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VA Senate Comm Hearing Thursday Draws Attention as Cuts in Veterans’ Benefits Feared
The Wall
- Hearing Thursday (September 23) United States Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Oversight Hearing: VA Disability Compensation: Presumptive Disability Decision-Making. VA Secretary Shinseki should publicly blast the sad sacks who sit on the United States Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs -
As the continuing lurid, anti-veteran drips emit from congress, it appears one U.S. senator after another issues statements of concern that veterans’ benefits cost money.
Early this Summer it was Sen. James Webb (D-VA) and Sen Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) of United States Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs fairly squawking for a delay in the implementation of the expanded Agent Orange-related presumptives illnesses rule.
Of course, the usual cabal of anti-veteran interests has kept up the pressure.
Former Sen. Alan Simpson, Republican co-chair of the President’s Deficit Commission, in early September said, “the irony (is) that the veterans who saved this country are now, in a way, not helping us to save the country in this fiscal mess.” Simpson once was chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and his anti-veteran commitments help guide us to this disgraceful situation where we are still arguing about helping victims of Agent Orange.
Yesterday, the ranking leading Republican on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) joined the anti-veteran chorus.
Mike Baker reports Burr blasting the Agent Orange-related presumptives illnesses rule: “We’d like to make sure that, one, the science has a causal link, and two, that the defined population is an appropriate one,” said Burr.
Webb and his anti-veteran cohorts appear upset that VA Sec Shinsekihas pushed on moving forward the Agent Orange presumtives rule without partnering with the sufficient Congressional stalling.
“On March 25, 2010, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced his intention to add B-cell Leukemia, Parkinson’s disease, and coronary artery disease to the list of presumptive conditions associated with exposure to Agent Orange,” wrote Sen Webb in July in reply to a veteran who wrote Webb blasting his stall tactics. “This decision was taken without full consultation with the Congress.”
Whether the hearing Thursday will be an exercise in political damage control or a continuation of the Vietnam veteran animus in Congress, one thing is certain: Never will Vietnam veterans ever trust this Congress again.
And VA Secretary Shinseki has gained some new supporters for his commitment on this issue. He should continue the fight Thursday and publicly blast the sad sacks who sit on the United States Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
Agent Orange is a political game for the likes of Webb, Burr and Simpson. Veterans who don’t play know better.
Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=50553
Posted by Yanira Farray on Sep 21 2010, With 0 Reads, Filed under Benefits, Corruption, Politics, Vet News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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My Senator here in North Carolina…..Richard Burr. Sold lawn mowers before his political career. Never served a day in the military ever. What gall to sneer at Vietnam Vets with Agent Orange ills.
Whats the Military going to do for a all volunteer forces, if the Senate cuts benefits and other compensations. There won’t be any re-enlistments. They will have to make military service mandatory for everyone between the ages of 18 and 35, male and female alike. No deferments of any kind will be accepted period. Just think the druggies will become range targets again, like it was back in the sixties.
Today the Democrats were screaming the so called’Dream policy’was being turned down by the Republicans. This so called policy is where immigrants, un documented, could join the military. Apparently, this is where the Democrats are headed in regards to adding additional troops to the military.
This was an idea first proposed by GOP senators.
During Vietnam and since, the USA has taken immigrants into the military. We had a guy from Ireland in my unit in Nam. I feel that if they fight for our country, they earn the right to be citizens. Check your facts before spouting lies!!!
Now that the Armedforces of the United States is all volunteer, the Senators are mostly to old to have Son’s or Daughters to Serve. Knowing that even if they did not one would.
these anti-veteran, anti-claim, anti-agent orange, anti-ptsd people apparantly have never been exposed to agent orange or war and are in good health, otherwise they would be figthing FOR it instead of against it. Unless they are just envious for some reason for those who get compensation for claims. I would gladly trade my claim for having my good health back, but it isn’t possible. Why don’t you people just leave us old vets alone and let us all die off in peace with some dignity, instead of trying to take everything away from us, insulting us, degrading us, hassleing us, making us fight for everything, and stressing us out.
AMEN Brother!!!
at the time i;m having trouble both heart and suguar maybe the congress is trylng to help with my ptsd why do vets go off the deep END?
Webb is a Naval Academy graduate that served as a Marine in Vietnam with distinction. He was in Reagan’s cabinet as the secretary of the navy and was a republican until he needed to change parties to unseat George Gobber of Va. Make no mistake, Webb is a Republician masquerading as a Democrat. Burr lives in a state where tobacco is still king. There are 500,000 deaths a year related to tabacco use and 50,000 from second hand smoke, yet senator Burr wants tobacco unregulated. These scum would pimp their mothers for votes, they don’t worry about anything except their upcoming elections and they run year round and the least of their worries are over the hill veterans.
Since there are only about 700,000 Vietnam Veterans left of the 2.9 million that served incountry and we are dying at the rate of 400 a day, in five years there won’t be enough of us left to be a financial burden by drawing any compensation.
your answer proves you would have Vietnam Veterans loose because you are a republican. Try being an American. Agent Orange is still killing veterans.
If you recall, just after being elected, Obama suggested that disabled veterans pay the co pay for prescriptions. Being a Republican or Democrat has nothing to do with it,…when it comes to a vote many Democrats will also state it is too expensive.
That wasn’t a co-pay—-WHAT that was IF yu had private ins—Let them pay for it!!! If yu didn’t the VA would handle IT!!!!!
To bad Paul Harvey isn’t around to tell the rest of the STORY!!!!
What is this place we have come, too ? Where people like Burr, Simpson, and Webb determine the fate of so many veterans who sacraficed for this Nation of Our, that they have( they think), the power to rule on an issue that None of them are qualified to. The medical issues surrounding Agent Orange Exposure, are foreign to all of these people, whose ignorance, and position seem to have clouded their judgement of what is right for those of us who have gone to War for the freedoms that they cherish so much.
Shame,Shame, Shame, especially Senator Webb who was schooled in the War College, not to leave injured behind; President Jimmy Carter, stated on TV, that President Obama, is between a rock and a hard place trying to get bipartisan approval on any thing.
GOD HELP US ALL, SO MANY THINGS ARE SCREWED UP NOW, AND FOG ON THE HORIZON: WHAT HAS TO START HAPPENING TO MAKE RIGHT AGAIN WHAT WE ONCE HAD. GOD BLESS AMERICA, HOME OF THE FREE, LAND OF THE BRAVE. GRANT US THE STRENGTH, KNOWLEDGE, AND COURAGE TO CORRECT WHAT HAS GONE WRONG. EVERY VOTER HAS TO GIVE SERIOUS CONSIDERATION TO WHO THEY WILL BE VOTING FOR, AND USE THEIR INTELLIGENCE TO VOTE OUT THE POWER MONGERS, AND PUT SOMEONE IN THE CHAIR WHO CARES GENUINELY FOR THE PEOPLE WHO PUT THEM THERE.
If those ass holes in the Senate and Congress are so dam worried about the Budget, than why do they keep giving themselves raises??? And what about them giving up their big time medical coverages, and their retirements????
If they were as smart as they pretend to be they’d realize that starting these worthless wars are a no win for both sides.. It’s ok to get into wars but not ok to pay thr piper when it comes to paying the ones that actually did the fighting…
They’d rather send Billions of dollars to other countries witout batting an eye, but don’t expect them to side with the troops…And as for WEBB, for months now I have been waiting to hear from anyone that knew him when he was suppost to be in Viet Nam… That man is a maggit, and I will bet the farm he didn’t earn any of those medals he says he has, and from what I read on here in the past about him, he was a Navy puke, not a jarhead.. And I’d love to read his file because he is not a combat Veteran, he’s a desk jockey at best… He won’t know combat if it bit him in the ass, maybe he got mortered a few times but I even doubt that…
Just remember these assholes when it comes to voting, or not!!!!!
You are right, the latest info on COLA is ZERO, which means no raise for service connected disabled veterans, pensioned veterans or those on Social Security….isn’t that just peachy!
If these senators want help in building this country back up then let them give up their pay checks and benefits which would probably tally up more then what their paying veterans–the more they take away from vetrerans now –the harder it’s going to be to get others to join up for the branches of service–they see what’s happening to us now, they might consider not joining.
Only if vets speak up and educate the largely ignorant, poorly educated youngins as to the reality of volunteering to be fodder for the MIC meatgrinder. Otherwise most kids will simply think it’s all a real life extension of their favorite video game.
Not to worry, the outsourcing of US jobs to communist china and influx of illegal aliens competing for what few jobs remain, will create a big enuf pool of unemployed to volunteer to serve as cannon fodder.
Guys, check out your info before you submit it. Webb was not a “Navy puke” but a
“Jarhead infantry officer”. He defeated Harris Miller in the Virginia primary in
2006 and won the general election by defeating Republican incumbent George Allen,
not “George Gobber”. Webb will not be reelected in Virginia this next time
around, wait and see. He is a lot like John Kerry, the New England traitor.
As I have said before, Alan Simpson despises Veterans in general and always has.
He once publicly made the statement that “all veterans got their disabilities
from falling off bar stools. There isn’t a Wyoming politician that has ever liked
veterans. Simpson’s statement was printed the DAV Magazine long ago. The important
thing to ask is who put him on this commission? Very simple. Barack Obama.
I just read the article on the Senate hearings on VA compensation benefits, it will be a sad day for Veteran’s if these politicians get reelected. It is election time, and most of these politicians are up for reelection , Veteran know who you voting for, go to these town hall meetings and ask them, but do not take there word for it, do some research here are some places to look .
1- http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/g_three_sections_with_teasers/legislative_home.htm
2- http://www.legion.org/
3- http://www.vfw.org/
4- http://www.amvets.org
Veterans Unite fight for what you have earned.
All these SCUM BAG POLITICIANS need there ass kicked from here to China. Most politicans never served in americas military. never been to war. Senator Webb is a complete slime bum. he thinks about his ass hole and nobody else. Alan Sampson is a SENILE OLD PIECE OF SHIT. and Richard Burr is a IMBECILE. what more can you ask of worthless people in government.I SAY ITS TIME FOR ALL VETERANS TO ORGANIZE and fight these bastards. maybe a 45 round would be nice for all of them. remember these scum bag shitheads vote their pay raises each and every year. they also get from $275,000 to $325,000 Dollars a year in salary plus a very generous benefits every year.( NOBODY GETS A PACKAGE LIKE THESE SLIME BAG’S GET.) the country good old USA is in this condition not because of the people, but because of the bastard congress and senate. they caused this MESS. ( Over spending for two wortless wars. and FRAUD BY AMERICAS MILITARY CONTRACTORS. over charging on military equipment. worthless procured equipment in the military chain. foreign aid to bastard Israel the zionist government. over 75 Billion Dollars a year. and PORK BARREL SPENDING BY CONGRESS AND THE SENATE for each state by these scum bags for bridges and other projects that do nothing but wast money. all these idiots need to be rail roded out of washington put on ships and sink the ships in the middle of the Ocean. some thing has to be done to get all this CRAP out of our government. they will screw all american and yes our military till nothing is left of this country. a campain should be made by veterans to talk to all younger americans NOT TO JOIN THE MILITARY SERVICES. tell them all to stay away. because the government is nothing but a front. they want people to enlist and then shaft them. WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD DO IS TELL ALL POLITICANS TO GO FIGHT THEIR OWN DAM F——K ING WAR. see how fast they change their tune.
Senator Burr and Senator Webb neither are friends to Veterans!
Bottom line is everyone needs to vote OUT of office all incumbents and continue to do so each November until we finally get a Congress who listens to constituents, especially Veterans and votes their will not the will of the politician!
I guarantee two elections in a row and voting incumbents out will send as loud and clear a message as is possible!
Veterans might only make up 8-9% of the voting population, but 8-9% can sure make a win or loss!
I wake up every morning wondering if my cancer has flared up again, now I have to wake up every morning wondering if I have benefits or not. And who ever said, “tell these anti veterans who are in senate/congress to take a huge pay cut and they wouldn’t do it”. Aint that a fact. But they are the first ones who want to cut our benefits. Jerks.
Why is it that “they” (Congress) just don’t get it ? We, past and present, veteran’s who have served or are serving our country, are getting it from all sides. Congress can spend BIG BUCKS on pet projects, etc. and give all of the corporations involved big contracts. But when it comes to service-connected compensation for veteran’s they pooh-pooh us and think that we are NOT deserving
of any increase in healthcare or, above all, an increase in monthly service-connected disability compensation. I have been receiving said compensation since
1968, and the only increases I have seen are the paltry COLA ones. A year or two ago a commission did a study on SC-Disability monetary rates and “suggested” that
at LEAST a 25% increase was totally in line. What became of that ? NOTHING ! It was
back-burnered and there it still sits…….if not totally tossed in to the round file. Give us the resources we deserve in order to live a realtively decent quality
of life for the sacrifices WE made for our country !! Semper Fi
Their is no justice. ONLY JUSTICE IS FOR ALL THE SLIME BASTARD POLITICIANS TO DO WHAT THEY WANT. you say DEMOCRACY. what bull-crap. their never was a democracy. this is worst then COMMUNISM. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WE HERE IN AMERICA LIVE UNDR A DICTATORSHIP.
Charlie, Veterans Today had a whole article on Mr, Webb a month or so ago and if yiou can find it and read it you will see that there is NOTHING in it about him being a Marine… He was A NAVY PUKE, and didn’t see shit as far as action either… He sucked his way to getting a Navy Cross and all the other medals, so you need to read his bio, sir…
Hey, Guys and Gals,
It’s one thing to sit at our computers and blow off steam, but why don’t we start really doing something about it? We have three options. ONe, of course, is to personally vote to take these political assholes out of office, but we can do a lot more. We need to campaign to anyone and everyone including the asshole senators. We need to put up a huge shout and stink about what’s going on to everyone we can. We need to write letters to our editors,letters and phone calls to our congressmen,and get printed information on the facts and distribute it,We need to put op a united front and wage our own kind of war–the war of educating the putlic to what’s going on. And third, if necessary,we need to stage a march on Washington, or many marches to our state capitols to get as much publicity for our cause as we can. What we really need is organization. We need an information sharing website and people who can call ALL veterans to action.Does anyone know if any such website exists? Can Veterans Today serve as the forum for a council of our publicity war? Lets get some information sharing here. Some of you guys seem to have your facts straight about what’s going on with the Senate and with the individuals involved. Let’s get this team together and DO SOMETHING! signed Dennis Bourret, ex U.S. Army staff sergeant, Viet Nam vet, and Agent Orange victim. E-mail dbourret@cox.net
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Agent Orange Legacy , Debbie Burak, VA OIT OED, cw, Chaz and others. Chaz said: VA Senate Comm Hearing Draws Attention as Cuts in Veterans' Benefits Feared: By Michael Leon As the continui… http://tinyurl.com/26tfp6b [...]
The legitimacy of the Agent Orange presumption is in question in that if a person served in the waters close to Vietnam, they were able to get a Vietnam Service Medal without ever having to set foot on Vietnam soil. So unless the winds carried Agent Orange to Navy ships in open water, those who received the VSM in that capacity would never have been exposed. Others who did not serve in combat units and only served in the rear also are presumed to have been exposed. With that logic, every Vietnamese citizen should also have been exposed and their government should request that the US pay for their claims as well.