FLASHBACK: Pentagon Official Said Veterans Benefits Were ‘Hurtful’ To National Security
FLASHBACK: Pentagon Official Said Veterans Benefits Were ‘Hurtful’ To National Security
Asked to name one question she would like to pose to senior officials about the Walter Reed Scandal, Washington Post reporter Dana Priest said, “The root of so much that we cover is money. And the question is, why isn’t this funded to the extent that it needs to be funded?”
Indeed, as Paul Krugman writes in today’s New York Times, the crisis in the veterans’ health system “starts with money“:
The quagmire in Iraq has vastly increased the demands on the Veterans Administration, yet since 2001 federal outlays for veterans’ medical care have actually lagged behind overall national health spending.
To save money, the administration has been charging veterans for many formerly free services. For example, in 2005 Salon reported that some Walter Reed patients were forced to pay hundreds of dollars each month for their meals.
More important, the administration has broken longstanding promises of lifetime health care to those who defend our nation. Two months before the invasion of Iraq the V.H.A., which previously offered care to all veterans, introduced severe new restrictions on who is entitled to enroll in its health care system. As the agency’s Web site helpfully explains, veterans whose income exceeds as little as $27,790 a year, and who lack “special eligibilities such as a compensable service connected condition or recent combat service,” will be turned away.
The administration’s approach to funding wounded veterans should already be clear. In 2005, the Wall Street Journal noted the growing cost of veterans benefits due to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Pentagon’s response was to complain that it would “rather use [the funds] to help troops fighting today.”
“The amounts have gotten to the point where they are hurtful. They are taking away from the nation’s ability to defend itself,” says David Chu, the Pentagon’s undersecretary for personnel and readiness.
During today’s hearing, House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) called Chu’s remark “offensive.” Staff Sgt. John Daniel Shannon, whose “eye and skull were shattered by an AK-47 round” in Iraq and who is waiting for prosthetic eye surgery, said Chu was “absolutely” inaccurate.
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David Chu can kiss my bright white Desert Storm veteran a$$.
March 5th, 2007 at 3:50 pmIt appears cheney has a blood clot, wonder if they will take him to Walter Reed.
March 5th, 2007 at 3:53 pmAny Vet, anywhere, should be able to show a military id card enabling them to receive immediate care at any health facility in the country.
America, if that’s too costly for our corporate ‘partners’, then we should quit doing stupid shit like invading countries for profit.
We’re starting to treat Vets like Katrina victims; all talk & no walk.
Stop the madness.
Stop the war.
Stop acting like Vets are 2nd class citizens.
And for those of you who choose not to serve, STFU.
March 5th, 2007 at 3:53 pmAny Vet, anywhere, should be able to show a military id card enabling them to receive immediate care at any health facility in the country.
Comment by Zimzone
Absolutely, Zimzone. It’s the least we can do for our Vets.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:03 pmMore evidence that the Republican Party is not the party that supports the troops, except for their willingness to put yellow ribbon magnets on the backs of their big gas-guzzling SUVs.
As for the Cheney story, I’d like to see them amputate his leg and send him over to Building 18 for rehab.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:03 pmJoseph Stiglitz, an economist, recently estimated that the costs of caring for casualties from the Iraq war over the remainder of their lives could be around one trillion dollars. In accordance with Parkinson’s Law (http://www.heretical.com/miscella/parkinsl.html), that is beyond our comprehension, but it is many times the ten billion dollars projected for the Iraq war by Paul Wolfowitz, former deputy to Rumsfeld. It is also much less than what this and other neocon desired wars will cost if their wishes are realized.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:03 pmWhat is on SSgt Shannon’s eye patch?
My vision sucks, can anyone tell?
March 5th, 2007 at 4:04 pmThis is unacceptable. It is time that we demand more money and resources for our troops. It start with military readiness and ends with Vet Health Care.
Why hasn’t our president demanded more money to provide the gear needed for our troops in combat and why hasn’t he demanded more money for our Vet’s health care?
Furthermore, the Dems are doing a wonderful job uncovering this bad situation. The only question left is are they working to fix these problems alone side figuring out who is at fault? Do they have bills in place ready to be voted on that will increase resources and money for our troops in war? Identifying that military readiness isn’t up to par is one thing, fixing it is another. Do they have a bill to increase Vet healthcare money and garuntee Health benefits for life for all our troops?
I truly hope these hearings get some things figured out. What I really hope for is that our congress vote and approve the money needed by our troops in war so there readiness is better. I also hope they pass a bill SOON that garuntee’s health coverage to all soldiers and ups the money for Vet healthcare.
Does anyone have a link to information showing that Congress is in fact doing something about this? The president seems to not be interested as I haven’t heard much out of him (suprise surprise), but the Dems almost have to be gearing up to provide our troops the money and resources they so desperately need. They should be increasing the military budget ASAP to cover these problems.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:05 pm#7…..I think it may be a purple heart….not sure
March 5th, 2007 at 4:06 pmIt is the Purple Heart.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:07 pmZooey,
I think its a Purple Heart. Maybe painted on the patch or something like that.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:09 pmI believe Walter Reed and the base hospitals are under control of the Army/DOD rather than the VA.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:09 pm#7,
That is either a Purple Heart medal or a representation of one on the seargent’s eye patch.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:09 pmDick “Five Deferments” Cheney is lucky he’s not a vet.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:11 pmRoger_Roger,
We are well aware of your new attack method, so just drop the charade.
No, there isn’t a bill yet. This problem was just uncovered and you know damn well that anything meaningful takes time. Writing stupid political bills to try and make the other side looks bad can be done in a few hours or days. a real bill that does what it is supposed to takes a long time to get written. Hundreds of lawyers, plus congress people will be involved.
So, slow your “hurry up Democrats” bullsh!t.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:13 pm#8,
The mess that the Bush administration and the Republican congress have made of this country will not be fixed by money. That is a “Halliburton” way of thinking and has already proven to be wrong so many times that it is surprising that any one with an ounce of intellect would suggest it.
The solution is a massive course correction in our foreign policy and a cleaning of the house (convictions) of the war profiteers and the enablers.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:14 pmVance, Spudge, dlet & Tuber –
THANKS!!
Good thing my computer screen has braille. Heh.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:15 pmI think there is something people keep overlooking in the debate about money for our soldiers and our vets. I think that there probably has been enough allocated to the war effort, the problem is that it is all funneled to the contractors instead of the troops. The problem is money management. (pallets being lost anyone) The troops were trained at their jobs (from drivers to mechanics to service personnel) to form a cohesive unit, it destoyes the unit when outside influences are now doing the jobs that they were trained to do. This is also a redundancy that sucks our money; money that could be used to get armor or health care services.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:25 pmit is a purple heart
March 5th, 2007 at 4:27 pm#15 No, you didn’t understand what I was asking for. I haven’t seen anything from the Dems, even ideas, on how much money and resources they are preparing to give to the military. Sure a solid “done” bill may not be ready, but I assume that they are already discussing how much the military needs and how to frame this bill, right?
Afterall, it would almost be criminal to find all these shortfalls in money and resources and not address them. TP and the Dems just last week pointed out that our troops fighting abroad are lacking the equipment, money, and resources needed thus there Readiness is declining. If this is a known thing, I can only assume they are working on a bill that will fix the problem with the added money and resources needed.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:27 pmWell, it just goes to show that Chu is a lowlife dirtbag, like all Bush appointments.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:33 pmYou have got to admire the speed of the rethugs mighty wurlitzer and how fast it get the new messages out:
“Everything that has been allowed to go wrong in this war is now the Dems fault because thay have not cleaned up the mess in the two months since they took control of the house.”
Tell a lie big enough keep repeating it and soon it becomes the truth.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:33 pm#20,
No, the criminal activity is just now being exposed. Fools and morons like you are the ones trying to point fingers and then throw more money at the problem.
If you are so “concerned”, then you should pack up and head to DC right away. Call attention to how the “conservatives” and Generals have shat upon the wounded. Let your voice be heard in a call for a new direction that does not kill the innocent and treat the wounded warriors like trash.
Otherwise you are just spewing BS. Tool.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:37 pmThis committee’s findings are shocking beyond human comprehension. And this is their first day. If this exemplifies compassionate conservatism, I would hate to see what normal conservatives would do to their fellow countrymen.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:37 pmRoger_Roger,
Money is not the solution. There are billions and billions of dollars that are already going toward this. What needs to happen and is happening right now is investigations into where the the friggin’ money is going. Into who’s pocket.
With the fact that we now know that some of Walter Reed has been privatized and that the contract was given to Haliburton, I have a pretty good guess as to where the money is going. This si the same problem we have in Iraq.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:37 pmIf you don’t have the money to pay for the after care for soldiers injured and wounded, you don’t have the money pay for the war.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:38 pmGeez, that should be simple.
Comment by Roger_Roger
Why is it, roger, that all your posts, you harp on what you think the Democrats should do? They have been in thenew congress about 2 months.
Why no outrage expressed at who actually caused the problems?
As a vet, I call you out. Do you support this administrations handling of the awfull treatment veterans have been getting? Or are you just another Bush water carrier trying to attack Dems from a different angle?
I have not once seen you condemn Bush’s Administration for this, not once.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:39 pmLet’s get our asses out of Iraq and bring an end to this stupidity.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:39 pmThe Iraqis will sort this out on their own. They are a proud people. They aren’t going to bow down to Iran, Saudi Arabia or anyone. Including us.
#22 The problems themselves are certainly not the Dems fault. However, they are in Charge of the purse strings now so they can’t play the usual game of “gotcha”. When they hold hearings and point out problems, flaws, and situations that are lacking funding/resources, it is their job to fix them. There is no one else that can fix them today. They are the leaders afterall when it comes to passing bills that add resources and funding to our troops.
I congradulate them on identifying these problems. These problems are of course the fault of the 109th congress but that congress is no more. Today, the only folks that can possibly fix these problems are the Dems.
Are you suggesting that the Dem’s not fix these problems? In the long run, it just looks bad on them. The American public already know the repugs of the 109th were worthless (IT IS WHY THEY DIDN’T GET REELECTED). What the American public want with this new congress is a fix for each of these problems.
To be the leaders of Congress and go on every news show and scream about troop readiness problems is in bad taste. It is just dumb to scream that our troops are lacking Funds, gear, and resources when your the person that can get them the stuff they need. It is because they do it only for political gain. They only costs them. What gives them gains is when they come on TV, point out a problem, and also provide the fix. That we appreciate.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:41 pm#27
Why no outrage expressed at who actually caused the problems?
I guess it is just my personality. The 109th caused these problems but I don’t get to worked up about the 109th because they aren’t in power anymore. We already fixed that by electing the Dems to power. Kinda like crying over spilled milk. While ok to cry for a few seconds, in the end you need to figure out how to clean it up.
Do you support this administrations handling of the awfull treatment veterans have been getting?
Of course not. I have even said many times that I think the Iraq war was a horrible mistake. I just differ with some here that we should leave right away. We broke it, we fix it. Then again, Clinton and Obama seem to share that ideal.
Or are you just another Bush water carrier trying to attack Dems from a different angle?
I, on another post, have said that I plan to vote for Obama or Gore for President. So that alone should tell you I aint a party loyalist. Bush has been a bad president in many regards. He allowed congress to spend way to much, he signed the prescription drug benefit which we can’t afford, he brought us to Iraq which was wrong, and he generally handles most situation in a bad way. Is that enough for you?
March 5th, 2007 at 4:47 pm#29,
You have been categorically wrong about every issue regarding Iraq and now veteran care. Why on earth would anyone seek your advice on how to fix it?
Think about it ace, you’ve already squandered all of your credibility supporting Bush. You did it to yourself, don’t get all pissy now that no one will listen to you. Did you think that selling your soul would not come with a price?
Goodbye R2.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:48 pmYou see the subtlety here. He says the 109th congress, rather than the Republicans.
Just keep carrying the water Roger_Roger.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:50 pm#31 You obviously didn’t read my post. I didn’t provide a way to fix it. Afterall, I am not in a position to fix it. Congress is the only one that can fix it. As far as “backing Bush”, please see post #30.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:51 pmAnd more importantly, you didn’t get worked up when they were in power. You denied it everyday right here on this thread and when are proven right, “they aren’t in power anymore” Don’t you see the problem there.
You carry water for the republican party. What is it like to be used like that. On a daily basis.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:53 pm#32 REPUBLICAN OF THE 109th CONGRESS ARE AT FAULT FOR TROOP READINESS AND VET HEALTH CARE. IT IS ALL THEIR FAULT AND NO ONE ELSES.
There, can you get your folks that control congress to fix this mess that the repugs made? Maybe you forget, but I am a Vet myself.
The reason I get pissed off about this stuff, is that I see my leaders in congress (Pelosi, Reid, etc.) simply using this for politcal gain in the gotcha game. I really want to know, as a vet, if they also plan to fix these problems. If you find that the troops don’t have the proper equipment and your in a position to fix that problem, you damn well better fix it ASAP. If us Vets are getting screwed healthcare wise and you can fix it, DO IT!!
After your done with the fixing, then come on TV. Point out that the repugs are to blame 100% and go on to announce the Fix. That is how you get America on your side.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:54 pm#34 I didn’t get worked up because I didn’t know about the problems at Walter Reed so how could I? Troop readiness was hardly an issue back then as we were mostly still fine. These problems either way were pushed under the rug by the repugs and we the public never new about them nor the extent of the problem.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:56 pmNo, it is not. You like a politician beat around the Bush, (pun intended). You have a real problem with saying “The republicans really screwed up this country and I have been wrong.” It is called being a man and admitting that you were wrong. Saying that you are gonna vote oen way or the other holds zero water here.
Admit you were wrong.
March 5th, 2007 at 5:01 pm#33,
Sorry R2, I’ve seen your other posts so one post inferring that you no longer support Bush doesn’t really change much. If anything, it only proves that you are amongst the rats jumping off the sinking ship.
To think that you were willing to treat your comrades and countrymen like trash just so you could make a buck or support your “partyâ€. Pathetic and disgusting, really. If you believe in Karma then you better slither back under the rock from which you came because your prospects don’t look too good.
Now, I value my Karma so I will not “entertain” your nonsense any further.
Good riddance to you R2.
March 5th, 2007 at 5:02 pm“Today, the only folks that can possibly fix these problems are the Dems.”
actually the only folks that want to fix these problems are dems.
“simply using this for politcal gain in the gotcha game.”
actually, it’s called ‘accountability’ but i won’t fault you for not knowing what that is.
March 5th, 2007 at 5:03 pm#37 I didn’t say that the repugs screwed up our country because that isn’t true. They certainly didn’t do a good job, but we are still the largest economy in the world, unemployment is still under 5%, and they didn’t do anything drastic to ruin industry. How can you call this country screwed up? We are still the greatest country in the world. If we are screwed up the rest of the world is in really bad shape.
Attacking Iraq, mishandling Vet Health Care, spending to much, adding a prescription drug benefit we can’t afford, not acknowledging global warming, and doing a piss poor job on Katrina doesn’t screw up our country as a whole. These are horrible mistakes that can be fixed, but as a whole we are still doing fine. The world isn’t coming to an end and Americans are still the best off people in the world. You would have to do a whole lot more to truly “Screw up America” as a whole.
March 5th, 2007 at 5:11 pm#39 And yet you still can’t point me to info were they are discussing the possible fixes and the timeframe to accomplishing it. You better believe I will stay on top of this. The Dems better not just finish up pointing out the Repugs flaws and not provide a fix. If vet healthcare and troop readiness are still not addressed in the next 2 months, the 110th congress is failing.
March 5th, 2007 at 5:13 pmThanks TP for running Chu’s quote, I’d been looking for it for ages, then found an exact word for word copy of the article where Chu made the quote
As Benefits For Veterans Climb, Military Spending Feels Squeeze Congress’s Generosity May Hurt Weapons, Other Programs; Lobby Group’s Power Grows
And here’s an even better quote from Chu, in which he’s discussing how it’s cheaper to offer cash up front to possible military volunteers, as opposed to paying for any benefits down the road, this is typical neocon thinking at it’s most vile, as it shows exactly how Chu would attract new enlistees for military service
Dr. Chu says the military could recruit more troops for less money if it slowed the growth of deferred benefits and paid more cash. About 60% of military pay is tied up in noncash compensation, like pensions, generous health-care benefits, subsidized food and housing.
“I’d like to believe 19-year-olds paid attention to their annuity package,” says Dr. Chu. But they don’t. “Nineteen-year-olds want cash to buy a pickup truck,” he says.
March 5th, 2007 at 5:20 pm“If vet healthcare and troop readiness are still not addressed in the next 2 months, the 110th congress is failing.”
two months to undo 6 years of bad policies? that seems fair, especially considering all the spending bills the repub congress walked away from last year, leaving the entire budget up in the air. what was pious stuff you were saying earlier about playing politics with important matters?
March 5th, 2007 at 5:20 pmThe .00000001% of the daily cost of war would really break the bank. Get lost Chu.
March 5th, 2007 at 5:23 pmRoger_Roger, as a conservative, I understand your problem. You view everything in infinites. Everything is all of or none of. So, when I say screwed up the country, your brain thinks, “well, we still have structures standing and our water isn’t made out of chemicals and I still get to eat, so everything is hunky dory”
But, when I say screwed up, I mean Bush has turned friends against each other, family against each other. He has divided this country as it hasn’t been since the civil war. If you haven’t seen it, it is because you have surrounded yourself with friends and family who are all republican.
I have always been an open guy and have had conservative and liberal friends my whole life. I don’t talk with my conservative friends anymore. And no not because of me. We have decide mutually to not talk anymore. Because they believe, just like you, that liberals are traitors and liberals believe conservatives are Nazis.
Bush and the republicans, mainly the neocon arm have SCREWED UP this country.
But, you live in a “privileged area” and probably don’t see it, because all of your friends are like you.
March 5th, 2007 at 5:31 pmChu and the rest of those villains should be sent to Iraq to take a few AK47rounds in their arrogant, twisted brains…let them prove their patriotism….But I assume they have “other priorities” like finding new ways to screw war vets….filthy bastards, all of them from the President on down….
March 5th, 2007 at 5:31 pm#43 The Dems should be able to figure out how much money the military needs to provide the troops with all the equipment and resources needed to fix “troop readiness”. The Dems should also be able to figure out how much money is needed to fix the problems with Vet healthcare. This isn’t rocket science. This is simply adding up the $$ and passing a bill. 2 months should be more then enough time. Readiness is not a problem we can sit on our hands about. We need to add to our military budget ASAP. The repugs failed for 6 years but luckily this is a dollars and cents thing for congress. They simply need to man up and pass the bills with the needed money. There is no reason for it to take any longer.
We got troops dying in Iraq. Providing them with more money, gear, and resources should easily be the #1 priority. Healthcare for the injured should also be a huge priority in a time of war.
It saddens me that the repugs failed our troops and luckily the Dems identified this problem. Now we can only hope the Dems will take it the next time in a timely fashion and get out military the funding they deserve.
March 5th, 2007 at 5:35 pmAnd I have already told you that the money is already there. What needs to be done is we have to figure out exactly which republican scumbags pocketed that money or what company is over charging (Haliburton) or who is making it difficult to get the equipment formt he troops.
More money is not the solution. It is if you are making money off of this charade.
Are you making money off of this charade Roger_Roger?
March 5th, 2007 at 5:41 pm“We got troops dying in Iraq. Providing them with more money, gear, and resources should easily be the #1 priority. Healthcare for the injured should also be a huge priority in a time of war.”
it all should’ve been worked out by the administration before they sent over 100,000 soldiers into a war zone. and to say it’s just a dollars and cents issue is a bit naive considering that bush did not add the cost of the war into the budget, using ‘emergency supplementals’ for the last five years.
March 5th, 2007 at 5:42 pmTry this site to link to cspan, convert the ‘*’ to ‘.’ in each instance.
March 5th, 2007 at 6:03 pmwww*c-span*org/watch/cs_cspan_wm*asp?Cat=TV&Code=CS
This is following the hearings.
#48 So you are assuming that these problems are simply that we have bad military commanders in our Military? First you wanted me to blame the 109th which I did because they are at fault. Now if the 109th is at fault, the 110th will be equally at fault if they don’t provide the needed military budget increase. How can the 109th be held accountable for not providing the money needed yet you let the 110th off saying no money is needed. COnfused here.
March 5th, 2007 at 6:17 pmThe Purple Heart on Sgt Shannon’s eye patch is because he was designed treatment at one facility because they couldn’t find any paperwork to prove he had been wounded and he had to produce his purple heart to get seen. At least that is what I thought I heard while he was testifying.
March 5th, 2007 at 6:21 pmdenied treatment
March 5th, 2007 at 6:25 pmAt least that is what I thought I heard while he was testifying.
Comment by Tucson tom
Thanks for that. I was wondering. That’s sick that he had to prove he’d been injured.
March 5th, 2007 at 6:28 pmRoger_Roger,
Many posts but wanted to reply now. So you are saying the dems control the purse, but that purse is very empty you see (thanks to you reublicans). Depending on which source we’re 3 to 49 trillion dollars in debt. Are you for higher taxes? Didn’t think so.
Saddens me when I see you idiots complain about higher taxes because it’s going to some black welfare mom who’s been on welfare for 10 years. But you never get outraged at your govt who controlled the purses for at least the last 12 years. (I honestly didn’t follow politics much until Bush screwed this country up, but I know they were a big reason Clinton didn’t get a lot done).
So the republican mantra is it’s okay to PISS all the money away, as long as it’s going to companies like: Haliburton, Blackwater, Exxon and others for tax breaks, hell we even still subsidize them! But stop the money printing presses if one black welfare person abuses the system).
Build new nukes at the costs of billions, when our soldiers are not equipped the best they can be, or when they return treat them with the best care. God it’s so amazing that next to organized religion, corporatism has so brainwashed you all into voting for republicans is the right thing to do. It’s okay to vote republican if they say they are the party against gay marriage, and yet they are the party that has more closeted gays and perverts than the Democrats have open & closeted! It’s okay to vote for the party that says it’s pro-lfie when time after time almost all the bull shit wars but one were started by republicans. It’s okay to feel you’re for the pro-life party, despite them not wanting health care for everyone, so every year people go bankrupt, and live miserable lives due to an illness, or death. You sir are brainwashed beyond belief. You’re nothing but a party of criminals, sexual deviants, murderers, thieves, war criminals, racist pass the buck scumbags.
You are what embarrasses me about America. You are the reason Americans are shunned worldwide, where we were once welcomed. You are the ones that once America falls more, will be the reason countries with financial power will then use their will against us like we do to them, this could be financially, or militarily. Think it can’t happen? Look again, China is going through what America went through 100 years ago, massive growth of industry. Once their people gain power, much like unions helped all Americans here gain more power here they will be unstoppable. And one only needs to look at history to see many great countries on the top fall.
March 5th, 2007 at 6:46 pmLooks to me like the American Legion needs to put out another endorsement for Bush and Republicans
March 5th, 2007 at 6:55 pmChu is a vet himself (Vietnam), but he worked in the Comptrollers Office at Headquarters in Nam, which I assume was in Saigon. He wasn’t a warrior and didn’t get injured or dead. But he sure as hell got a pension when he retired, and is no doubt still drawing on that. Also, he gets whatever benefits any vet is supposed to get. Is he saying he would give up all that was guaranteed to him for his service?
There’s adequate money right now. It’s just being spent on the wrong things…like $2-$3 billion PER WEEK in Iraq, billions spent on technology that are frequently boondoggles…like that terrific missile defense system that can’t hit anything! Oh yes..and on contracts with Halliburton, etc. and other outsourcing/privatizing that’s been going on since this administration came into power.
The Dems can write bills to try to fix all of this, and Bush will sign them and then attach a signing statement saying it’s his choice whether or not to go along with any of it, with the ridiculous idea of the “unitary executive” as a rationale.
There is only ONE answer and that is impeachment. Seriously…Cheney first because he is the real power on the throne. And Bush simply to be able to deep-six his appointees, who (most of them) have been a disaster for this country.
March 5th, 2007 at 7:01 pmRoger_Roger
Oh and one more inconvenient truth…
You and your ilk were the reason for 9-11, and for any future terrorist attack for 60 years! Until the children of this war are too old to hate you. And don’t worry they’ll pass on their hatred just like many generations here.
Congratulations!
March 5th, 2007 at 7:12 pm#55
We are actually closer to $70 trillion in debt. We didn’t get that far in debt however by “pissing away” money to Halliburton. We certainly handed over money to them that was inappropriate and wrong but no where near $1 trillion let alone $70 trillion. IN fact, most all that debt is from Social Secuirty and Medicaid. The Iraq war has only cost $600 billion or so. Social Security and Medicaid add $2-$3 trillion in new debt each if you use true accounting principles like every other company and individual. Those 2 programs alone make up most all the debt.
Am I for higher taxes?
Yes and no. It fully depends on if the new tax with truly increase tax revenue or not. It also depends on what the tax is for or if it will be wasted. If the government needs to raise taxes exclusively because our Military needs more gear and our vets need better health care, then YES I accept a tax increase. Of course we are talking about peanuts here. My guess is $250 Billion would probably be about 4-5 times the amount needed. $250 billion is less then Social Security adds to the Federal debt in 2 months. Either way, when the government needs money for our military to protect America and our interests, I am all for it.
#58 Why again would I be responsible for 9-11? Hell, Bush wasn’t even in office for 1 year when the attack occured. They claimed the attack took over 2 years of prep work which means Bubby Clinton was president. How would the repugs shoulder all the blame there? Surely Clinton takes some responsibility as most all the planning happened uinder his watch and OBL was never captured by him (or BUsh). Future attacks on America are assured as we all know because extremist never go away completely. It is the reason we need to take the fight to them. We need to attack them on their turf so they can’t get to ours. That is the primary function of our government afterall.
March 5th, 2007 at 9:13 pmDavid Chu needs to be fired and subpoenaed.
March 5th, 2007 at 9:29 pm…and somewhere in the world tonight, George W. Bush is smirking.
March 5th, 2007 at 9:30 pmLet’s do the math. Since SS adds 250 billion dollars to the national debt every two months and is currently self-paying, how can that happen? Perhaps there is an under-current of people retiring without the knowlege of government or economists. Since the average ss recipient gets about $14,000 per year on a per-person basis (you must remember the spouse), then we are adding about 9,000,000 people per month to the SS dole or 108,000,000 per year. At that rate every United States citizen alive will be on Social Security in about three years and noone will be paying into the system. I would guess that we have a system with real problems here!
March 5th, 2007 at 9:47 pm“We need to attack them on their turf so they can’t get to ours.”
thanks for refreshing that right wing talking point. the more vague you get about “them” and “their turf”, the better.
March 5th, 2007 at 10:06 pm#62
You probably aren’t an accounting and are not familiar with accounting rules and practices. You see Future Social Secuirty Payments are called Liabilities. This means that the Feds need to have say Treasury Bonds of some sort collecting interest TODAY to cover future Social Secruity payments. The accounting firms that do the governments books calculate what the future payments will be. They take into account that the baby boomers are coming up on retirement and the fact that our wonderful Healthcare system is keeping people alive longer. With that said, they get a figure. Now since the government currently has no savings collecting interest nor are future generations going to come even close to paying for future retired generations, we get DEBT. This is how it works for every business and every individual in America and how it works for Government on their REAL BOOKS they don’t show you everyday.
You see Bill Clinton and G. Bush would try and contend that Social Security isn’t a liability simply because they would say we can stop the program at anytime and simply stop paying one day when we don’t have enough. While this is true, I highly doubt that is the answer you want as Grandma would wake up one morning without a check and never get one again. So I will contend that they are wrong and this is in fact a liability (an opligation to pay in the future).
For instance, if we wanted to fund the prescription drug bill we needed to buy $11 trillion in treasury bonds that very day it was signed into law to make the program sustainable. Since we didn’t, the government got hit with a one time debt of $11 trillion I believe in the year 2000.
Interesting read for you to learn exactly how bad it is. Remember the year Clinton reported a Surplus of $559 Billion? Um, the real books using true accounting principles reported a $484 deficit. Enjoy the read:
http://www.usatoday.com/ printedition/ news/ 20060803/ 1a_coverart03.art_dom.htm
March 5th, 2007 at 11:45 pmRR, are you saying government notes are no good? Because that sounds exactly like what you are saying. If so, you might want to learn Chinese.
March 5th, 2007 at 11:54 pmNice posts DenverDem, I think you have spoken about how many of us feel.
March 5th, 2007 at 11:54 pm#64 Oh, a 464 billion dollar deficit would make me positively giddy!!
March 5th, 2007 at 11:55 pm#64,
March 6th, 2007 at 12:32 amThe BushBees have turned SS into a pyramid scam. Actually, it started with the Nixon administration. True Johnson took us off of the silver standard, but Nixon started to rob the Crown Jewels that previously drove this nation into prosperity. At the time that Nixon took office, the SS system was programmed to last until the mid 22nd century. With his income limits that was reduced to the end of this century (21st) by the time he was ushered from office. Reagan choose not to tamper with the system as wage growth canceled out the effects of the COL dynamics. GWB has deliberately attacked the middle class to the benefit of corporations and the wealthy. The poor have been conquered, we are next.
#64 - RR,
March 6th, 2007 at 12:35 amI forgot to say that the study you state assumes that SS does not have any further income.
#69 No it does in fact assume SS has further income. It just estimates that we basically won’t have nearly enough workers putting into SS what the elderly will be taking out. That is why its a liability TODAY. We would need that a certain amoun of money invested today so we have the liability covered down the road. Since we have no such thing right now, we have debt. The sad truth is that this kinds of debt is simply way to large to be paid.
#65 What are you smoking? I never once said Government notes are no good. I said we would need a certain amount invested in investment vechiles such as treasury notes today to cover the shortfalls of the future. Since we don’t, we add debt which we simply can’t pay off.
#68 You are basically correct expect you over simplified and left out the fact that none of the Dem president did a damn thing either. Either way, at least you realize SS is doomed and will either bankrupt the USA or will need to die a quick death.
March 6th, 2007 at 1:47 amYou and your ilk were the reason for 9-11
No they wern’t. My name is Exlaxley. History started on 9-11. There is no logical reason 9-11 occured. I have no memory of any sort of “events” or “history” that occured before 9-11.
“They” simply hate us because we are good and “they” are evil. They “slaughetered” 3000 of us. When america kills people, it does not “slaughter” them. In fact, it doesnt even kill people, it just causes “collateral damage”, that collateral damage just happens to be living, breathing, walking, talking, and pain-experiencing.
Never forget.
9-11.
3000 is alot of people. really. its almost more than die on america’s highways every 2 months.
Thank god america has never, ever, deliberately caused any slaughter, killing, or death simply to further its own economic addictions or paranoias. Otherwise we’d be hipocrites.
March 6th, 2007 at 2:57 amValiant Penus is certainly brave. Even amongst this crowd, it is risky the shrug off 9/11 and even go so far as to blame American citizens rather then middel eastern terrorist for this horrible act. All here should denounce you. How dare you talk about fellow americans like this. You have zero proof that any American was a terrorist on those planes nor a planner for the mission. Most all the planning happened under Clinton’s watch and I certainly don’t blame him for 9/11. He couldn’t possibly know that was coming or he would have done something. 9/11 taught America a valuable lesson that I hope we never forget. When we are threatened by terrorists or terrorist states, we need to engage them ASAP or risk getting attacked again.
March 6th, 2007 at 9:24 am[…] fighting today.” “The amounts have gotten to the point where they are hurtful. They are taking away from the nation’s ability to defend itself,” says David Chu, the Pentagon’s undersecretary for personnel and […]
March 6th, 2007 at 11:05 am[…] troops fighting today.†“The amounts have gotten to the point where they are hurtful. They are taking away from the nation’s ability to defend itself,†says David Chu, the Pentagon’s undersecretary for personnel and […]
March 6th, 2007 at 1:14 pmRunning protection rackets to get more graft is not a very good way of defending us either. Conquering the world has never proven to be a good defense either.
March 6th, 2007 at 1:41 pmWHAT THE HELL Chu(You) TALKING ABOUT, David, YOU BABBLING CRETIN! BOMBASTIC IMBECILE! UNINFORMED MORON! UNCARING LUDICROUS SOCIOPATH! NERDY NINCOMPOOP NABOB! FOOLISH FLATULENT FISH-FACED FREAK! DISGUSTING DERELICT DORK! DASTARDLY DESPICABLE DUNG-EATER! GARRULOUS GHOULISH GEEK! Let’s see, have I missed any COLOURFUL Spiro Agnew-ian INVECTIVE? After All, We E-WARRIORS MUST USE ANY AND ALL FORMS OF DIRTY FIGHTING TO DO THE ENEMY IN WITH OUR E-MAILED FISTS!!!!! Oh, Yes…David, Chu(You)FOUR-EYED REFUGEE FROM A CHINESE LAUNDRY, GO WASH YER LOUSY ILL-FITTING CLOTHES AND GO TEND YER NOODLES–ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT ESCAPED FROM YOUR NOGGIN, NOODLE-BRAIN, INSTEAD OF MAKING Bushland Uber Allies/CHIMPya ARSE-KISSING SOCIOPATHIC PSYCHOBABBLE GOBBLEDYGOOK CHATTER LIKE “hurtful amounts” and “taking away from ability to defend itself”–WHAT UNADULTERATED CLAP-TRAP!!!!!
March 6th, 2007 at 3:09 pmMy Friends…haven’t you figured the Republicans out, yet?
It’s simple…Private=Good…Public=Bad.
These poor excuses for human beings were put in office by
folks just like you and I.
My hope is that Americans will not repeat this mistake, again.
March 6th, 2007 at 9:19 pm[…] This week President Bush told the American Legion that “support of our veterans has been a high priority in my administration,†despite numerous attempts in the 2008 budget to cut funds, raise costs to veterans, and claim that spending money on veteran care is â€hurtfulâ€. […]
March 7th, 2007 at 9:37 pmwell, you can’t say the signs that the republican administration, focussed solely on the needs of the corporate elite set to profit from Iraq, weren’t spray painted on the pentagon walls. Of course the neocons aren’t interested in helping you soldiers; you’re neither jewish nor members of their ‘circle’.
In fact, those who will benefit most from your suffering will be jewish (but how many of those who had your back in Iraq were?); perhaps the stars in the stars and stripes should be stars of david. Poor america; my prayers are with you.
March 8th, 2007 at 9:43 amDavid Chu, Johnny Yoo, What the #**^ is wrong with you!
March 8th, 2007 at 2:16 pmHow much more will we take before we rise up and toss these bastards out of the White House? They’re working on convenient excuses for destroying the Constitution & Bill of Rights (that process is already well under way), so maybe we should act NOW while we still have the legal right to do so.
This government is absolutely corrupt and should be abolished. It’s OUR RIGHT as AMERICAN CITIZENS to do so. We voted in anti-war candidates into Congress, and look how they’ve ignored the “will of the people”—we are peons & serfs to these politicians, nothing more. We pay our hard-earned taxes to keep them fat & cozy, yet they ignore our wishes—-that is TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION, which is a valid reason for overthrowing the government.
March 8th, 2007 at 8:22 pmI work in a VA Hospital. Last week, the director here sent an email to all employees that we need to be on guard, we need to be willing to ‘confront’ any visitor regarding their reason to be there, and we have to be able to call security in immediately should we suspect problems.
Was this in response to a terrorist threat to the small percentage of vets we care for (who fall below the $27,000 income line, or were wounded, or recently deployed- and can actually get VA healthcare?)
Nope.
It was because, since the Walter Reed story broke, a local news team had come to visit us, unannounced.
Since Bush has come to power, VA copays, benefits eligbility, pensions- you name it- have all changed. In not one instance that I can think of, have they changed to help our veterans.
We were happy the other day, after Walter Reed broke, thinking, oh, yes, now the government will have to throw some money their way, will give these vets a little of what they deserve. . .
Until a coworker said “Did you see the picture of the mold on the walls? Haliburton or one of their buds will probably get a huge, no-bid contract to rebuild the place- and the vet’s pension problems won’t even be addressed.”
You put your life on the line and make $30,000/year, and you’re not eligible for VA healthcare. This is just one of this administration’s true, but barely publicized, shames. You veterans need to speak up instead of accepting this. I don’t need to worry about healthcare, I’m a Federal employee- I’ll even have it, inexpensively, after I retire (no matter what my income is). But you were promised VA healthcare, and risked your lives!!!!
March 10th, 2007 at 4:50 pmThe eye patch seen on my husband’s eye is, in fact, a Purple Heart. I had designed it and had it custom-made with the embroidery on it by http://www.lenfante.com
You would be sickened to know that the day after his testimony, he was denied a meal at the dining hall because his meal card did not have a stamp on it to prove he was in Iraq. Even the eye patch and national news running on the TV in the dining hall, showing his face on every network could not and cannot prove his worth as an Iraqi veteran just trying to eat a meal.
Thanks for following the story and your support of my husband and other troops.
Sincerely,
March 12th, 2007 at 2:10 pmTorrey Shannon
Wife of SSG John Daniel Shannon
Woronrad
Es desafortunado ver cu?ntos comentarios y fija el foro del blog eso en vez de centrarse en lo que dijo alguien las vueltas de la discusi?n en apagado una conversaci?n del asunto sobre nada.
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It has since been implemented in most other blogging tools. This enables authors to keep track of who is linking to, or referring
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