For discussion.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has told members of Congress that he will ask President Bush to veto the measure if Congress passes it. The administration estimated that the bill, which would affect nearly 600,000 veterans, would add an estimated $58-billion to the federal deficit over the next 10 years.
Of course always plenty of money available to make more disabled veterans...and for AIDs to Africa
and most important millions of US taxpayers dollars to Arafat and HAMAS and the RoadMap to Peaze
Politicans have always said in their nice campaign speeches that "Nothing is too good for our Combat Veterans"
If this is true than Rummie and Pres Bush are once again proving this is exactly how our leaders feel...and exactly what disabled combat vets can expect for their wounds and service.....
Nothing.......very sad....but pretty much par for Washington's elite..who of course will vote themselves another round of raises and fantastic benefits with golden parachutes..
Rep. Tom Cancredo of Colorado is the only Republican who has not been scared away of H.R. 303 by the Rumsfeld veto threat and pressure from the White House as to retaliation of Republicans help pass the measure. 350 original co-sponsors and now the GOP runs for cover. It's a bit hypocritical to criticize Democrats for their questionable use of the filibuster against judicial candidates and then let the White House get away with threatening their own party members for signing a discharge petition to get this bill out for debate, whatever its merits are or are not. But if you think that this is the only time that this White House has cut or opposed benefits for our veterans or troops, you will be totally shocked by this recent editorial in the Army Times about cuts for our troops that were sent behind the scene to Congress at the same time as the Abraham Lincoln carrier landing. For instance, did you know that the White House proposed a cap on the pay raise for troops in the lowest enlisted and officer ranks?
Someone has to wake up at the White House. How can we approve $54 million in the $87 billion Iraq bill for building two prisons there at $50,000 a bed and then cut troop benefits? And we thought that Clinton was the only one who failed our troops? I volunteer on the service officer program of the American Legion post here. There are a lot of people in my post shaking their heads over this SNAFU in priorities. Rep. Young from Florida got the White House to wake up for a moment this moment to back H.R. 2998 that will stop the billing of wounded troops for their hospital bills. That resulted from a scathing editorial in the Stars and Stripes Sept. 12. Maybe people on this board can contact their representatives and demand that they sign this discharge petition, especially the chickens who originally co-sponsored it?
--Raoul
Take this article with a grain of salt. The St. Pete Times is just the NYtimes South. In addition, Largo Fl. is in Pinellas county, which is a liberal cesspool. I have a friend thats a 100%er and he gets the best of treatment at the BayPines center. Don't believe a word that comes out of the St. Pete Times.....they are on a par with the National Enquierer.
The DVA has become an entrenched lobbying group that focuses on more money as the solution to every problem. The system needs some repairs before we simply make it bigger and biggger. I have yet to meet a vet that needed help that could not get medical care at a VA.
That said this is a political landmine that needs to be addressed. All people right now are hearing is that the vets want more money and the administration is not sending it. Once again the Dems will spin the failure to increase funding as a cut, guaranteed, just read the article.
But they have no qualms about adding $400+ Billion to the budget for medicare huh? Or giving illegals free reign, guess we know where this administrations priorities are.