BUSH IS EVIL
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BUSH IS EVIL
| Wed, 09-08-2004 - 10:51am |
After reading all these posts, its seems fruitless to even argue with eachother. Bush is just plain evil. That's it. He will be remembered in 100 years (if he doesn't destroy the world before then) as a terrible person, like Pinnochet, Stalin, etc. There is no arguing. He is causing misery and heartache to too many people to ignore this fact.
Bush just wants to start a holy war. And the fundamentalist Muslims want to keep him in power so the war can begin.

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So do I. I just don't believe that handing money over to the government to be funnelled through massive bureaucracies is the most efficient way to help anyone.
8/31/2004 12:37:00 PM
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=35451
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To: National Desk and Political Reporter
Contact: Chad Clanton or Phil Singer, 202-464-2800 both of Kerry-Edwards 2004, Web: http://www.johnkerry.com
WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by the Kerry-Edwards Campaign:
"George Bush is no friend to veterans. He has reduced services to veterans, closed VA hospitals and even threatened to veto bills that included TRICARE benefits for Reservists. The men and women who proudly wore the uniform deserve better that four more years of secret plans to cut the VA budget and no plan to take care of our men and women when they return to the U.S." -- Former Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Hershel Gober said.
-- Bush has Failed to Keep Promises to America's Vet
-- Cheney Voted Against Vets Funding Nearly Every Year in Congress
-- John Kerry: Renewing America's Promise to Its Veterans
2001: American Legion National Commander Ray G. Smith - Bush FY2002 VA Budget "Not Good Enough." After the release of Bush's FY2002 budget blueprint, the National Commander of the American Legion criticized Bush for not doing enough to solve the problems facing America's veterans. "The administration's Fiscal Year 2002 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs is not good enough... Frankly, this budget is insufficient to fulfill the campaign promises George W. Bush made Sept. 6 at The American Legion 82nd National Convention in Milwaukee." (American Legion Press Release, 2/28/01)
American Legion Criticized Bush's Latest Budget for Veterans Affairs. In a February 2, 2004 press release on the new Bush budget, the American Legion said it was "discouraged by its allocation to the Department of Veterans Affairs." The Legion noted that it would increase costs on veterans' health care. (American Legion Press Release, 2/2/04; legion.org)
Bush's Policies Angering Veterans Once Again. "It's just going to be the same thing all over again." VFW Commander-in-Chief Edward Banas called the funding package a "disgrace," a "sham," "inexcusable," and "deplorable." In a release entitled, "Another Year, Another Inadequate Budget Request for Veterans' Health Care," PVA called Bush's budget "grossly inadequate." The Disabled American Veterans said "the Bush Administration has broken faith with the nation's sick and disabled veterans" with its budget proposal. And AMVETS National Commander John Sisler said of Bush's proposal: "To say we are extremely disappointed with it is an understatement." (DAV Release, 2/4/04; AMVETS Release, 2/3/04; PVA Release, 2/3/04; CQ, 2/2/04; VFW Release, 2/2/04, emphasis added)
Nothing Complicated About Bush's Failure to Keep Campaign Promises to America's Veterans
We've got veterans all around America who are wondering what went wrong with the Veterans Administration. The lines are too long. The bureaucracy is too confusing. For eight years we've needed reform at the VA, but we "ain't seen nothing yet."- George W. Bush remarks at campaign rally, Dearborn, MI, 11/4/00
Bush Failed to Fully Fund Veterans Health Care: Bush's 2005 budget falls more than $2.6 billion short of the amount needed to fully fund quality veterans' health care, according to The Independent Budget, an annual collective assessment by four veterans' service organizations of the funding levels and policy changes needed at VA. (AMVETS Release, 2/3/04; VFW Release, 2/2/04)
Bush Administration Calls for Total Closure of Three Veterans Hospitals, Partial Closure of Eight Others. In May 2004, the Administration decided to push for the closure of hospitals in Brecksville, OH; Gulfport, MS; and, Highland Drive, PA. Eight VA hospitals will be partially closed. In most cases, inpatient care will move to larger hospitals, leaving behind an outpatient clinic or long-term-care beds. The Administration is planning partial closures in Knoxville, IA; Canandaigua, NY; Livermore, CA; Montrose, NY; Kerrville, TX; Saginaw, MI; Ft. Wayne, IN; and Butler, PA. In 2003, the Bush Administration proposed the closure of seven hospitals in its efforts to "restructure" the Department of Veterans Affairs. (USA Today, 5/7/04; Associated Press, 8/4/03, 10/28/03, 12/16/03)
Spending on Prescription Drugs Has More than Doubled Over Five Years. The amount spent on prescription drugs has more than doubled over the past five years, from $87 billion in 1998 to $184 billion in 2003. Americans are spending more on prescription drugs today than ever before. (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, National Health Expenditure Projections, February, 2004)
Bush Cut Waiting List By Eliminating Veterans. The Bush Administration boasts of cutting waitlists for VA health care, but they have done so by excluding nearly 500,000 veterans (Priority 7 and 8) from enrolling in VA health care. (Federal Register, Part 4 - Department of Veterans Affairs, CFR Part 17, 1/17/03)
Bush Tried to Impose New Costs on Middle-Income Vets. Bush's 2005 budget will institute a new annual $250 enrollment fee and an increase in prescription drug co-pays from $7 to $15 for middle- income veterans. In 2003, The Bush Administration publicly opposed Senate efforts to block increases in health care costs for veterans, including a new $250 annual enrollment fee for VA medical care, a proposed increase in pharmaceutical co-pays, and the Senate's addition of $1.3 billion in emergency funding for medical benefits. And in December 2001, Bush more than tripled the prescription co-payments for nonservice-connected veterans from $2 to $7. (CQ, 2/2/04; Statement of Administrative Policy, 11/12/03; The Times Leader, 10/9/03)
Bush Refused to Help Out Veterans with Rising Health Care Costs. The Bush Administration publicly opposed Senate efforts to block increases in health care costs for veterans, including a new $250 annual enrollment fee for VA medical care, a proposed increase in pharmaceutical co-pays, and the Senate's addition of $1.3 billion in emergency funding for medical benefits. The letter is dated Nov. 12, less than 24 hours after Bush laid a wreath in Arlington. (Statement of Administrative Policy, 11/12/03)
Bush Opposed Fixing The Disabled Veterans Tax. Secretary Donald Rumsfeld recommended that Bush veto the defense appropriations bill if it contained a fix to the concurrent receipt problem that penalizes military retirees who also receive disability assistance. The concurrent receipt ban stops a veteran who receives disability compensation from also receiving military retirement pay, effectively punishing disabled military retirees. Rumsfeld wrote that if the bill, "authorizes concurrent receipt of military retirement pay and veterans' disability compensation benefits, or expands TRICARE, then I would join other senior advisors to the President in recommending that he veto the bill." (Rumsfeld Letter to Rep. Duncan Hunter, 7/8/03)
Future Vets Cuts Planned: Recently a leaked OMB memo showed that the Bush Administration plans to cut veterans funding after the election. The secret memo showed that the VA should expect $900 million in cuts in FY2006.
WILL BUSH TALK ABOUT CHENEY'S RECORD OF VOTING AGAINST VETS?
As a member of Congress, Dick Cheney was consistently in the minority in voting to cut funding for the Veterans Administration (it is now called the Department of Veterans Affairs), which provides, among other benefits, pensions and health care for United States veterans. Cheney also voted against bills that included benefits and programs specifically designed to assist veterans.
1980: Cheney Was One of Only 67 Members to Vote Against Veterans Administration Funding. In 1980, Cheney was one of only 67 House members to vote against House passage of a bill that provided funding for the Veterans Administration. The bill provided an annual budget of $20.792 billion, with $6.044 billion accounting for medical care and prosthetic research. The bill passed 313 to 67. (H.R. 7631, 1980 CQ Almanac, p. 119-H, number 395)
1981: Cheney Was One of Only 54 Members to Vote Against Veterans Administration Funding. In 1981, Cheney was one of only 54 House members to vote against House passage of a bill that provided funding for the Veterans Administration. The bill provided an annual budget of $22.9 billion, with $6.96 billion accounting for medical care including funds to treat servicemen exposed to Agent Orange and other herbicides in Vietnam and prosthetic research. The bill passed 362 to 54. Cheney voted against the House conference report; passed 209 to 197. (H.R. 4034, 1981 CQ Almanac, p. 53-H, number 138; p. 67-H, number 191)
1982: Cheney Was One of Only 38 Members to Vote Against Veterans Administration Funding. In 1982, Cheney was one of only 38 House members to vote against House passage of a bill that provided funding for the Veterans Administration. The bill provided an annual budget of $24.1 billion, with compensation and pensions for disabled veterans accounting for $13.4 billion, $7.5 billion accounting for medical care and prosthetic research, $427 million for major construction, and $686 million for other expenses. The bill passed 343 to 38. (H.R. 6956, 1982 CQ Almanac, p. 95-H, number 314; p. 7-F, P.L. 97-272)
1983: Cheney Repeatedly Opposed Veterans Administration Funding. In 1983, Cheney voted against bringing a bill to the House floor and paired against House passage of a bill that provided funding for the Veterans Administration. The bill provided an annual budget of $24.8 billion, $8.07 billion for medical care and prosthetic research with $13.8 billion accounting for compensation and pensions, $350.9 million for major VA construction projects and $8.07 billion for medical care and prosthetic research. Bringing the bill to the floor passed 274 to 99. Cheney voted against the House conference report; passed 314 to 99. (H.R. 3133, 1983 CQ Almanac, p. 44-H, number 137; p. 65-H, number 215)
1984: Cheney Was One of Only 73 Members to Vote Against Veterans Administration Funding. In 1985, Cheney was one of only 73 House members to vote against House passage of a bill that provided funding for the Veterans Administration. The bill provided an annual budget of $26.5 billion. The bill passed 340 to 73. Cheney did not vote on the House conference report, but was paired against it. The House conference report passed 268 to 153. (H.R. 3038, 1985 CQ Almanac, p. 77-H, number 236; p. 115-H, number 368)
1986: Cheney Was One of Only 46 Members to Vote Against Veterans Administration Funding. In 1986, Cheney was one of only 46 House members to vote against House passage of a bill that provided funding for the Veterans Administration. The bill provided an annual budget of $26.115 billion, with $14.4 billion accounting for compensation and pensions, $9.5 billion for medical care and prosthetic research, $377 million for major construction projects and $77 million for minor projects. The bill passed 295 to 46. (H.R. 5313, 1986 CQ Almanac, p. 101-H, number 353)
1987: Cheney Was One of Only 68 Members to Vote Against Veterans Administration Funding. In 1987, Cheney was one of only 68 House members to vote against House passage of a bill that provided funding for the Veterans Administration. The bill provided an annual budget of $27.3 billion. The bill passed 295 to 68. (H.R. 2783, 1987 CQ Almanac, p. 101-H, number 328)
1988: Cheney Was One of Only 40 Members to Vote Against Veterans Administration Funding. In 1988, Cheney was one of only 40 House members to vote against House passage of a bill that provided funding for the Veterans Administration. The bill provided an annual budget of $28.177 billion. The bill passed 377 to 40. Cheney was one of only 30 House members to vote against the House conference report; passed 377 to 30. (H.R. 4800, 1988 CQ Almanac, p. 64-H, number 198; p. 86-H, number 268)
John Kerry: Renewing America's Promise to Its Veterans
"There is no greater sacrifice than putting your life on the line in the name of freedom and in defense of this nation. We need to keep faith with those who have served our country, and that includes ensuring the care and benefits they need and deserve. I have met thousands of veterans as I travel across this country who fought with pride and honor, but still don't have the quality health care they need. I will return to Washington to fight for them." -- John Kerry, 6/21/04
John Kerry Will Ensure Access to Health Care for All Veterans. John Kerry will end the game of playing politics with funding for veterans health care. As president, Kerry will push for mandatory funding for veterans health care so that America never pits veterans in one state against veterans in another again.
Kerry Will Streamline the Veterans' Health Care System. Too many veterans wait in line to receive health care from the Veterans' health care system. John Kerry will work to streamline this process so that veterans hear in a timely manner about their status and their benefits. And he'll use America's technological know-how to cut administrative costs by eliminating the billions of dollars lost through waste, fraud, and abuse in the health care system.
Kerry Will End the Disabled Veterans Tax. John Kerry will fight to end the "disabled veterans tax," under which military retirees who receive both veterans' pensions and disability compensation must surrender a dollar from their military retirement pay for every dollar they get for disability compensation. The Bush Administration has fought to keep this unfair tax in place.
John Kerry Will Ensure That All Military Reservists Have Health Care. Members of the National Guard and Reserve are fighting and dying alongside members of the active duty component. John Kerry believes that these brave Americans deserve access to the same level of healthcare as other soldiers on the battlefield. As part of his Military Family Bill of Rights, John Kerry supports legislation to provide access to TRICARE, the military's health care system, for all members of the National Guard and Reserves.
John Kerry Has a Plan to Address Rising Health Care Costs. John Kerry has a five-point plan to build a stronger America by controlling health care costs for all Americans, including providing families and businesses relief; cutting prescription drug costs; eliminating waste, fraud and abuse in the health care system; improving efficiency and quality of care; and making malpractice insurance more affordable.
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Don't Leave Veterans Behind
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/NewsArticle.cfm?ID=1921
Wesley K. Clark , Bangor Daily News (Maine)
http://www.bangornews.com/editorialnews/article.cfm?ID=430196
Don't Leave Veterans Behind
Anyone who fights in a war knows that there is one lesson you do not forget: never, ever leave a soldier behind. Knowing that our country values and defends every soldier is a source of great strength on the battlefield. It is the principle that binds our troops together in combat as they put their lives on the line to defend our nation.
As Americans, guided by this same principle, we have always strived to help and protect our veterans, many of whom still suffer from combat related injuries and sickness. Our commitment to these veterans is fundamental to our values as a people and as a nation. We protect those who have protected us.
Unfortunately, President Bush has not lived up to this principle. Through dramatic budgetary cuts, hospital closures, staff layoffs and service backlogs, our commander-in-chief is leaving our veterans behind. The demands on our Department of Veterans Affairs have never been greater. More than 18,000 soldiers who have returned from Iraq have sought care at VA health facilities. Most of these service men and women are members of the National Guard and Reserves. In too many cases help is hard to come by. As of the end of March the average wait for disability rulings was 171 days. The backlog of service, increase in demand, and rising national health care costs require a renewed commitment from our government and nation.
Under President Bush's leadership, VA health care services have been slashed, numerous VA hospitals have been shuttered, and the prescription drug co-pay for vets has been doubled. President Bush has opposed expanding health care for reservists, many of whom have carried a heavy load for our nation in Iraq and Afghanistan these past few years. The president has also proposed fees for veterans just to get in the hospital door once they come home. He has even dramatically reduced education funding for military families, seeming to forget our tradition of education aid to veterans going back to the GI Bill.
Recently President Bush addressed the VFW annual convention in Cincinnati, boasting of his administrations strong commitment to veterans. In his speech Bush claimed that "serving veterans is one of the highest priorities of my administration... We're getting the job done." But talk is cheap and the evidence to the contrary is hard to ignore.
The Bush budget for 2005 includes more than $380 million cuts in medical care for vets followed by an unimaginable $1.5 billion reduction in FY '06. Bush's 2005 VA budget is nearly $4 billion below the $33.6 billion recommended by leading veterans' organizations. Most remarkably, Bush undermined his own Cabinet official for Veteran Affairs, by budgeting $1.2 billion less than Secretary Anthony Principi's request for 2005.
The nickel-and-diming done by President Bush against our veterans will cost us dearly in the long run. These actions have real immediate consequences - they dramatically undermine the health and well being of the men and women who have served our country so bravely. But they will also make recruiting the hundreds of thousands of new soldiers, sailor, airmen, and marines we desperately need each year much more difficult.
As a decorated veteran with a Silver and Bronze Star awarded to him by military leadership, John Kerry knows that members of our armed forces embody the best of America's values: service, sacrifice, courage, compassion.
I know that John Kerry will fight to protect our veterans with the same passion and bravery he displayed in the swamps of Vietnam. I know he stands firm on his proposals for mandatory funding of veterans health care, improving the responsiveness of the VA, insuring proper compensation for soldiers and their families, fully supporting the members of the National Guard and Reserves, and protecting the families who have lost a loved one in the line of duty. John Kerry has proved time and again that he will serve our country and our veterans with dignity and bravery. We need his leadership, strong steadfast and sure.
In February, after reviewing President Bush's woefully inadequate budget for the VA, VFW Commander-in-Chief Edward S. Banas Sr. stated conclusively that "veterans are no longer a priority with this administration." As a veteran myself, with 34 years of service alongside hundreds of thousands of brave Americans, I sadly must agree.
We are a nation of values, and it is imperative that we start valuing our veterans. We need a war-hero in Washington to fight for our armed forces and the nation's veterans. That man is John Kerry.
General Wesley K. Clark (Retired) is the former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO.
I hope they
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