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Veterans betrayed: Shortchanging those who fought for us
The New York Daily News ^ | December 23, 2013 | The Editors

Posted on 12/23/2013 4:34:08 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

In its rush to pass a budget deal, Congress voted to slice the benefits of veterans, even those who retire after suffering injuries while serving their country.

This unconscionable sneak attack on former members of the armed services was evidently inserted into the legislation by GOP House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan during talks with lead Democratic negotiator, Sen. Patty Murray. He ought to be ashamed.

The provision would cut veterans’ cost of living adjustments beginning in 2015 by $600 million a year — less than one-tenth of 1% of the $630 billion Pentagon budget. But the pain would be real. A senior enlisted servicemember who retired at 40 would typically lose more than $70,000 in benefit payments over the years.

Ryan’s breach of faith must be repealed in its entirety.

Confronted by widespread outrage, he insisted the cuts were a mistake — never mind that he has been a longtime proponent of making them. He said the issue “will be solved with the technical correction” when Congress returns next year.

Murray, for her part, promises a “fix” only to exempt disabled veterans. And, shamefully, there was no groundswell among either Democrats or Republicans for repeal. The best that Democrat Carl Levin, chair of the Armed Services Committee, came up with was a vow to review the matter.

To her credit, New Hampshire Republican Sen. Jeanne Shaheen offered a bill to revoke the cuts and to pay the costs by “eliminating a tax loophole for offshore corporations.”

The cuts must be revoked, not “fixed.”

Congress must act right away, so that veterans depending on their pensions to get by, and soldiers close to making a return to civilian life, do not have this uncertainty, and lack of generosity, hanging over their heads.


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: congress; disabledveterans; military; veterans
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
voted to slice the benefits of veterans

It's actually a one percent cut in the rate of increase beginning in 2015.

21 posted on 12/23/2013 6:06:29 PM PST by Retired Chemist
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Ryan is as big an A-hole as Soetoro. Fire his azz.


22 posted on 12/23/2013 6:16:21 PM PST by VRWC For Truth (Roberts has perverted the Constitution)
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To: Jet Jaguar
Thanks for the ping, JJ! Here is the roll-call:



Both of "my" Congress-critters voted for it - no surprise to me.



America demands Justice for the Fallen of Benghazi!

O stranger, tell the Lacedaemonians that we lie here, obedient to their command.

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

23 posted on 12/23/2013 6:18:14 PM PST by ConorMacNessa (HM/2 USN, 3/5 Marines RVN 1969 - St. Mlichael the Archangel defend us in Battle!)
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To: Howie66

I miss ‘ol Nixon. Can you imagine what they would done to him if he’d done a tenth of what the current occupant has been doing?


24 posted on 12/23/2013 6:40:49 PM PST by Chainmail (A simple rule of life: if you can be blamed, you're responsible.)
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To: Chainmail

No joke.

Drawn and quartered?

Keel Hauled?

Tarred and feathered?

Or....they would have just hanged him for TREASON.

Then again, he was a White guy, Patriot and a Vet.


25 posted on 12/23/2013 7:57:07 PM PST by Howie66 (Molon Labe, Traitors!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I think the headline is wrong. It’s retired veterans who are getting screwed. The rest of us veterans are waiting for ours.


26 posted on 12/23/2013 8:11:18 PM PST by VerySadAmerican (".....Barrack, and the horse Mohammed rode in on.")
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

NOW we see why the government wants to disarm vets.


27 posted on 12/23/2013 9:06:30 PM PST by Blue Collar Christian (Vote Democrat. Once you're OK with killing babies the rest is easy. <BCC><)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet; Jet Jaguar; Jim Robinson; xzins
Thanks for posting this.

From the article:

Murray, for her part, promises a “fix” only to exempt disabled veterans.

That is not correct - Murray has backed off from even alleviating disabled veterans of the cuts to their retirement pensions. She and Ryan are now spewing rhetoric to cover their butts, by saying that "those service members retired for medical reasons."

2nd Division Vet, you and I both know that is a very small group of individuals, many of those medically retired before 20 years had non-combat related conditions (such as cancer, Lupus, or other ailments), the process is laborious, and it does not cover to retirees who have legitimate combat or service related injuries and who fought the Veterans Administration for years to get even a small percentage rating acknowledging their injuries. God bless our medically retired military - they earned that right to retire early, but the public should NOT be fooled. Ryan's bread crumb offering "fix" to our military is only a smoke screen

Ryan and Murray and hawking this proposal to quell the public outrage. It is deceptive, and it is further evidence of their complete malfeasance.

Even as I type this, they are scheming.

By excluding the proposed "fix" to only medically retired, Hagel can screw over the military to the full intent - and this was the purpose of this entire sneak attack. He intends to use this "victory" of making retiree pensions degraded through inflation to even further erode all benefits for retired and currently serving military: TRICARE, compensation, further retirement changes, housing, eliminating civil service retirement for veterans, eliminating concurrent receipt of VA payments to disabled retirees, elimination of military pay raises altogether, and increased taxes on the military troops and retirees (although they won't call it a tax).

This pension theft must be eliminated for all military. If there are reforms to be made, they need to be properly vetted in the public sphere, and if they are introduced in an honest manner (unlike this budget deal abortion), then veterans and military serving will at least know what to expect and plead for fairness and equability.

The fight has only just begun. The first thing we should do is pray. If God Almighty is before us, we cannot be defeated.

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

Romans 8:31

The second thing we should do is join a veterans or military advocacy organization.

The third thing we should do is contact our Senators and Representatives.

I guarantee you that they, and their staffers, are reading the news posts and the comments. I have. They are OVERWHELMINGLY filled with outrage from the American people. Still, that is not enough - as Washington DC holds the people in contempt. We must politically fight them. With God's help, we will win.

28 posted on 12/24/2013 4:55:18 AM PST by SkyPilot
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To: DJ Taylor
I contributed recently to the RNC and received a call from them this afternoon soliciting another contribution. I explained to the young man that I’m a military retiree, and because of Paul Ryan’s budget and what it does to military retirees, I’m making no more contributions to the Republican Party. I will only contribute money to and vote for Republicans who run against the current Republicans in the coming primaries.

Good for you.

Usually, those people working the phones must log in the reason for the person receiving the call said they would not donate. The RNC uses this as an informal "poll" of where they have gone wrong.

I pray your conversation was repeated 1,000 times by other real Americans.

29 posted on 12/24/2013 5:01:05 AM PST by SkyPilot
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To: cva66snipe
2 SAMUEL 19

Very poignant - thank you. Merry Christmas.

30 posted on 12/24/2013 5:03:02 AM PST by SkyPilot
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To: Lumper20
I have seen an entire neighborhood that used to be a most desirable suburb practically turned into an expansion of the inner city thanks to Section 8 plus EBT and so many hand outs. The Vets and the retirees appear to be the only ones targeted.

I had to move a few years ago - the town I lived in started to go rapidly downhill. Crime went ballistic. We discovered that a town several miles away had closed its housing project - and the Federal government gave them all Section 8 vouchers to move into three different apartment complexes in our town. It didn't take long. The schools became violent and unsafe for even little children. Illegal drugs and the drug trade became epidemic - even in parks adjacent to several homes. Two subdivisions that had basketball courts that the residents paid for became overrun with gangs.

Yet - these programs are not cut, but disabled military and military retirees are.

31 posted on 12/24/2013 5:07:47 AM PST by SkyPilot
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
To her credit, New Hampshire Republican(?) Sen. Jeanne Shaheen offered a bill to revoke the cuts and to pay the costs by “eliminating a tax loophole for offshore corporations.”

Not to the New York Daily News's credit, Sheenhan is a democRat...

And I can't believe it, but I support her bill! I REALLY hope some Republicans of the Conservative stripe join her!!!!

32 posted on 12/24/2013 5:27:05 AM PST by Alas Babylon!
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To: SkyPilot

Merry Christmas :>}


33 posted on 12/24/2013 7:11:46 AM PST by cva66snipe (Two Choices left for U.S. One Nation Under GOD or One Nation Under Judgment? Which one say ye?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I would write my RAT “representatives” and dress them down as they deserve, but they have no shame anyway, so I’ll save my energy...

What a damnable piece of legislation...rot in hell Ryan and the rest of you bastards who signed on to this.

Spit!


34 posted on 12/24/2013 7:21:25 AM PST by SZonian (Throwing our allegiances to political parties in the long run gave away our liberty.)
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To: cva66snipe

And you as well!


35 posted on 12/24/2013 7:41:15 AM PST by SkyPilot
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Jean Shaheen, the New Hampshire Abortion Queen and defender of RAT Voter Fraud is a RAT, not a Republican.

She is up for re-election this year and was a big lying proponent of Obamacare and is feeling the heat!

This act is an attempt to make up for six years of betraying America and the State of New Hampshire. It will not work!

36 posted on 12/24/2013 9:24:34 AM PST by Redleg Duke ("Madison, Wisconsin is 30 square miles surrounded by reality.", L. S. Dryfusbutcher)
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