The Forgotten Promises of George Bush

[Gimpy]

How soon we forget.

The man can’t keep his word even though the words are always the same.

Having mouthed them so often you’d think he could remember them. What’s surprising now is that the forgotten beneficiaries of his words are the people he sent to Iraq to get killed or wounded who now wish to be remembered by the man who sent them there for false reasons to begin with. They shouldn’t be surprised. They should have learned from his past record of "broken promises"..

It’s the veterans’ turn---AGAIN!
.
In his recent State of the Union message, Mr. Bush received great applause when he said: “Our military families also sacrifice for America. . . . We have a responsibility to provide for them. So I ask you to join me in expanding their access to child care. . . and allowing our troops to transfer their unused education benefits to their spouses or children. Our military families serve our nation, they inspire our nation, and tonight our nation honors them.” One week later he submitted his 2009 budget and dissed all over the veterans----AGAIN!

No funds were included for transferring education benefits. And, he once again submitts a budget that would "eliminate" the "Federal traumatic Brain Injury Program"--which has turned out to be the so called "signature wound" of this war. And, under the President’s budget, not only is there not enough money for the services to deal with the surge of traumatic brain injury. But also, not enough for the ever increasing numbers of veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, visual and hearing impairment, and spinal cord injury/dysfunction.


In submitting his $1.3 trillion overall budget, he forgot to include the benefit that would cost between $1 and $2 billion dollars. That was not the end of ignoring the needs of veterans.

According to a release from the Brain Injury Association of America in a press release commenting on the budget, for the third year in a row, Mr. Bush has proposed the complete elimination of the Federal traumatic Brain Injury Program.

The program “provides grants to state agencies and [other organizations] to improve access to health and other services for individuals with traumatic brain injury and their families.” Susan Connors, president and CEO of the Brain Injury Association of America described the omission as “deeply disappointing” and went on to say that “President Bush just doesn’t get it.” Those two examples are not the only ones in which veterans who have withstood the onslaught from the enemy in Iraq have to defend themselves from the onslaught of the wolf in the White House parading in sheep’s clothing.

According to a recent report on National Public Radio, during a visit by representatives of the Army Surgeon General’s staff at Fort Drum Army base, officials from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs were told they should stop helping injured soldiers complete paperwork related to their injuries. The completed forms determine what level of care and disability benefits the soldiers receive.

Rep. John McHugh who represents the area that includes Ft. Drum, the military base at which the instructions were given, responded that: “The Surgeon General of the Army told me very flatly that it was not the Army that told the VA to stop this help.” That would have been the end of the matter but for one thing. A summary of the meeting prepared by one of the attendees surfaced and it contradicted the Surgeon General who had contradicted NPR.


Kevin Esslinger, a legal administration specialist at Ft. Drum , prepared the memorandum. It says that Col. Becky Baker of the office of the Surgeon General said the “Veterans Benefits Administration should discontinue counseling Medical Evaluation Board (MED) soldiers on the appropriateness of the Department of Defense MEB/OEB (Physical evaluation board) ratings and findings. There exists a conflict of interest.” Responding to that comment Mr. Esslinger wrote in his summary that “a recent Department of the Army Inspector General inspection had noted the practice and had found it to be a useful service to the soldier.” He went on to say the practice would be discontinued.

Requests for interviews with Col. Baker and Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker were turned down. Is it hard to understand why???

But here is something that is not hard to understand-------why Mr. Bush’s 2009 budget proposed reductions to these critical programs along with many others that include construction/renovation projects to insure the coming multitudes of Iraq and Afganistan veterans along with the overwhelming numbers of aging Vietnam Vets just entering the sytem are cared for with the most advanced and modern technology & medical care available.

Broken promises------------nothing new, Bush has been doing that to military veterans since day one of his administration. Looks like he'll try it one more time before he exits back to his comfy little ranch back in Texas.

January 2009 just won't come SOON ENOUGH!

Gimp