SwiftVets.com

[failedminus]

http://www.house.gov/strickland/Budget2003Rel.html

this is off of a goverment website. just read.

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

[Greenhat]

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

[LewWaters]

LOL, from the personal website of Congressman Ted Strickland, DEMOCRAT Ohio? Now, I'm sure he is a fair and balanced source when speaking of an incumbant REPUBLICAN President, right?

I thought you said it was from a government website. Another one playing semantics trying to act as if he was a neutral person?

Since you claim to have been at Bragg, let me ask, is the PT tower still up just before Simmons? I was at Bragg when they built it.

[xsquid]

[LewWaters]

I just received this little tidbit in my email a few minutes ago. Doesn't sound to me like anyone is cutting anything;

Congressional Legislation

'To amend title 38, United States Code, to extend the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make grants to expand or modify existing comprehensive service programs for homeless veterans, and for other purposes.'Bill # H.R.4248

Original Sponsor:Christopher Smith (R-NJ 4th)

Cosponsor Total: 3(last sponsor added 05/19/2004)
1 Democrats
2 Republicans

About This Legislation:

To amend title 38, United States Code, to extend the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make grants to expand or modify existing comprehensive service programs for homeless veterans, and for other purposes.

[xsquid]

Man, you guys are too fast for me. Several people post while I'm putting down info.

[xsquid]

I got that same email lew, Military.com is a great place for info. The DAV, American Legion, VFW, etc. are also excellent places for honest info. Web pages belonging to partisan politicans are obviously not, lol.

[tigerflyboy]

Bush's kiss of death
Molly Ivins - Creators Syndicate
06.08.04 - AUSTIN, Texas -- As Lily Tomlin observed, "No matter how cynical you get, it's impossible to keep up." But as Con Ed used to say, dig we must. Courtesy of David Sirota at americanprogress.org, we find the following matches between word and deed:
Just before Memorial Day, Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi said, "Our active military respond better to Republicans" because of "the tremendous support that President Bush has provided for our military and our veterans." The same day, the White House announced plans for massive cuts in veterans' health care for 2006.
Last January, Bush praised veterans during a visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The same day, 164,000 veterans were told the White House was "immediately cutting off their access to the VA health care system."
My favorite in this category was the short-lived plan to charge soldiers wounded in Iraq for their meals when they got to American military hospitals. The plan mercifully died a-borning after it hit the newspapers.
In January 2003, just before the war, Bush said, "I want to make sure that our soldiers have the best possible pay." A few months later, the White House announced it would roll back increases in "imminent danger" pay (from $225 to $150) and family separation allowance (from $250 to $100).
In October 2003, the president told troops, "I want to thank you for your willingness to heed the important call, and I want to thank your families." Two weeks later, the White House announced it opposed a proposal to give National Guard and Reserve members access to the Pentagon's health insurance system, even though a recent General Accounting Office report estimated that one out of every five Guard members has no health insurance. What a nice thank you note.
A month before the war started, the White House proposed cutting $1.5 billion from funding for military housing. The House Armed Services Committee had concluded that thousands of military families were living "in decrepit and dilapidated military housing." Progressive lawmakers counter-proposed an amendment to restore $1 billion in housing funds and pay for it by reducing new tax cuts Bush was proposing for the 200,000 Americans who make more than $1 million a year. Instead of getting $88,000 in tax cuts, the poor millionaires would get only $83,000. The House, with White House backing, voted the proposal down. (All thanks to Sirota.)
With the release of the 2006 budget, we're constantly finding instances of programs that Bush, the candidate, proudly claims to support, while he prepares to cut them drastically in order to pay for making his tax cuts permanent.
According to The Washington Post, the White House guidelines for the 2006 budget include a $1.7 billion cut for education, supposedly his signature program. That neatly wipes out last year's increase -- and, you may recall, the administration has never funded education at anything close to the figures in the original agreement with Sen. Ted Kennedy. Teachers say the No Child Left Behind law should be called "No Dollars Left Behind to Pay for It." Head Start is to be cut by $177 million, and the highly successful nutrition program for women, infants and children is to be cut by $100 million.
Any time Bush goes out into the country and claims credit for, or praises the work being done by, some government program, it is an almost-certain kiss of death -- budget cuts follow.
Back to veterans. This year, the administration increased spending on veterans by $519 million. In 2006, it plans to cut veterans spending by $910 million.
Also on the list for substantial cuts are the National Institutes of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, and police assistance and crime prevention programs. When something like the West Nile virus gets out of control, can't you just envision the independent investigation committee that will have a look into that government failure? Can we fire George Tenet again?
Rep. David Obey, D-Wisc., points out the House Interior Appropriations Committee had to cut $682 million from the White House budget proposal this year. The budget situation is now so dire that the latest Republican scheme is not to pass a budget at all this year (until after the election), lest people notice what is going on.
The White House's latest ploy is to claim that the 2006 guidelines it issued are just a mere wisp of a suggestion, nothing to be taken seriously. But the White House has already submitted legislation to impose spending caps that would continue the cuts every year thereafter until 2009.
Are there any grown-ups in this administration? Budgets are the guts of government. "Who benefits?" and "Who pays?" are the only serious questions. Except, of course, for the always timely, "What the hell will they do to us next?"
and yes this did come from Ivans, she knows Bush a lot better than most of you claim to she's been covering hiom for many years

[ASPB]

Just for those that don't know much about Molly Ivins, the author of Tigergroundboy's post, please read this article from 1995.

[tigerflyboy]

Moly Ivans is not my only source, That was just the 1st one I came across today ref the VA Cuts, since it seemt o be the hot topic today. But jus to make you happy (or Sad) I'll get a few more back ups on the story and then post the links, course ASPB you probably won't believe it anyway!

[The bandit]

Veterans' Budget for Fiscal Year 2004


Fact Sheet


Fact: The FY 2004 Conference Agreement increases veterans' spending.

The Conference Agreement proposes veterans' spending for FY 2004 of $63.8 billion. That is an increase of $6.2 billion, or 10.7 % over FY 2003. Over 10 years, the Conference Agreement provides for increasing veterans' spending to $77.5 billion in fiscal year 2013. That's a 10-year increase of $19.9 billion, or 34.5 %.

* * * *
Fact: The House-passed budget for FY 2004 would have also increased
veterans' spending.

The House-passed budget resolution would have increased veterans' spending to $61.6 billion next year from the current level of $57.6 billion. That's an increase of $4 billion, or 6.9 %. Over 10 years, the House-passed budget provides for increasing veterans' spending to $74.5 billion in fiscal year 2013. That's a 10-year increase of $16.9 billion, or 29.4 %.

* * * *

Fact: The budget provides a substantial increase for veterans' medical care.

The Conference Agreement provides for $30 billion – a 12.9% increase – in discretionary spending for veterans in FY 2004. About 90% of total veterans' discretionary spending is for veterans' medical care. This increase follows substantial increases over the past several years, with the level increasing from $17.1 billion in FY 1998 to $23.9 billion in FY 2003.

* * * *
Fact: The budget increases funding for veterans' disability compensation.

The budget provides $33.8 billion – an increase of $2.8 billion or 8.9% – in mandatory spending in FY '04. Of that increase, nearly 80% is for increases to veterans' disability compensation.

This document was prepared by the majority staff of the House Committee on the Budget. It has not
been approved by the full committee and may not reflect the views of all the committee’s members.

* * * *

Fact: The budget provides resources to address the long waits for VA medical care.

The budget provides for a substantial increase for VA medical care. In March, Secretary Principi announced VA "waiting lists for appointments peaked last year at about 300,000. Most of those veterans have now been seen. Even with additional veterans seeking care, we have slashed the waiting list to about 200,000." The $1.8 billion increase for VA medical care in the Conference Agreement, over and above the Administration's request, will allow VA to make additional progress toward eliminating these unacceptably long waits.

* * * *

Fact: The Republican Congress continues its strong commitment to
our nation's veterans.

Over the last five years, there has been a record $15.1 billion, or 35%, increase in funding for veterans' programs. The Republican Congress last year provided for the concurrent receipt of disability compensation and military retirement benefits for 10-percent disabled combat veterans. This is the first significant change since the concurrent receipt offset was created in 1892. Further, veterans have benefitted from the largest hike ever in Montgomery GI Bill education benefits, which rose from $650 per month in 2001, to $900 per month this year, and to $1,100 per month by 2005.

In addition, last year the Congress enacted an increase in the annual benefit for Medal of Honor recipients from $600 to $1,000, and extended VA healthcare eligibility to surviving spouses who marry after age 55.

* * * *

Fact: The House-passed budget sought to achieve savings from the
elimination of waste, fraud and abuse – not to cut program benefits.

The House-passed budget expected all authorizing committees to achieve mandatory savings from waste, fraud and abuse – not from benefit reductions. One committee has already led the way. The Veterans' Affairs Committee's on May 8, 2003, conducted a hearing aimed at curbing waste, fraud and abuse in VA programs. Testifying at the hearing were the General Accounting Office [GAO] and the Inspector General [IG] of the Department of Veterans Affairs, two office that have repeatedly produced reports on how VA can reduce waste, increase efficiency and stop outright fraud. The IG discussed investigations that have found a significant discrepancy between part-time physicians' contractual obligations and records of work performed. The IG also discussed the potential savings from stopping fugitive felons and incarcerated veterans from improperly collecting benefit checks from VA.


GAO testified on systemic changes needed to improve the delivery of compensation benefits, as well as improve VA's health care services.

[ASPB]

Fact.

And all of this while the roll of total veterans eligible for VA benefits is shrinking at the rate of 10-12 thousand per month as a result of patriotic lives coming to their natural end.
_________________
On Sale! Order in lots of 100 now at velero@rcn.com Free for the cost of shipping All profits (if any, especially now) go to Swiftvets. The author of "Sink Kerry Swiftly" ---ASPB

[The bandit]