My thanks to Traumer, Arrowhead1952 and Conspiracy Guy for the concept of the above pic
Posted on 08/18/2004 2:09:41 PM PDT by kattracks
Veterans who support President Bush have accused Democrats of spreading misleading information about the state of affairs for the millions of veterans who rely on the government's health care benefits.
On several occasions throughout the Democratic National Convention, speakers criticized Bush on veterans' benefits. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, the vice presidential nominee, raised the issue in his speech Wednesday night. "Let me tell you," Edwards said, "the 26 million veterans in this country will not have to wonder when we're in office whether they'll have health care next week or next year. We will take care of them because they have taken care of us."Edwards was referring to a repeated Democrat line of attack that Bush allegedly cut spending for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
'Blatantly a Lie'
"It's blatantly a lie," said Griffin T. Dalianis, a Vietnam veteran from Nashua, N.H. "Our own hospital in Manchester is receiving money now that has been moved into Veterans Affairs. It will give us a full-service hospital. Right now, disabled veterans, and I am one, have to travel over 140 miles round trip to get any kind of services outside of a little wound."
The Democrats' claim has been debunked by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. Bush, in fact, has overseen a 27 percent increase in funding for veterans. That number would increase to 37 percent, based on this year's budget proposal.
During a Democrat primary debate on Feb. 15, Sen. John Kerry raised the issue of the veterans' budget. He suggested that Bush's "cuts" were unpatriotic. His language, even five months later as the party's presidential nominee, continued to resonate last week.
"He's cut the VA budget and not kept faith with veterans across this country," Kerry said in February. "And one of the first definitions of patriotism is keeping faith with those who wore the uniform of our country."
But World War II veteran Byron Buckingham of Nashua, N.H., said he had experienced none of the supposed cuts suggested by Kerry.
"I get treatment at the VA hospital, and during the Bush administration, he put $45 billion into the veterans' budget," said Buckingham, commander of the New Hampshire Military Order of the Purple Heart.
Vietnam veteran Paul J. Chevalier of Portsmouth, N.H., said that when compared to other administrations, Bush had done more to help veterans than he's getting credit for.
"In the eight years under President Clinton, the total money allocated to the VA increased 30 percent during those eight years," Chevalier said. "In the first three years of President Bush's administration, it has already gone up 40 percent."
The New Hampshire veterans weren't the only one responding to the Democrats' attacks. Last week 24 recipients of the Medal of Honor released a letter criticizing Kerry for voting against a $1.3 billion increase in veterans' health care benefits and missing some Senate votes related to veterans.
Kerry's Scare Tactics
"We are disturbed that John Kerry would try to scare veterans with his false accusations, and we are disappointed in his lack of support for today's troops," they wrote. "President Bush has led the way on improving veterans' benefits, supporting our troops and restoring honor and dignity to the White House."
One veteran explained the Democrats' use of language as a clever ploy. Vietnam veteran Dana E. Hussey, also of New Hampshire, said veterans would like more money than Bush has proposed, but that doesn't constitute a cut.
The Annenberg Political Fact Check concluded in its analysis there was clearly a desire for more money. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony Principi even split with President Bush when he requested more than the administration was willing to spend.
But at a time when Kerry has been continually portrayed as a war hero and surrounded by his Vietnam comrades, some veterans want voters to know that Bush is no slouch. Others, like Hussey, said it's Kerry who has some convincing to do.
"The veterans' population is huge, about 27 million, and I've seen the list of veterans supporting [Kerry] in New Hampshire, and I don't know one of them," Hussey said.
"I've been active for 25 years in New Hampshire. If he had legitimate veterans' support in New Hampshire, for instance, I would know at least one or two of them. I don't where he's getting these names yet."
Copyright CNSNews.com
Kerry and truth don't belong in the same sentence (or paragraph)
Did Kerry actually say they were American veterans?
They could be VC Veterans, and maybe a few Khmer Rouge to round it off. Some French Foreign Legion veterans, with a sprinkling of Nazis that while having died, are still registered to vote... ;-)
In other news:
Sky Blue, study shows
Dogs can't fly, say Experts
Ping
"In the eight years under President Clinton, the total money allocated to the VA increased 30 percent during those eight years," Chevalier said. "In the first three years of President Bush's administration, it has already gone up 40 percent."
The New Hampshire veterans weren't the only one responding to the Democrats' attacks. Last week 24 recipients of the Medal of Honor released a letter criticizing Kerry for voting against a $1.3 billion increase in veterans' health care benefits and missing some Senate votes related to veterans.
"President Bush has led the way on improving veterans' benefits, supporting our troops and restoring honor and dignity to the White House."
Veterans I spoke to at a 4-H booth postively HATE Kerry. They are pissed as hell at his lying and LOVE Bush. Vets will be voting for Bush!
Some of those type veterans on here were spreading the same lies and when confronted with the truth about what President Bush has done never replied back. Their comments were right out of the RAT Talking Point Papers.
bttt
Unless of course it has a "not" in front of it, or an "un" connected to it, or "doesn't" used with it; etc. :o)
Today, in front of the VFW, Kerry tried his pandering crap about 500,000 veterans who couldn't get "promised" health care.
He was talking about the Category 8 veterans, i.e. those who do not have service connected disabilities and who have relatively high incomes.
I could be a Category 8 veteran but I was never promised VA health care for my two years of service, most in Korea in 1952-53. And I would never apply for any. I was fortunate to not suffer a service connected disability.
Thanks to the GI Bill, I got an engineering degree and retired as an engineering manager. I am in contact with hundreds of my former colleagues, virtually all retired engineers.
Many of us took a lump sum pension from our employer and had great 401-k's. In total assets, the group has an average that is probably well in excess of a million dollars.
They continue to notify us of their around-the-world cruises, trips to China, Hong Kong, Australia, safaris in Africa.
Our former employer gives us a free prescription drug plan, whereby they pay 50% of our prescription costs - no cost, no deductible and no limit.
Nevertheless, before the limitation on the Category 8 vets, a number of my former colleagues signed up for the VA prescription drug plan. Most of them were 2 year, peacetime vets, with no service connected disabilities.
In order to get on the drug plan, you had to see a VA doctor. That flooded the VA doctors and many really needy vets had to wait in line for these rich layabouts to get their cheap drugs.
The biggest problem that these folks have is to make sure that they have a big enough supply of taxpayer funded drugs before they board their cruise ship.
You have my permission to show this to your Mom's boyfriend.
Oh, by the way, I forgot something.
You have seen the numbers for the increase in VA appropriations with President Bush. But what you haven't seen is the total number of vets, from year to year.
We hear that there are from 2,000 to 3,000 WWII vets dying EACH DAY. A lot of my fellow Korean War vets are also leaving the scene. Doesn't it follow that every year there are fewer and fewer vets?
I have seen and heard this in the veterans groups I'm part of. It drives me crazy. They're even hanging "cuts posters" in the VA hospitals in the waiting rooms and vets are seeing that as the gospel truth.
I'll print this one out.
The latest is something about "Vets of the Iraq and Afghan conflicts get only 2 years of medical coverage." I can't track it down, but my vets are repeating it.
Any help on that rumor out there in freeper land?
This is obviously a throwaway line that Kerry is dying to use in the debates.
Proper response by Pres. Bush would be a pause, grin, and "that is just too easy," followed by the correct statistics.
Ooooo, sending this one to my 80-year-old veteran & ex-Pentagon employee grandfather who - as a lifelong Republican - fell for Gore's social security scare tactics last time around. Thanks for the post.
Who knows what Kerry has planned for VN vets... he may flip back his original position from 1971: label all VN veterns 'war criminals' and have an old fashioned Joe Stalin purge.
ping
"Dogs can't fly, say Experts"
Today, Democrats hammered Bush on his "Dogs can't fly" comment. Calling the President a liar, Terry Macauliff said, "Dogs can in fact fly. When I went to California last week the lady sitting next to me had her poodle in a cage."
"I was flying, she was flying as was the dog. This is just another indication that the Bush camp is lying to make their candidate seem more real."
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