Just heard on CNN- White House opposes 1.3 billion provision for vets

Couldn't find a link. Would appreciate someone updating in thread if found...

The White House is opposing a 1.3 billion dollar provision for a variety of veterans' benefits added onto the $87B Iraq/Afghanistan spending bill.

less for vets = more for Halliburton.


Cher

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/7079185.htm

On Tuesday, the House voted 277-139 to show support for loans to Iraq in a symbolic though ambiguous vote. The White House also issued its first threat to veto the overall aid package if the Iraqi reconstruction money were to be structured as a loan.

The House vote was on a nonbinding resolution voicing support for Iraqi loans and better medical benefits for U.S. veterans and military reservists. That made it difficult to determine exactly what the vote meant.

Voting for Tuesday's House resolution were 84 Republicans, 192 Democrats and one independent. Two Democrats and 137 Republicans voted no.

Democrats called the vote a rebuke of President Bush's Iraq policies, especially his insistence that U.S. aid for reconstructing Iraq must be grants, not loans. Republicans said the roll call simply showed how nervous some lawmakers were about opposing better health care coverage for reservists and veterans.

... but it's damned important news. The threatened veto was first reported in this LBN thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=176919

In Tuesday's Washington Post story about Bush Aides advising the President to threaten a veto of the Iraqi Aid Measure passed by Congress, the following was written:

(White House Office of Management and Budget Director Joshua B.) Bolten also expressed strong opposition to the Senate's effort to expand military health benefits to reservists and National Guard members, and to boost veterans' health care spending by $1.3 billion. The House voted yesterday to accept those Senate provisions. A House GOP leadership aide said those proposals, more so than the loan question, ensured the passage of the nonbinding resolution.

"The loan stuff is dead," the aide said. "The veterans stuff is very much alive."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61307-2003Oct21.html

and to their families. These folks tend to vote, and what they say can often influence others (hard for a freeper to call a disabled vet unpatriotic). I talked to a Guardsman back home temporarily, and he's totally disgusted. We need to make sure whoever is the Democratic nominee promises to help vets and that he or she makes good on that promise.

The same thing happened during the "RAYGUN" era.

Lot's of $$$ for contractors to resurrect the old battleships. Little for those who were disabled, homeless and still needing treatment for a variety of service connected disabilities.

The problem used to be that very little was "service conected". Under Clinton, the definition of service connected was expanded.

Now according to the BushBots there is no money. Some wags have even gone on to suggest thet the Government hire Halliburton (2LL's) to run the Veterans hospitals. It would be damn expensive, but at least a few would get treatment (after Cheney's group took their cut of COURSE)

"These folks tend to vote, and what they say can often influence others (hard for a freeper to call a disabled vet unpatriotic)."

Freepers not only labelled Cleeland unpatriotic, that was the Republican opponent's argument...Geesh..

I agree, though, that we should run copies and send it out to every Legion, VFW and DAV office in your town, along with the other "support" the troops get from Bush...

He told me that Bush has increased veteran's benefits. I told him he can live in dreamworld if he wants, but the facts speak otherwise.

MUCH more powerful than the original, run by Grandpa Prescott's business partners.

are now cheap military conservatives as well.

I'm reading "The Crisis of the Old Order" by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. It deals with the coming of the Great Depression and the Presidency of Franklin Roosevelt. It's unsettling how many similarities there are between the events of the 1920s-30s and today. Republicans in the 1920s and 30s refused to help combat veterans even when tens of thousands of them were homeless and unemployed.

In the summer of 1932 25,000 veterans of World War I gathered in Washington to demand the bonus money that had been promised them in 1924 but had never been paid. The 1924 Congress had had to pass the bill over the veto of Republican president Calvin Coolidge, who didn't think the veterans should be given any money: "Patriotism which is bought and paid for is not patriotism".

The presence of the marchers forced Congress to discuss immediate payment of the bonus. The bill passed in the House but was defeated by Republicans in the Senate.

Although the marchers had behaved well, government officials had always been worried that they would get out of hand. On July 28 Hoover ordered Douglas McArthur to disperse the Bonus Army, which he did with tanks, cavalry, bayonets and tear gas (deliberately disobeying Hoover's orders not to enter the veterans camp itself, after which he called a press conference to talk about what a great job he had done).

Here's a link:
http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues03/feb03/pdf/smithsonian_february_2003_marching_on_history.pdf

Françoise

According to that article, this provision would allow reservists and Guardsmen to opt into the same health care plan as regular Army. The article noted LOTS of reservists and guards had no health insurance.

They estimated the cost at around $400 million per year.

Bush claims a $370 billion deficit isn't a problem, so what's another $400 million you stupid cheapass son of a bitch. I thought you cared about the military.

Democrats need to make this a major issue.

That's like asking a rancher to give benefits to his cattle, when the rancher knows the cows are dumb, but very useful animals.

Of course, as a vet, I resent Emperor Bunnyoants* for thinking that but then, Bunnypants thinks we're all (except for his Cronies, Capos, and Buttons) dumb animals.

Even his followers (that aren't rich).

ESPECIALLY his followers.

anywhoooo...while waiting for her, this "gentleman" sitting next to me made a few comments about AHHnuld, I replied that CA is in big trouble with him

the "gentleman" stated that he was a republican, I offered my sympathies :evilgrin:

then he went on about how AHHH-nuld had a business degree etc... I pointed out that DUUUH-bya also had one and considering the mess we are in that a business degree didn't mean much

he went off on how Davis screwed up CA economy, deficits etc....

I pointed out that by changing the name, the same could be said about DUHHH-bya - and then I asked if CA was in such deep-doo-doo deficit wise then why is AHHHH-nuld blowing off the 90billion that Enron owes CA

He had no answer, changed the subject to why repugs are sooooo much better for the people. I snorted and zinged back "Sooo you support the republicans cutting veteran benefits, combat pay for our troops in Iraq?"

He asked where I heard that, I flipped to page 2 of our local newspaper sitting right there next to me and pointed to the article...

then mentioned he might want to read the AHHH-nold article on the national news page...

and the article about federal budget defict on the Washington page

Then I asked him where he gets his new.... :eyes: FAUX and Rush

figures