Another "failure" for Bush...Veterans Programs & assistance

[Gimpy]

In 2003, the Republican House, at the direction of President Bush and the Whitehouse, cut the budget for veterans health care by $844 million and other programs by another $463 million. "This could mean the loss of 19,000 nurses, equating to the loss of 6.6 million outpatient visits or more than three-quarters of a million hospital bed days.

But that is not all of the devastation that will be caused by the proposed cuts. Congress will be reaching into the pockets of our nation?s service-connected veterans, including combat disabled veterans, and robbing them and their survivors of a portion of their compensation.

Ninety percent of VA?s mandatory spending is from cash payments to service-connected disabled veterans, low-income wartime veterans, and their survivors," said Edward Heath, National Commander of the Disabled American Veterans. House Democrat Lane Evans (IL) explained why we got these cuts: "These cuts must be made, so that our government can afford to provide a tax cut which will benefit only the wealthiest Americans, many of who never served in the military. This is utterly humiliating to every veteran and every active duty service person. While our nations leaders are still wageing war with the sons and daughters of yesterdays warriors, the Republicans are stabbing veterans of earlier wars in the back."


The budget that the president pushed for 2004 included a $28.8 billion dollar CUT in funding for veterans programs. The budget was opposed by Democrats and veterans groups. Virtually every Republican in Congress favored the bill. It took a public campaign by veterans groups to get the cut scaled down to only a $6.2 billion dollar cut.

The overall Veterans Administration budget wil rise $3.4 billion in 2004, below the $4.5 veterans advocates say is needed. Republicans cut $5.1 billion in VA medical care by not allowing "Priority 8" veterans to enroll in the medical program. He also instituted a enrollment fee for "Priority 7 and 8" veterans in medical programs, "saving" another $1.3 billion.


By 2013, the Republican House Budget proposal would have cut almost $30 billion from veterans programs. A Democratic motion killed the cuts, but the Veterans' Affairs Committee has been directed by the Republican leadership to still find $3.9 billion in cuts to veterans' programs.


Bush's 2004 budget proposal cut $206 million from the Impact Aid program that helps make sure children of those fighting overseas receive quality education. The new Republican tax refund also made a point to exclude some military families by not allowing combat pay to be included in the income that can go toward claiming the credit. Many of those who don't get to claim the extra income won't get the tax credit. Additionally Bush sought to cut $150 million from aid to schools that attended by the children of enlistees and further cuts to VA budgets.


The U.S. Supreme Court, dominated by Republican appointees, rejected a lawsuit by Korean and World War II veterans who had been denied health care promised to them by military recruiters. The promised health care, which was not delivered, would have gone to as many as 1.5 million people and totaled $15 billion in benefits. The Court ruling means these veterans won't get any of this money. "It is not enough to hold parades or tie yellow ribbons," the court was told by the Military Officers Association of America, one of the groups supporting veterans in the case. "We must honor their commitment and sacrifice by assuring that the government honors its commitments to them." The Republican Court didn't listen, despite the fact that the military basically lied to these soldiers to get them into the wars they fought on our behalf.


None of this is new, Republicans have been attacking the budgets for veterans since at least the 1980s. President Ronald Reagan issued a proposal to cut 20,000 medical personnel in the VA and proposed to scrap a counseling program for veterans, during the middle of a surge of Vietnam veterans suicide attempts. The first President Bush cancelled burial benefits for veterans and cut $600 million from the VA.


Joe Fox of Paralyzed Veterans of Americans said "the most recent reduction will slam the poorest disabled veterans and cut GI Bill benefits for soldiers who are currently serving in Iraq." It could also eliminate 9000 doctors from an already taxed system. Fox said it was "an in-your-face insult to the veterans of this country."


And all this is coming at a critical time. The group Disabled American Veterans says that the VA is already facing a $2 billion shortfall. "Pressures on the VA health care system have escalated to a critical point that can no longer be ignored by our government," said Joe Violante, legislative director for the Disabled American Veterans.


Due to a shortage of funding?? (but NOT for the tax cuts!) there is a backlog in claims from Gulf War veterans of almost 500,000 (a third of veterans of that war) and another 500,000 compensation and pension cases backlogged that Bush promised to get corrected.

Also because of budget cuts, the VA has had to treat more than 1.4 million additional veterans in the last seven years with 20,000 fewer staff employees. According to VAIW this means hardships for any veterans who need new benefits in the future: "Some will have to stand in line, others will be refused, and still others may face new $250 enrollment fees," and "a quarter-million vets [will have] to wait up to 10 months for specialized treatment and surgery." This has also meant that clinics and hospitals have had to stop accepting new patients and that veterans whose income is more than $35,000 have been cut off from all health benefits (about 164,000 vets).


So the "PROMISE" that G. Bush made in 2000 that "help is on the way" and "A PROMISE MADE SHOULD BE A PROMISE KEPT" when speaking before veterans groups then....is just so much more bullshit from this adminstration!!

He was LIEING THEN..........and he'll be LIEING AGAIN tonight in his State of The Union speech!

[HARDCORE]

GIMPY et al -

An interesting and heart-wrenching read!!

VERITAS

[BLUEHAWK]

Gimpy -
The Prez has a lot on his plate, no matter what his name is, no?

How 'bout this, let the stick be stuck to/into rogue capitalists. Eh?

[Gimpy]

BULL$HIT..................

A PROMISE is a PROMISE! He FAILED........... miserably I might add!

[BLUEHAWK]

It's not BS Gimpy... I just don't believe the president has much control over the problem... Congress can vote whatever budget it sees fit, regardless what is proposed to them.

[Gimpy]

You're startin to SOUND like YOU belong up there in DC with all of them.

The President.......George W. Bush.........DID NOT........REPEAT......DID NOT even propose enough $$$$$$$$$ to meet the MINIMUM requirements to fund the VA programs for LAST YEAR............even LESS this year!

And, threatened and intimidated the republicans in Congress with retaliation IF they attemped to INCREASE the amount(s) he proposed! It's all part of the record that was published by EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS............All of them!

Are you so far "out of the loop" of information that you're absolutely ignorant of this abomination......or just "blinded" by your apparent "warm & fuzzy" feelings for this administration??

Either way.........what I've posted is the TRUTH!

Don't belive me? Just ask anyone of the Service Organizations......DAV, VFW, V VA, etc.........they'll tell you the same thing!

[BLUEHAWK]

Congress, Congress Gimpy... CONGRESS, C O N G R E S S
O
N
G
R
E
S
S
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Think you're right Gimp,the President hasn't been doin well on vet. issues nor has he appeared to be doin right by the National Guard/Reserve.

[BLUEHAWK]

Okay, I am an a-hole...

If Doc thinks the Prez shoulda done better, then the Prez NEEDS to do better, right now.

And, if'n that is so, then we do need to see some real time words from Dubya.

Shoot Gimp... the only reason I keep talkin' with ya (even when you keep insulting Scout, I DO NOT LIKE THAT Gimpy!) is cuz I know you are a bro.

[Gimpy]

I really don't think you're an "a-hole" like you describe yourself.

Possibly a little "uninformed" on the issues at times...especially regarding veterans & their dependents benefits & health care issues. Kinda like SuperScout is as well. Also, at times very naive in your assumptions regarding my so-called "insults" towards the old SuperOne. His lack of "behavioral" politeness and personal attacks on others has far extended the bounds of acceptability standards around here as well as on other, past web site forums where many of us have previously posted.

Many of us are fed up with his constant attempts at sick innuendo and name calling as a means of attacking others who may happen to have a different opinion than his. You are NOT in a position to fully comprehend the "history" of his senseless attempts to personally attack the character and demean others for simply having a different "opinion" than his!

You can do as you wish concerning your remarks about what you "DO NOT LIKE" about my so-called "insults" of Scout.

As far as I'm concerned.........he'll GET what he GIVES!

I hope that answers your question(s).........finally.

And, IF the "only reason" you keep talkin with me is cause I'm a "bro"...............you can certainly stop that as well, anytime you feel like it. :cd:

PS.............Correct me IF I'm wrong, is not the "CONGRESS" now controlled by the Republican majority? Last time I checked, GEE-FREAKIN-W was a 'Republican' president, huh? He "usually" gets what "he" wants from "his boys", don't he??

Just asking?????????????????????