for Veteran Wives who kept the home fires burning while their husbands were on active duty. Fact of the matter is they were joined at the hip keeping the family together then and they need help now! Spend the money to support our Veteran Families instead of bogus expenditures on Illegal Aliens! "AMERICA FIRST"

[Milligan]

In Great Lakes, Illinois they are combining the Naval Hospital with the VA. I see nothing wrong consolidating resources and cutting cost for the taxpayer. Why have two seperate radiology departments? One department is sufficent in our area. Medical technology is changing. We have same day surgery and out-patient care. Long term stays are for those who need critical care. We also have to look at demographics. How many WWII, Korean, Vietnam and Persian Gulg era veterans need VA medical care? By consolidating resources, there should be enough funds to adequately take care of disabled vets.

[GunnyB]

The longer he campaigns, the worse he looks!

The Botox injections are wearing off. He thought he'd have everything sewn up, now he'll have to get another series of injections... Probably chalk it up to "more sleep" or something...

[winker]

Specifically though people like my Spouse who once could be included for Medical Benefits are denied Medical Care. This is causing catastrophic circumstances in families who are not supplied health care and this devastates the family unit. This is still a call to arms for Wives of Veterans who are denied this basic benefit that they once had. This is the problem, that families need to be completely restored for their faithful service to this Country.

[Milligan]

Is your spouse retired? Please tell me more about your background. What happen to your spouse? I know we have to pay for our healthcare but the cost of healthcare is going up. To keep the high medical standards, the government decided to charge the retiree. Medical care is still free for active duty.
My husband is retired from the Navy. We use the Navy Hospital and we are on the Tricare plan. We have to pay $465 each year but we receive great care. And we have to pay co-pay if we go out to town. If I'm not satified with the military care, Tricare has a list civilian doctors I can go to. I don't understand your position, because we were never been denied healthcare. We may pay $465 but it's better than nothing. We could be paying $465 a month if we were out in the civilian world. I just feel gratiful I have healthcare and I will still have it if my husband passes away. If you spouse is having problems with your healthcare please call/email Tricare if you don't live around a military facility and I'm sure they will help you out. If you have problems with your payments, I know military relief agencies will help you out. I volunteered for NMCRS and we gave out grants many times to those who were going through catastrophic cricumstances. We helped a disabled Vietnam Vet who was wheelchair bound to get his van fixed. He needed the van for medical purposes. He payed us back because he was too proud to take a grant. He paid it off within 18 months.

[winker]

I am not a retiree my wife is a dependent. I was in from 1966 to 1970 & Honorably Discharged from active duty and my reserve obligation. I am fully covered by V.A. The problem my wife and I face is my job and her job does not have medical coverage. At the time I was active duty status she was covered like I am now; but the clintonistas changed all that and I know there are thousands if not millions of Veteran families hanging by a thread knowing a catastrophic illiness would wipe us out financially. At present we are faced with no Medical coverage for her that she once had. This is a different situation than retirees have. I have to be 100% disabled before she qualifies for help. This is the problem that many like my family face in today's reality.

[CGVet58]

out of curiosity, would you know where i can get a video of Gore's charge @ the Prez?

[dakine]

Just because you were in the Military at one time, you still get life-time medical benefits (not just disability), and because you were once in the Military your spouse would still get lifetime medical benefits?..

I am just curious...