Bachmann Backpedals on VA Cuts

Thanks to people like you that responded to this and other blogs, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is reversing her position on cutting disabled veteran benefits. Click HERE for the original post that first brought up the subject. Thankfully, she saw the public outrage over this issue and decided to remove this particular section from her proposals on reducing the size of our federal government.

We have this to report from her congressional web page…

"One point on my discussion list was a $4.5 billion proposal that would affect payments made to our veterans. That discussion point has received a lot of attention and I have decided to remove it from consideration. The problem of government spending must be solved, but not on the backs of our nation’s war heroes. I have always been a proud supporter of the United States military and I continue to stand with our veterans. In the months ahead I look forward to working with our Veterans Service Organizations to ensure that we fulfill our commitments to those who sacrificed so much in their brave service for our country.” Michele Bachmann

We will keep you updated when she pulls another batshit loon move. I’m sure it won’t be long.

Papamoka

Bachmann to Screw over Veterans

The picture to your left is of the cemetery in Normandy France which best sums up how Michele Bachmann (R-Minnesota) would like to see how all veterans are treated. You are better off dead and buried than wounded and needing lifetime care for your service to your country.

There are literally thousands of useless government programs that can be cut, shut down, eliminated, and torched, but the batshit loon, Michele Bachmann from Minnesota thinks that going after disabled Veterans benefits is the best way to cut government expenditures. She’s all for God and Country, defending our homeland from terrorists but when it comes time for the wounded people that need care that served in our nation’s military, she will give them the one finger salute every chance she gets. Isn’t that just so Tea Party Patriotic?

Tea party favorite Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., has unveiled a plan for cutting $400 billion in federal spending that includes freezing Veterans Affairs Department health care spending and cutting veterans’ disability benefits.

Her proposed VA budget cuts would account for $4.5 billion of the savings included in the plan, posted on her official House of Representatives website.

Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, said cutting veterans’ health care spending is an ill-advised move at a time when the number of veterans continues to grow as troops return from Iraq and Afghanistan. Sullivan said he finds it difficult to see how VA could freeze health care costs without hurting veterans. – Air Force Times

Apparently, the congresswoman thinks that her stating that veterans are a drain on the federal government is a plus to her Tea Party buddies. After all, she is only looking to cut the cost of government for the people that most need our nation’s gratitude and help when they stood in the line of fire for our freedom.

How about jumping on board Congresswoman Bachmann with Democrats to end the two wars that are causing the enrollment of new veterans that need benefits?

For a full list of all the things she wants to cut/eliminate… you can go to her congressional page. CLICK HERE! It’s a screw you to everyone including veterans, farmers, education, the environment, homeland security, job training, the elderly, and eliminating the nations entire transportation systems. It’s a total screw you package without any common sense. Typical batshit crap from the dipshit Bachmann.

And our Veterans are pissed off. This from the VFW site...

VFW Will Defeat Bachmann Plan

"No way, no how, will we let this proposal get any traction in Congress."

January 28, 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 28, 2011 — America's oldest and largest major combat veterans' organization announced it will do everything within its power to defeat a plan introduced by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) to cut $4.5 billion from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"No way, no how, will we let this proposal get any traction in Congress," said Richard L. Eubank, the national commander of the 2.1 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. and its Auxiliaries.

Amen to that VFW!

Papamoka

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UPDATE 2/5: Bachman Backpedals on VA CUTS

War, Veterans and Unemployment Funds

In a typical Washington D.C. style of diplomacy and legislative ignorance the war in Iraq is funded, veterans from the war get a GI Bill for education, and the unemployed get and extension of benefits. Senate President Harry Reid was right, you don’t get services for Americans or Veterans if it isn’t attached to a bottomless pit called the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I talked about this a while back here.

Domestic Spending Intact as House Passes War Bill

By Paul Kane
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 20, 2008; Page A03

In a pair of bipartisan votes, the House yesterday approved $162 billion to continue the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan well into 2009 and a separate measure that would allow veterans returning from those battlefields to receive increased education benefits.

The domestic spending measure, approved 416 to 12, also includes a 13-week extension of unemployment insurance for laid-off workers who have used all 26 weeks of their current benefits, and $2.65 billion for Midwest flood relief.

"It became clear this is what we had to do," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said during debate over the bill. "I will enthusiastically vote for the domestic piece of this."

The emergency spending bill -- which authorizes $95.5 billion for the unemployment and veterans benefits and a variety of other programs -- heads to the Senate, where leaders say it could be approved next week.

After weeks of gridlocked negotiations, President Bush threw his support behind the legislation yesterday despite the tens of billions of dollars in domestic spending above his original demands. Despite his original preference for a slimmed-down version, Bush embraced the veterans' plan drafted by Sen. James Webb (D-Va.), then demanded that the education benefit be transferable from veterans to military spouses and children -- adding an estimated $1 billion a year to its cost. - Washington Post


What will be interesting is to see how the political candidates in the race for President vote on this spending bill in the Senate. This is a catch 22 piece of legislation. If Obama votes for it then he is putting his name to the war in Iraq, if he votes against it then he is telling the unemployed and veterans to get lost. Same scenario goes for McCain. Vote for it and he is all for another hundred years in Iraq, vote against it and he is bashing the veteran base he allegedly loves to vote against time and time again.

On the other side of this coin is the current resident of the White House who has all of a sudden found this is legislation he can sign with pride. Do ya think the money that will find it’s way into the coffers of his and Dick’s bank account has anything to do with it?

I don’t even want to think about what Bush’s signing statement will look like!

Papamoka

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Unemployment Extension, Veteran Benefits, VA, Iraq War, Afghanistan War, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Bush, Senate Votes, House Votes, Congress, John McCain, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Education of Veterans, Washington Post, Paul Kane

Presidential Race

Picture courtesy of Mount Vernon.org

Back in the day, running for President of the United States of America was not defined by the character of your bank roll but by the character of the person running for the office. If I lived in Iowa or New Hampshire I would no doubt see the evidence of what a bank roll campaign is all about on my television every other commercial. Air time is not cheap and money talks non stop into your living room but it isn’t the real deal when you think about it.

My impression from the MSM is that the candidates for the most part are reacting to what people want to hear and not offering much when it comes to what they need to hear. Running campaigns on popularity polls rather than personal convictions is convenient and easy if you have a campaign war chest that can fend off the latest double speak of your opposing candidates.

I was reminded by a close friend that in the past you had to have a history of real leadership. Kennedy was not only the son of a millionaire but he was also a man that served his nation in a time of war that did not work out for the best but he lead his crew to safety. Wrong or right, he lead. Eisenhower lead our troops through the most difficult possible war in our modern history and with that leadership came the loss of many lives, some if not all he felt personally responsible for. Wrong or right decisions he lead our nation as a General out of WWII.

You tell me what sacrifices in life that any of the candidates other than Senator McCain have made to be worthy of speaking on the stump to be President of the United States? This is not an endorsement for McCain, I thank him for his service in the military and in the Senate but his style of leadership does nothing for me. I’m by no means saying that you have to have served in our military to be our nations President but you have to have the ability to show leadership other than a damn sound bite on the television in the form of an advertisement. I’ll go one better, all the rehearsed answers during the debates do not sound genuine given the time limitations of the debate process.

I’m of the firm opinion that if you want to be my President then you had better know what you stand for on all of the issues. Flip flopping like Mitt Romney has for decades, dodging questions on Social Security like Hillary Clinton or giving lip service to our nations security by many of the other candidates does not fly with me. Our next American President needs to have a very well rounded background to heal our nations wounds and bring the country back from self destruction. Not just at home but around the world as well. This President will not only have to command respect around the world but also have the astute knowledge that humility is also an American virtue.

Tell the voters what you will do and let the chips land where they will. I’m looking at the stack of well polished, well groomed and highly educated people running on both sides of the equation and to me there seems to be just one true star amongst them all. When you look at all of the campaigns from the perspective of what really matters to you and your family then you come away with a very different perspective of the so called front runners. It almost seems as if most of them went down to the college store and picked up the cliff notes copy on how to be the next President. We do not need the best jingle, the best photo op or the best speech to let us know who a real leader is, we see it in their actions. We need someone with plans, the ability to work both sides of the political spectrum, and of course the ability to communicate the needs of all of the people so that it makes sense to all of the people.

Our nation is at war, our soldiers are coming home in not just coffins but in broken bodies and the solutions needed to help the ones that lived is more important than any of the candidates think. When our nation cares for its warriors wounded in battle then it is caring for itself as well. Contact your possible choices for President and ask them about fully restoring wounded Veterans medical coverage for life and follow your heart with your vote.

Papamoka