Veterans Claims Help

These members voted YEA for adding garbage to the government spending resolution thus shutting down the government.  Out of 13 members of the the House Veterans Committee, only four are veterans.  

Why are so many non-veterans sitting on this veterans committee? Could their main credentials be that they are “true believers” in the idea that reduced government spending is the cure-all for our problems?

Congressman Lamborn (CO. 5th) brags that he “has been named the Most Conservative Member of Congress by the National Journal in 2009, 2010, and 2011.”  Despite any lip service* given veterans, these House members would like to drastically reduce entitlement programs.  In their minds, VA benefits are just another welfare program, sucking the wealthier taxpayers dry.  (Never mind that veterans’ are taxpayers too and defended their rights while they were safe at home in their recliners and remotes.)  Active military are useful.  Veterans are has-beens and a big problem.  That’s why conservatives don’t want veterans to get VA health care welfare and a welfare tax subsidy like other Americans.   This mindset doesn’t believe that veterans have “earned” either handout and certainly not both!  

Here’s the list:  

Florida:  Chairmen Jeff Miller (veteran? NO)

Florida:  Vice-Chairman  Gus M. Bilirakis (veteran? NO)

California: Paul Cook  (Veteran? Yes) and Jeff Denham (Veteran? Yes)

Colorado:  Doug Lamborn  (Veteran? NO) and Mike Coffman (Veteran? Yes)

Indiana:  Jackie Walorski (Veteran? NO)

Kansas:  Tom Huelskamp (Veteran? NO)

Michigan:  Dan Benishek (Veteran? NO)

Ohio:  Brad Wenstrup (Veteran? Yes)

Tennessee:  David P. Roe (Veteran? NO; served 2 years in U. S. Army Medical Corps.)

Texas:  Bill Flores  (Veteran? NO)

These weasel-worded wimps do not have veterans’ interests at heart.  That veterans’ disability, pension, widows and GI bill benefits may stop or be delayed, is welcome news to this bunch.  Why? Because they view them as repugnant welfare payments even if they do not utter this publicly.

They know veterans’ claims backlogs will grow and that’s a good thing in their book.  With leadership like this, can we expect the VA to reform?  We can’t.  Legal wins will be needed. Veterans who vote in their districts can email (politely) these stinky fish on their contact forms.  

This is not okay: Fund our government or go home.

*House Vocabulary Word of the Day: “lip service “n. Verbal expression of agreement or allegiance, unsupported by real conviction or action; hypocritical respect.

Ed. note:

I firmly believe in free speech or I might have pulled the plug on this for it’s blatant political overtones. We are all Americans. Concomitant with that title is the obligation to be responsible. Kiedove aptly points out that some of our  congressmen (and women) seem to lack that verve that might provoke a meaningful dialogue towards ending this contretemps. We are an eclectic mix of all flavors of  society and with that comes divergent opinions. I try to keep that out of our site along with religion because I do not wish to polarize the readership. We fly one flag here-the banner of Veterans rights. We march under different political banners however.  I know that some of you, from having met or spoken to you personally, have strong political beliefs of your own. I understand that.  I thank you all for being able to agree to disagree. I sat on this for 16 hours and contemplated rewriting or tampering with her opus. I cannot. It is an expression of one element of society -a large one  I might add-but still a part of a whole. Politics bore me. I can complain to my heart’s content but, much like the weather, it seems to happen in spite of my druthers. Religion is probably a close second. I believe in a Superior Being but do not feel the need for someone on my front porch every Saturday morning offering to hook me up with God. Because this encompasses Veterans in a round about way, I think it’s only fair to allow it to be published. I have the utmost respect for Kiedove and her commitment to Vets. He presence here and her frequent posts prove she is a stakeholder. Some of you may not totally agree with her viewpoint and I appreciate that, too. I will be happy when our government comes to it’s senses and ends this charade but the underlying problems that caused it will not dissolve without serious compromise. That’s really all this devolves down to- compromise- a meeting of the minds-what’s best for America. Blaming it entirely on the House of Representatives, which incidentally is comprised of a very large number of elected officials-ones you elected if you bothered to vote- is unfair. They represent you and ostensibly are responsible for America’s welfare. Intransigence by the Senate and the Executive branch and a refusal to discuss or formulate an action plan to break the logjam is appears to be the problem now. We’re not talking about a petulant child. It has graduated now to a double-dog dare.

In the military, we were often tasked with accomplishing goals or missions with few of the components necessary. Nevertheless, we persevered and succeeded. We didn’t do it with a Kumbaya meeting. We didn’t get a vote on it.  We stood shoulder to shoulder and did it. What is transpiring in DC is too many chiefs and no indians. Personality disorders and a feeling of royalty seems to have blossomed and  descended into an arena that was traditionally a “We’re all in this together” enterprise. Until we begin anew to think as one country and act in concert for our collective well-being, this form of backbiting and dissention will continue unabated. This isn’t the democracy our forefathers envisioned. It appears to be a free-for-all grab for power (health care) and holding America hostage is one way to focus the argument. Rather than take sides, I prefer to observe. I can no more influence the argument than King Canute could hold back the tide. Someone needs to read Congress and the President the DC Miranda warning “You have the right to remain stupid. Anything you don’t do or say may be held against you.”

As for the number of Veterans on the HVAC (4/13), that comprises 30.76%. Statistically, America’s Veteran population stands at 7.4%; so, if anything, Veterans are over-represented statistically on the HVAC. With that said, I still feel the appropriate number would be 13/13 but I’m just impossibly biased. Remember, it’s America and that’s what makes us great-the ability to disagree without rending it asunder.