How is it ethical for politicians to get a pay raise when the VA is in such dire straights?

Veterans deserve the best and should come first , before welfare, and yes even before the economy. A purple heart should earn you care for the rest of your life!!!including income even if you can earn it yourself.





http://www.youtube.com/johnmccain

How is it ethical for politicians to get a pay raise when the VA is in such dire straights?
The cost of living increase for disabled veterans (COLA) for 2008 was only 2.2% (depending on disability rating %26amp; no. of dependants) the highest increase could adv. $79 dollars a month, while congress made their’s 2.5% which is $4,100 a year, about $433 dollars a month. They will now receive salaries of $169,300 for 2008 and will continue to collect this same salary for the rest of their life even in retirement and will continue to receive the best medical care and medications available. Congress knows all veterans are given the cheapest generic drugs available, even when a more expensive medication is proven to be more effective and beneficial. Veterans are paying eight dollar co-pay at the VA while Wal-Mart is charging four dollars for the same amount of these generic medications. Congress has no ethic’s when their moral principals allows them to vote for themselves’ first!





And last month they did this:


**# Our democrat congress took the needed additional $3.7 billion in funding away from the VA’s 2008 proposed budget, and replaced it with their own personal PORK. It now sits alone and requires a separate signature from President Bush as $3.7 billion in “emergency funding” for Veterans Affairs. It seems congress even forgot to declare the “emergency” or request emergency funding.





And thank you President Bush for letting us know that you will be signing this emergency funding when you return on the 16th.








Now for the worst part, which proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that this congress has no ethics?


The fiscal year for 2008 runs from September 31st 2007 to September 30th 2008. September 31st 2008 starts the new fiscal year for 2009.


The VA budget should have been passed for the start of this fiscal year which started September 31s 2007. We are now a few days away from the end of first quarter of this fiscal year—4 months on January 31st, (sept 31st 2007 to jan 31st 2008) a quarter of the year with no funding. When the budget is passed we will have lost the funding which should have been spent during these four month’s. The VA has lost the funds for the first quarter of the year, which they (congress) knew was desperately needed to help us Veterans. The VA budget which was only 1.15% of the total federal budget spent in the fiscal year of 2007 (sept. 31st 2006 to sept. 30th 2007) was appox. 80.6 billion. 80.6 billion is 1.15 percent of the total 2.77 trillion dollars budget spent in fiscal year 2007.


I am trying to point out that almost one quarter of the 87 billion budget for 2008 is already lost these last four months, so this extra 3.7 billion that congress originally gave us as additional funding and then took it away (for themselves)**# and made it emergency funding is STILL LEAVING THE VA VERY SHORT OF FUNDING. And congress knew just what they where doing!





I'm so sorry I couldn't make this shorter, if I lost anyone here, just e-mail me.
Reply:I agree with you 100% Our elected leaders are all scumbags who should be tar and feathered then flogged for giving themselves a pay raise while our Vets are not getting the well deserved care at VA Hospitals such as Walter Reed they so honorably earned.
Reply:I agree. I saw that Congress, indulgently, voted themselves another pay raise. Isn't it interesting that they are so non-partisan when it involves their own interests.
Reply:It is not!





Brief Overview of Congressman Paul’s Record:





He has never voted to raise taxes.


He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.


He has never voted to raise congressional pay.


He has never taken a government-paid junket.





He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.


He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.
Reply:McCain is not my candidate, but I respect the hell he went through as POW. But let's not this blind us. The experience of war is not a big plus in a resume. It's patriotic, no doubt, but military personnel go through extreme trauma if they see combat. It screws up your head in a real bad way. Therefore, I don't understand why the promotion of war, instead of the promotion of Peace is preferred?





And since you brought up the issue of the Purple Heart... I feel I owe it to one of the best friends I've had, a proud holder of a Purple Heart, who said to me when I asked him what he had done. "What did I do? I survived." His name was Homer Click and he died of Agent Orange in 2000.





I do agree with you. Start at the local level voting out everyone in office. They haven't done their job. Election time vote everybody out of office.
Reply:If the VA is in such dire straits, ask the senate Armed Forces commite what they've been doing. Jerking off??


One has been shedding teams while telling us how much she cares.


Pardon me, I feel acompelling desire to puke!~

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