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Keyword: veterans

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  • Sanctuary for wounded warriors gets slapped with $10,000 tax bill

    01/04/2014 5:51:34 AM PST · by KeyLargo · 29 replies
    Biz Pac Review ^ | Jan 3, 2014 | Joe Saunders
    Sanctuary for wounded warriors gets slapped with $10,000 tax bill January 3, 2014 by Joe Saunders A Virginia couple who put up $1 million and 37 acres of rural land to help brothers in arms are learning the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished. Ken and Julia Falke, who opened the Boulder Crest Retreat for Wounded Warriors in September, are on the receiving end of a $10,000 property tax bill from Loudoun County. bouldercrest0103Ken Falke told Fox News in a story broadcast Thursday that the couple — operating the site as a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization —...
  • Paul Ryan Defends Military Pension Cuts as Lawmakers Push Repeal(He keeps digging a deeper hole)

    01/02/2014 2:18:01 PM PST · by bestintxas · 63 replies
    breitbart ^ | 1/2/14 | a hawkins
    As various lawmakers push to repeal cuts to military pensions, Representative Paul Ryan (D-WI) continues to defend. the cuts. House leadership indicates no plans to take up any repeal. On December 27, Breitbart News reported that lawmakers from both parties had introduced legislation repealing Ryan's military pension cuts in part or in whole. But according to The Hill, there has been little progress toward reversing the cuts once Congress reconvenes in January. If the majority of leadership shares Ryan's position, the push to reverse is moot because Ryan has made clear he sees "no choice between responsible reforms of military...
  • Ryan O'Connell and Neil Berman: Military pension politics

    01/02/2014 12:06:48 PM PST · by SkyPilot · 5 replies
    Monterey Herald ^ | 2 Jan 14 | Ryan O'Connell and Neil Berman
    The passage of a bipartisan budget surprised many after the Washington D.C. fiasco of 2013. But having both parties working together does not mean the interests of all are served. No one knows that better than the men and women in, and retired from, our military. They are the most recent victim of budget cuts. What the authors of the budget call pension "reform," is simply a cut in military pension benefits for those retired and those currently serving in our armed forces. The authors are quick to argue that the cut is small — a 1 percent reduction in...
  • ‘Disgusting’: NBC viewers not amused by actress Natasha Leggero’s mockery of Pearl Harbor vets

    01/01/2014 7:14:47 AM PST · by LSUfan · 40 replies
    Twitchy ^ | 31 Dec 13 | Michelle Malkin
    As Twitchy readers will recall, the makers of SpaghettiOs apologized last month for a crass Pearl Harbor day promotional tweet. Actress and “comedian” Natasha Leggero, a co-host of NBC’s New Year’s Eve special along with TV/radio personality Carson Daly, apparently decided to double-down on stupid with a New Year’s Eve swipe at America’s greatest generation. Because nothing says festive like mocking WWII heroes who survived the Pearl Harbor raid.
  • Keeping Wounded Vets Safe From Christmas Cards

    12/31/2013 9:06:36 AM PST · by NKP_Vet · 31 replies
    http://the-american-catholic.com ^ | December 30, 2013 | Donald R. McClarey
    From FNC (where there is also video): Boys and girls at Grace Academy in Prosper, Tex., spent most of last Friday making homemade Christmas cards for bedridden veterans at the VA hospital in Dallas. Fourth-grader Gracie Brown was especially proud of her card, hoping it would “make their day because their family might live far away, and they might not have somebody to celebrate Christmas with.” “I’d like them to know they’ve not been forgotten and somebody wanted to say thank you,” Gracie told Gracie’s card read, “Merry Christmas. Thank you for your service.” It also included an American flag....
  • Seal Commander Says Special Operations Assault On Obama Has Begun!

    12/30/2013 8:00:01 PM PST · by huldah1776 · 43 replies
    Conservative Infidel (Blog) ^ | December 29, 2013 | William Wallace Posted by Benjamin Franklin
    By William Wallace Posted by Benjamin Franklin Liberty Digest Last week saw US Military Special Forces be raised to the forefront of the political picture. Retired Navy Seal Commander Ryan Zinke stepped up and says that the Special Operations Assault on President Obama has just begun. Last week it seemed like your typical week in the saga of President Obama accusing Republicans of unfairly criticizing him over the Benghazi situation and leaked classified information. Trouble is, it wasn’t the pesky Republicans he should have been blaming for the attack on his presidency. It is not an unfair assessment either, considering...
  • Congress Turns Its Back on the Military Again

    12/30/2013 6:56:44 PM PST · by SkyPilot · 16 replies
    Roll Call ^ | 30 Dec 13 | Ted Daywalt and Bill Manofsky
    In late December, a two-year budget deal passed the Senate by a bipartisan 64-36 vote. It includes a provision that cuts a full 1 percent from future annual cost-of-living-adjustments to the retirement packages of all veterans under the age of 62. This COLA reduction in the budget deal applies to active duty service members who have yet to retire and to those who have been disability retired from the military as a result of their wounds defending our nation in Iraq and Afghanistan. The fact that this provision was included speaks volumes to veterans who put their lives on the...
  • Dog Center Europe treats soldiers — the canine kind — injured in war

    12/28/2013 11:47:08 AM PST · by Innovative · 2 replies
    Stars and Stripes ^ | Dec 26, 2013 | Matt Millham
    Any servicemember who falls seriously ill or is badly injured in Afghanistan is evacuated to Landstuhl. Any servicemember, that is, except for military working dogs. What Landstuhl is for humans, Dog Center Europe is to dogs. It’s the first stop for all working dogs evacuated from the war, and like Landstuhl, the center has a local base of patients it cares for, some of them working dogs, more of them pets. There are hundreds of military dogs at work in Afghanistan. Some, like Tomi, are Tactical Explosives Detection Dogs, tasked with finding hidden bombs and triggers. Some accompany Special Forces...
  • Fed-Up Veteran Tells Paul Ryan What He Thinks of ‘Bipartisan’ Budget Deal

    12/27/2013 9:39:41 PM PST · by LeoWindhorse · 47 replies
    The Blaze ^ | Dec. 26, 2013 | Jason Howerton
    Chuck Wooten, a military veteran, was already ticked off about Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) pushing through the “bipartisan” budget deal, which includes cuts to veterans’ retirement benefits. So when he got a fundraising email from Ryan’s office asking for money, he decided to really let the Wisconsin congressman know how he feels.The scathing open letter, posted on Facebook last week, is going viral — and you only have to read the first few sentences to know why.
  • Todd Starnes: American Legion outraged over VA Christmas censorship

    12/27/2013 8:15:41 PM PST · by lowbridge · 8 replies
    fox news ^ | december 27, 2013 | todd starnes
    The national commander of the American Legion is demanding answers from the Veterans Administration after hospitals in three states placed restrictions on Christian volunteers, including a group of schoolchildren who were told they could only perform Christmas carols from a government-approved list. "Every Christmas, every religious holiday, Christians are more and more often targeted for censorship and restriction at VA facilities," American Legion National Commander Daniel Dellinger said. "Veterans in these hospitals fought to protect such freedoms." In Iowa City, American Legion members were told they could not hand out presents to veterans if the wrapping paper said Merry Christmas....
  • Paul Ryan & the GOP Must Own the Cuts to Veterans Benefits

    12/26/2013 1:24:21 PM PST · by SkyPilot · 37 replies
    Red State ^ | 18 Dec 13 | Erick Erickson
    Republicans in the Senate want to restore veterans benefits to the Paul Ryan – Patty Murray Budget plan. Harry Reid is blocking the amendment so Republicans are blaming Harry Reid for cutting veterans benefits. That is intellectually dishonest of the GOP. Paul Ryan, a Republican, drafted the plan with Patty Murray, a Democrat. House Republicans overwhelming approved the plan before it even made it to Harry Reid for a vote. The Republicans could have restored the cuts themselves in the House. Instead, they voted for the plan with the cuts to veterans benefits and went home. Were Harry Reid...
  • Disposable: Paul Ryan's Budget Epitomizes How Washington Actually Sees Veterans

    12/25/2013 11:10:42 AM PST · by SkyPilot · 28 replies
    Business Insider ^ | 24 Dec 13 | Tony Carr, John Q. Public
    Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) wants to look tough on budget issues. In an editorial published in USA Today explaining his decision to lead the passage of a budget that reduced vested veteran pensions by an average of $84,000 to $120,000, Mr. Ryan founded his message on the urgent need to “do the right thing.” In doing so, he created a painful irony; Ryan’s budget seeks to save $6B over the next 10 years – equivalent to less than six-tenths of one percent of projected federal spending over that period — by extracting it from compensation already guaranteed to people...
  • Appeal to Help Veteran’s Dog Prompts Outpouring of Donations

    12/24/2013 3:28:47 PM PST · by Innovative · 10 replies
    ABC News ^ | Dec 24, 2013 | Danielle Genet
    A modest appeal to save an Iraq War veteran’s severely injured dog has prompted an outpouring of support from animal lovers around the world, garnering enough donations to help other pets in need as well. After being hit by a snow plow truck on Dec. 18, 3-year-old Australian Shepard Molly was brought to the vet in Manchester, N.H., with four broken legs. But Molly’s owner, an Iraq war veteran, didn’t have the money to properly care for Molly’s surgery and recovery. “This man came to us with no money, no plan and no expectation,” the post reads. “I want to...
  • Veterans Rip Paul Ryan over Budget's Military Pension Cuts (see the Facebook comments)

    12/24/2013 10:52:47 AM PST · by SkyPilot · 35 replies
    Breitbart and Facebook ^ | 21 Dec 13 | Mary Chastain
    Veterans and conservatives are expressing outrage toward House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI). The cuts to retired service members’ pensions embedded in the budget deal cut by him and Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) elicited an overwhelming surge of social media responses. Members of the retired armed services community and conservatives across America are swarming Ryan’s social media accounts to express their disgust. Thousands are stepping up to rip Ryan over the deal. For example, one disabled veteran, Nicole Vaccaro Julian, wrote Ryan that his actions have cost him her support. “This disabled vet will...
  • Students, parents upset that Christmas cards won't go to local veterans due to policy

    12/24/2013 7:24:22 AM PST · by Zakeet · 21 replies
    Fox News ^ | December 23, 2013 | Calvert Collins
    They thought it was a kind holiday gesture, but dozens of Prosper students didn't get to deliver the Christmas cards they made for local veterans because of a VA policy against specific religious cards and phrasing. The cards are still in North Texas, and the writers are disappointed their thank you's won't be seen by the people they were intended for. "I'm hoping that it might make their day because their family might live far away, and they might not have somebody to celebrate Christmas with and I'd like them to know they've not been forgotten and somebody wanted to...
  • Veterans betrayed: Shortchanging those who fought for us

    12/23/2013 4:34:08 PM PST · by 2ndDivisionVet · 35 replies
    The New York Daily News ^ | December 23, 2013 | The Editors
    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....
  • Murray - Ryan budget deal H. J. RES. 59 harms veterans and active military (by Lt Col Allen West)

    12/23/2013 12:47:25 PM PST · by SkyPilot · 22 replies
    Letter to Washtimes ^ | 23 Dec 13 | Lt Col (ret) and former Rep Allen West
    America’s veterans, those of us who were willing to give that last full measure of devotion, have been betrayed by the United States Congress, the Senate and the president. They have left us behind. Members of Congress and the president are home with their loved ones after telling current military retirees, medically retired service-members, and future retirees that they must sacrifice their benefits as part of a lousy budget deal. Today I received an email from my dear friend Dr. Dale Comstock, retired U.S. Army Paratrooper, Ranger and Special Forces soldier who served in combat operations from Grenada to...
  • Veterans groups vow to fight cuts in military pensions

    12/23/2013 7:13:42 AM PST · by SkyPilot · 20 replies
    Fox News ^ | 23 Dec 13 | Fox news
    The Pentagon's top civilian says it's time to tame burgeoning military personnel costs, but he's facing a test of wills with the nation's powerful veterans groups, which want no cut in their benefits. Veterans groups are fighting curbs in annual pension increases for military retirees under age 62 that are part of the new budget deal passed by Congress last week and awaiting President Barack Obama's signature. After a barrage of protests from the military community, lawmakers said they'll review the cut next year and possibly reverse it. But Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday that reform of military...
  • Fixing the Ryan-Murray Budget Deal (by Rep John Culberson R-TX)

    12/22/2013 6:21:52 PM PST · by SkyPilot · 41 replies
    Texas GOP Vote ^ | 22 Dec 13 | Rep John Culberson
    Last week the House passed the Ryan-Murray budget deal that inadvertently changed the benefits for service members who retired due to a disability or a service-related injury. This is not acceptable and was not the intention of either Chairman Ryan or Chairwoman Murray. I do not support changing the retirement benefits for disabled veterans, and today, I introduced a bill with House Veterans Affairs Chairman Jeff Miller (FL-01) that will ensure this COLA reduction does not impact service members who retired because of disability or a service-related injury. The bill I introduced will exempt: - All veterans who medically...
  • First shots fired on military compensation

    12/22/2013 8:13:46 AM PST · by SkyPilot · 42 replies
    The Hill ^ | 22 Dec 13 | Jeremy Herb
    The battle over military retirement benefits in the budget deal was the first skirmish in a larger compensation war, and next year's outcome could determine the fate of long-protected military compensation programs. Budget experts and veterans groups say the retirement benefits fight will serve as a test case to see what appetite there is on Capitol Hill to actually cut military compensation costs — and how much blowback will come from those efforts. “There’s no doubt that this is a little bit of a weather vane, a litmus test as to what the veterans and military communities’ tolerance is going...