For what this man had to go through, this attack is simply sickening. Liberals are shameless.
Posted on 04/23/2008 9:42:47 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The Press: When it comes to smearing John McCain, the mainstream media don't sleep. Now it's "raising questions" about the disability pension he got for torture injuries as a prisoner of war. Where's the shame?
Hard to believe, but true. The industrious beavers who "raise questions" about McCain's fitness for the presidency, citing his $58,000 disability pension, are this time from the Los Angeles Times.
First, the Times' April 22 hit piece implied that, since McCain is in good enough shape to walk across the Grand Canyon, there's something dishonest about his tax-free disability pension. Second, it implied that McCain must be too handicapped to be president at all.
Did they do any research on this? Like, oh, noticing the aforementioned McCain Grand Canyon crossing? In a word, no.
This follows another piece from the New York Times that raised questions about McCain's qualifications for the presidency because he was born at a U.S. military base in Panama.
See a pattern? It's as if McCain's years of honorable military service to our country have been reduced to merely a digging ground for the media's bid to discredit him. Not surprising — ever since the Vietnam War itself, the media have held the military in contempt.
Let's go over again why McCain got that pension in the first place.
McCain was a Navy fighter pilot. He was seriously injured after being shot down over Hanoi in 1966 and spent 5 1/2 years in a hellish communist prison.
The Vietnamese communists twisted his broken arms behind his back and denied him medical treatment. They tried to force him to sign statements betraying his country. He also had to endure forced visits from traitorous anti-war peaceniks.(continued)
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
Yawwwwwwn. The media turds better come up with better 'dirt' on McCain than this LoL!
How are Max Cleland’s finances?
Its kind of a ‘yeah, whatever’ issue, but ... what the heck is a man married to a woman worth over 100 million dollars, and a US senator to boot, doing collecting a disability pension?
That money is for vets who come back to injured to work, or work very much, or otherwise earn an income because of their sacrifice.
McCain accepting that money is a little bit of a ‘huh?’ for me.
I think we’re going to have to shift to the insanity “defense” for the MSM. Stupidity just isn’t a good enough reason / excuse for why the MSM keeps pulling stunts that blowup in their faces.
I’m only at 40% and I was never a prisoner-of-war, but I am grateful that the country feels I deserve something for serving, in addition to free medical.
Oh there will be many that agree with them so their job will be accomplished. Their job is to elect Hillary or Obama.
God Bless you and I think you deserve it.
>>>”Its kind of a ‘yeah, whatever’ issue, but ... what the heck is a man married to a woman worth over 100 million dollars, and a US senator to boot, doing collecting a disability pension?
That money is for vets who come back to injured to work, or work very much, or otherwise earn an income because of their sacrifice.
McCain accepting that money is a little bit of a ‘huh?’ for me.”<<<
You’re misinformed on this issue: VA disability is not “means tested” as Social Security disability is. If Bill Gates had been disabled in the service, he would be eligible to draw VA disability: http://www.vba.va.gov/benefit_facts/General/English/VAP21-00-12%20January%202006.pdf
...refresh my memory please, how much did the clintons and obamas make last year?
The Clintons have made about $110 million since leaving the White House and the Obamas made over $4 million last year.
It's regardless how much money McCain has now, the $58,000/yr is a token amount from a grateful nation the injuries he endured as a POW for 5 1/2 years.
Zilch.
Half would betray their country for a tenth of what McCain deserves, the rest would do it for free.
I'm sure the pain he endures continues, and it limits his activities in ways that ONLY the disabled appreciate.
It is a scandal that he only got this small amount, though I'm certain that he never even remotely considered asking for more. If he had, you can bet the LA Slimes would be all over it.
You couldn't pay me $58K a year to suffer the permanent injuries he did. He earned the right to that money in service to our country no matter how much he's worth.
I’m in.
They shouldn’t have picked that scab.
Actually it's not. It's for people who are no longer fit for military service because of service connected injuries or disabilities. It's not welfare, it's compensation. The fact that someone overcomes their disabilities, one way or another (marrying rich helps! :)) is not a factor.
“You couldn’t pay me $58K a year to suffer the permanent injuries he did. He earned the right to that money in service to our country no matter how much he’s worth.”
Let’s not call it “total disabilty payments” then. Because that confuses things. Disability payments should be for people who cannot work, and who need the money to live.
Let’s just call them “hero payments” for people who served our country heroically.
And I think it shows something about McCain that he continues to accept disability payments which are more than what most working Americans earn when he is a US senator married to a multimillionaire. I’m not saying that he’s doing anything wrong, but it’s not the kind of thing that’s going to inspire people to vote for him, is it?
I've never served in the military, much less in combat. So I should pay taxes....veterans of wars have already paid their bill.
Absolutely.
Has anyone looked real close at John McCains arms? He wasn't born like that. He can't even comb his own hair. Do you notice when he waves to people he puts his arm out in what seems like a effort. His shoulders and arms were injured so severely the doctor had to take bone out of his arms.
So he married a rich woman. His name isn't John Kerry. Maybe he doesn't want to live off his wife.
McCain = military-connected disability = unfit for POTUS
FDR = wheelchair bound invalid = Greatest President in Modern History
Yup; the usual Liberal disconnect. Glad to see everything is still functioning normally.
“So he married a rich woman. His name isn’t John Kerry. Maybe he doesn’t want to live off his wife.”
Hey, call me old-fashioned, but I believe disability payments should go to those who can’t work. If you’re working, making $169,000 a year, you’re not disabled as far as I’m concerned.
I used to do Social Security disability hearings, and the standard was, can you do the most menial job there is, like sit and count change? If so, you are not disabled. That’s the standard for ordinary people, and if McCain had some political sense, he’d realize that it doesn’t make him look so good to some folks (like me).
Okay, so he doesn’t want to live off his wife. I still can’t bring myself to feel sorry for a man trying to get by on the $169,000 a year that we pay him as a senator.
For what this man had to go through, this attack is simply sickening. Liberals are shameless.
To put it bluntly, the original LA Times article was “full of it”. Don’t “huh” on me until you know the real facts! McCain simply doesn’t qualify for a VA “Disability Pension”! That is limited to people who have limited income (less than the annual social security income) and are 100% disabled. He might have a 100% disabled RATING from the VA (a LOT of ex-POWs Do), but that DISABILITY COMPENSATION is a max of $2669 per month ($32028 per year) for a 100% disabled vet. You won’t see this listed on a tax return since it is “Tax Free”
The $58,000 per year quoted is more in line with the RETIREMENT PAY for ANY US Navy Captain with 23-24 years of active duty service. You would see this on a tax return since it is fully taxable as “income”.
Must I point out that he EARNED these, independent of his wife or career in Congress, in the service to our nation? If you say “huh” (maybe he shouldn’t get it?), then you are saying ALL of our disabled Vets and Retirees shouldn’t get it either!
I pity the FOOL that thinks this way!
Many in the Northeast and left coast think that the VA and military retirement should be abolished because we’re all “baby-killers” and “war criminals” and such.
The thinking is that the Democrats will try to play this card as “dirt” on McCain in the general election.
Even they can’t be that dumb.
What a marvelous opening to tell McCain’s story of heroism to a generation who sees him only as a grumpy old man.
Think of all the free air time. McCain the hero vs. Obama’s anti-American associates.
Regardless of how you view his politics, that POW story is compelling. Anyone tortured as he was who would turn down release out of principle has guts and proven character. Period.
Thanks guys,I will stop paying tax to the IRS today.I wish.
Sorry, but it looks like I owe you a bit of an apology. Shortly after I posted to you, it occurred to me that since he had released his tax returns, I should be able to see them. In fact the “pension” WAS his Navy pension, and yes it is “tax free” as noted on his web site. Any service member who retires with a military disability rating gets that amount of his retirement pay “tax free”. This law has been on the books for a LONG time. Apparently McCain retired with 100% disability and his entire Navy retirement pay is “tax free”. Sorry if I was nasty to you!
I still maintain he earned it, though, and he did nothing illegal. At what point does a person make enough to turn down things he has earned?
BTW, he is taking Social Security too, but probably getting taxed on 80% of it.
It probably wouldn't occur to the LA Times, but we vets would happily return the money we receive from the VA with interest if we could have our mobility again and be free of pain.
Mark
More lame from the lamestream. He paid for that pension and then some.
They send you a check, you cash the check. Heck, it's no doubt direct deposit. McCain probably does not even know it is there.
Did you cash your tax refund check? Did you, for even a moment, consider that perhaps you have enough money, and maybe you won't cash that check because you don't need it? Or did you do what every other person in the country did and cash the thing?
I am told that due to his injuries, he can`t even lift his arms over his head.
No ability to offer a jesture of surrender, ...............distinguishes him from his Rat competitors.
If he can't fly an F-4 because of his injuries, he is disabled as far as the Navy is concerned.
This resentment of John McCain's disability pension is just more class envy nonsense.
I agree with you sentiments.
I agree.
John F. Kennedy would have qualified for a disability pension for his back injury suffered during the PT-109 incident. I guess that he was unfit for POTUS also.
As a veteran (who served in a combat zone in Desert Storm), I disagree. The service should not become a shell game to avoid taxes. In my opinion, service members serve in order to preserve the status of all of us as free Americans. I would feel profoundly guilty if I paid no taxes, as my duties as a citizen include supporting the government monetarily (although I do like it when I pay less ;-P).
I'm sure that other vets would disagree with me. I appreciate the sentiment you have expressed, as well. But I think it wiser to reserve tax exemption for those who were "disabled" as a result of their service (in quotes because I mean the legal definition under the laws regarding service related disability). For those of us who left the service unmarred by disability, I think we should be no better and no worse than our fellow citizens.
Amen to that. He deserves it. I don’t care what his income is now. That is not the point. He earned those payments nuff said. By the way it’s regardless not irregardless. :), sorry it’s a pet peeve of mine ;)
I agree with you, but he still has not released his medical records. They have been asking him for awhile now. If he would just release them then the medical question would stop, just like Obama quit asking the Clintons to submit their tax returns since they submitted them and nothing really came about it. McCain should just release them as everyone else has for decades. What is the big deal really.
The way military disability is determined, and the percentages assigned can’t stand the scrutiny of the light of day in many cases.
It’s looked at as an entitlement by many retiring military members - some do deserve it, some maybe not. That is the uncomfortable thing here...many military members are declared fractionally disabled upon retirement.
In McCain’s case, it’s hard to argue that he is 100% disabled - and the media is rightfully skeptical over the definition that the military uses for “disabled”. It is looked at as a “freebie” by some retiring military. I know many of them.
Again, some deserve it, some don’t, but the definition of “disabled” used by the military is a fair question to ask, but it is not one that is specific to McCain.
I agree and thats why I have no problems with the democrats wanting to raise the taxes on the "rich". They don't need that extra money......... /sar
How dare you question the sainted Max Cleland! Unlike McCain, he’s a genuine war hero. He dropped a grenade when he was drunk. Unlike the racist McCain who was killing people of color with his bombs.
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