Which Willl It Be?

[SuperScout]

Has there been any increase in the budget for the VA during the Bush administration?

Has there been any additional benefits accorded to retired and disabled or partially disabled retirees?

"Sen. Bob Graham of Florida argued last April that wounded soldiers were a certainty in the new Iraq war...." Gee, how did I miss this NEWS FLASH, to think that there would actually be casualties in a war! How did this dastardly idea escape me? Or to ask it a different way, how does Sen. Graham find his feet in the morning? No wonder the Democrat voters rejected him early on in the campaign!

".... not to attend a solider's funeral or pay a visit to those who are recovering from injuries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center just a few miles from the White House...." utter lies. Just because the President doesn't make it a "photo-op" every time he comforts a wounded warrior, or consoles a grieving family, the whiners perceive this as "not caring."

[Gimpy]

Why didn't you answer the charges published that were based on honest and accurate information provided by non-partisan Veterans Service and Military Retiree Organization resources and web sites of:

the Atlanta Journal (Bush Pays Lipservice to Vets, Then Slashes Their Health Care), the Miami Herald Tribune (Wartime money not going toward Iraq vets' health care), the Houston Cronicle (Bush drug proposal enrages veterans), The Military Officers Association of America , who (criticized this as "a grossly insensitive and wrong-headed proposal.), the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ( Wounded U.S. veterans get a raw deal at home), the St. Louis Post Dispatch (Veterans say Bush overhaul of overtime will cost them), The Beacon News (Board member wants more awareness of homeless vets), the St. Petersburg Times (editorial commentary-Letter to President Bush), the Wall Street Journal (Government Gives Few Contracts To Disabled Vets), CNN (Vets say visits restricted to U.S. wounded), the AP wire services (Wounded "Held Captive" at Walter Reed, Disabled Vets Fire Back at Rumsfeld), The New York Times (Bush's Budget for 2005 Seeks to Rein In Domestic Costs).

All of these reports deal with some of THESE issues that Bush and his cronies have failed so miserbly at, like the Presidents budget for example!

The Presidents budget proposes new increases in the cost of veterans' health care .

Fails to provide meaningful investment in veterans' health care.

Slashes funding for long-term care for America's veterans.

Refuses to end the Disabled Veterans' Tax.

Does not end the Survivor Benefits Tax.

Fails to expedite disability claims and threatens all veterans' benefits.

Cuts 50,000 VA home loans.

Cuts in medical and prosthetic research.

Fails to meet the growing needs of health services for Gulf War & Iraqi veterans .

*********************
All the above is substantiated and verified by the Military Service Organizations (DAV, VFW, AMVETS, American Legion, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Vietnam Veterans of America, etc., etc.) and the newspapers and news organizations mentioned!

How anyone could try to "gloss over" a despicable, horrendous and SHAMEFUL record of deceit, and broken promises with comments like, "Has there been any increase in the budget for the VA during the Bush administration ? " And, "Has there been any additional benefits accorded to retired and disabled or partially disabled retirees? " is well beyond the bounds and limits of truly describing and cataloging the injustices and contempt the Bush Administration have been guilty of in the past three years!

Considering the degree and depth of severity for the failures to even come CLOSE to keeping their "promises", and the few "bones" they have thrown out to try and appease the Veterans of this country, we should not even warrant them any hope at all to continue their indisputable record of cruelty and inhumane treatment towards us!

[SuperScout]

Contrary to your "cut-and-paste" prowess, which is simply obfuscation, a simple "yes" or "no" answer to the simple questions would have sufficed. And then let me add another simple question: What did the Democrat party do during the previous 40 years when they were in power, and almost total control over the budgetary process and approval procedure? Truth be told, it has been a bipartisan failure to effectively deal with the issues that surround veterans. A simple partisan activity of returning the other party to power holds no guarantee of any solutions; what is truly required is a major restructuring of the mindset of how benefits, and what benefits are to be provided. To continue to empower the current VA system of care (?), with its bloated bureaucracy, fraud, waste and abuse, frequently inept care providers, and total lack of accoutability is simply perpetuating an inadequate system.

[Gimpy]

Originally posted by SuperScout A simple partisan activity of returning the other party to power holds no guarantee of any solutions;

You want a "simple answer?

I got one for ya.

The indisputable, irrefutable, undeniable evidence listed in no less than the Congressional Record PROVES WITHOUT A DOUBT that during the PAST TEN (10) YEARS, the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of DEMOCRATS voted FOR measures and funding to solve these problems..while on the other hand the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of REPUBLICANS voted AGAINST THEM!

And.......the last three budgets appoved or proposed by Bush and Company proves the republicans could give-a-$hit about us as well!

As far as the "past 40 years" of Democratic control..........no, it's not a record they should be proud of either..........But, their "record" of improvements in health & benefits for Veterans FAR OUTWEIGHS anything that the Republicans have demonstrated in the past TEN (10)!

[SuperScout]

Are you sure you're not a lawyer? I ask for a simple "yes" or "no" answer, and I get more obfuscation, rhetorical bombast and baloney. Objection! Relevance! Sustained!

[Gimpy]

can "object" all you want.

There is PLENTY of "relevance" that is "sustained" by the evidence I've posted.

You GOT your answer.................you just can't answer MINE!

[BLUEHAWK]

Congress approves all budgets...

Repeat...

C O N G R E S S approves ALL budgets.

ALL budgets, for EVERYTHING.

[Gimpy]

The Congress is majority controlled by WHO?

THE REPUBLICANS!

And WHO is the great leader of that "party in power" that submits a "budget" to Congress for their approval?

George Walker Bush!----------That's WHO?

And which "party" has tried time, after time, after time to INCREASE the $$$$$ in that budget to help sick & disabled veterans?

The DEMOCRATS!

Only to be "shot down" and refused by the REPUBLICANS in the majority...............usually under THREAT of "veto" by the WHITEHOUSE (ie: GWB)!

FACTS-----FACTS, undisputed, irrefutable, undeniable FACTS!

No way to get around those FACTS!, HUH??

[BLUEHAWK]

Herding cats, in either case

[MORTARDUDE]

I think having to wait six months for an appt. sucks. Anyone who says this is fine is wrong. Just IMHO.

Larry