Senate vote today, November 19th: Disabled vets care versus subsidies for the UN bureaucracy

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[Ooh-Ah]

Contact your Senators and let them know what you think!

Tomorrow morning the Senate will choose between funding care for disabled
U.S. veterans or subsidies for United Nations (U.N.) bureaucracy.

At issue is S. 1963, the Caregiver and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act,
which would authorize caregiver assistance to veterans disabled since
September 11, 2001. The bill is not paid for, does not provide immediate
assistance, and denies benefits to veterans of conflicts prior to 9/11.

Senator Tom Coburn is offering an amendment (#2785, attached) that would:

1) Make all disabled veterans eligible for the benefit, regardless of
the war in which they were injured;

2) Pay for the new benefits by reducing U.S. contributions to the
U.N.;

and

3) Ensure that the promised benefits become available immediately.

If the Senate rejects the Coburn amendment:

 1) Tens of thousands of veterans who have required caregiver assistance
for decades will be denied the benefits offered to other veterans by this
bill;

2) The national debt, which just reached $12 trillion, would be
increased by more than $3.7 billion to pay for the bill because it contains
no offset for the costs of the new benefits;

and

3) The benefits promised will not be available for at least a year or
more, because the bill provides no immediate funding and the Senate has
already passed the appropriations bill that provides funding for the
Department of Veterans Affairs for the next year without including any
funding for this program.

Earlier this week, the Senate defeated a motion offered by Senator Coburn to
provide funding for veterans caregiver assistance by eliminating
congressional earmarks not requested by the Commander-in-Chief funded by the
Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act.

(The vote tally is available HERE).

Senate Democrats held a press conference just last week where they stated
no price is too high <http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/1007620.html to
care for our veterans. While those same Senators a week later voted
against paying the price of care for our veterans with their earmarks, tomorrow
they will have another chance to pay that price with a reduction in payments to
the U.N.



The U.S. government sends over $4 billion a year in taxpayer dollars to
the U.N. with little or no accountability. The U.N. cannot account for tens
of millions spent in Afghanistan on the recent fraudulent election, with most
of the funding coming from the U.S. In one instance, the United Nations
Development Program paid $6.8 million for transportation costs in areas
where no U.N. officials were present. The U.N. procurement task force

found that 43 percent of all U.N. procurement is tainted by fraud, waste, and
abuse. In one year this amounts to over $630 million. The United Nations
headquarters renovation is already $800 million over its initial estimated
price, with U.S. paying the highest amount of any nation for each cost
overrun. The Oil for Food program run at the U.N. provided at least $7.4
billion in illicit revenues to Saddam Hussein's government.



Clearly, providing much needed care to all disabled veterans who
sacrificed to protect our nation and secure peace abroad should be
a higher priority than dumping more money into the bloated and
mismanaged U.N. bureaucracy.

[MestaMachine]

S. 1963 – Caregiver and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act
This bill unfairly discriminates against severely disabled veterans from prior wars, many of whom have needed caregiver assistance for decades and were not the beneficiary of recent advancements in military medical care.

There are currently 35,000 veterans receiving aid and attendance benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Out of this population, around 2,000 veterans received their injuries after September 11 and would qualify for extra caregiver assistance in this bill. Caregivers for 33,000 veterans of prior wars would not.

Our nation faces a severe long-term fiscal crisis. If we don’t start paying for new programs we’re not going to have a country left to defend. The bill is not paid for by identifying any wasteful, duplicative, or obsolete federal programs and represents a false promise intended more to help DC politicians and lobbyists than veterans in need.

CBO estimates that the bill will cost $3.9 billion over five years if all funds are appropriated that are authorized. However, if the funds are not appropriated, then this benefit will amount to an empty promise to veterans. As written, this is a press release bill intended to bolster the image of politicians and lobbyists among veterans. When the bill passes, no funding is ensured and any funding that may eventually be provided will be borrowed.

[Freedom2specul8]

818+ views

[Freedom2specul8]

Sure could use some ping lists for our disabled veterans!

[MestaMachine]

How many phone calls and/or emails? That’s what I want to know.

[444Flyer]

Ping for Veteran’s care!

[444Flyer]

Called my Senators and left messages for both. Will be calling them again first thing in the A.M.. (I have had a crazy night! Good to see so many hits in the last hour or two!)

[Freedom2specul8]

845+ views

[MestaMachine]

Thanks, 444Flier. It’s a love thing.

[azishot]

Bump Before Bed...

[Freedom2specul8]

Bumpback

[MestaMachine]

The problem is these seantors do not know that there are so many of us out here that are watching them. We know the difference between fancy words and real deeds.
We have GOT to let them know this is important to us as Americans. Our Veterans deserve whatever we can possibly do for them. The UN deserves sh1t on a stick without the extra cost of the stick.

[MestaMachine]

Rut Ro
Dyslexia kickin’ in at midnight.
SENATORS

[Freedom2specul8]

901 views...

It’s pickin up

[Freedom2specul8]

Sean(tor) doesn’t mind, it gave another bump for correction purposes. ;)

[Freedom2specul8]

919 views-

WHERE ARE THE BUMPS FOR VETS PEOPLE?

(In a polite caps yell of course..more like a bullhorn and a cheer sort of way)

[Freedom2specul8]

Will check in after awhile.

[Freedom2specul8]

Couldn’t resist to look once more..

930 views

[MestaMachine]

Me too. Getting groggy now. And watching The End of days on TV. We live in dangerous times.

[Freedom2specul8]

Yep, and you must have a stomach made of iron. I can only take so much bad news in a certain amount of time.

est 100+ views in 45mins.

[Freedom2specul8]

956 views! Awesome!