On 10/26/06, jdiebremse <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Sounds like anecdotal evidence to me. So much for "well-reasoned"....
Yes, those are anecdotal, of course. But did we forget the wee matter of 155 Senate votes on veterans issues since 9/11? Or is that just 155 anecdotes?
Oh, then then's the fundamental fact that they've been cutting VA benefits. > During a war. During a war that is wounding tens of thousands. Is that > spin? > > Here's the original source: http://www.iavaaction.org/ <http://www.iavaaction.org/> Classic liberal thinking - measuring how much you care about a problem by how much you spend on it.....
Oh. My. Goodness. I'd like to see how long you'd survive with the family of a soldier who has a traumatic brain injury when you defend the GOP senators' votes against funding research into those types of injuries. "Oh, it's not that we don't care that thousands and thousands of you have received traumatic brain injuries in Iraq. It's just that we're opposed to paying for research into how to treat you best. Because, you know, how much we spend on that research doesn't show how much we care. We care so much that we're willing to spend a great deal on yellow ribbons for our cars... and remember, we've set aside $20 million for a victory party in Washington when we win in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's how much we in the GOP care about you, the brain-injured veteran." Unbelievable. Start a war and cut the veterans' benefits, vote against research into the new kind of injuries that have become most common, raise the fees and copayments to make the vets shoulder even more of the costs... and justify it by arguing that how much we spend on veterans is friggin' IRRELEVANT? Better look over your shoulder when you make that argument... there are some well-trained, combat-experienced people who will take deep offense. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-08-08-brain-center_x.htm Excerpt: "I find it basically unpardonable that Congress is not going to provide funds to take care of our soldiers and sailors who put their lives on the line for their country," says Martin Foil, a member of the center's board of directors. "It blows my imagination." The Brain Injury Center, devoted to treating and understanding war-related brain injuries, has received more money each year of the war — from $6.5 million in fiscal 2001 to $14 million last year. Spokespersons for the appropriations committees in both chambers say cuts were due to a tight budget this year. "Honestly, they would have loved to have funded it, but there were just so many priorities," says Jenny Manley, spokeswoman for the Senate Appropriations Committee. "They didn't have any flexibility in such a tight fiscal year." George Zitnay, co-founder of the center, testified before a Senate subcommittee in May that body armor saves troops caught in blasts but leaves many with brain damage. "Traumatic brain injury is the signature injury of the war on terrorism," he testified. Zitnay asked for $19 million, and 34 Democratic and six Republican members of Congress signed a letter endorsing the budget request. Nick -- Nick Arnett [EMAIL PROTECTED] Messages: 408-904-7198 _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
