This has me so god damned mad I can’t even write a restrained and reasonable post.
I am sure all the people furious about Obama’s remarks will be spear-heading a movement for restoring funding to the VA and expanded services. Although probably not- that doesn’t fit on a bumper sticker.
Zifnab
FreedomTax cuts aren’t free.dreggas
I read about the guy in Minn. the other day and damn near put a large object through my monitor. I was talking with one of our security people this morning about the cuts to the VA (he was in the Army as I was) and about all the “support the troops” bullshit. We both agreed that despite Shithead (bush’s) rhetoric in 2000 the military was in damn good shape when Clinton left office and the VA was as well.
Now the military is truly at the breaking point and the VA is a shambles thanks to the influx of new patients and cases that are the result of Operation Avenge My Daddy.
As I said earlier, it pisses me off to no end to see people use these troops as a shield when we expose them for the assholes they are, however it pisses me off even more that they profess devotion to the troops with an overly pious fervor but in the end it’s still just words and the Troops are nothing more than a political tool.
The Other Steve
Ok, so Bush’s budget for Iraq shows a substantial decline in 2008… and his budget for the VA shows a decline in 2009.
I think this means Bush is planning to withdraw troops from Iraq in 2008.
Punchy
isnt he proposing something like 145 BILL for 2008 ops in both Affy and Iraq?
Perhaps that’s a cut…but DAMN, that’s still a LOT of scratch that could pay for a TON of VA assistance. But hey…he doesn’t want them to go bored, hence he puts them back in Iraq. And to ensure they don’t screw up (read: get hurt), he’s cut a portion of their healthcare.
Bush supports the troops. Fox News says so.
Mike
What did you expect John? For Bush to treat soldiers with the respect and honor they deserve? He knows he was never able to live up their standards or be fit to polish their boots, and for that, he will piss on them until the day he dies.
Makes you proud to be a republican, right? Now, will you finally come to grips with the fact that Bush LIED ABOUT THIS TOO, and admit that he lied and that you believed it?
It is not so difficult, and I promise that it will be good for you to admit the painful obvious truth of the matter. It will relieve you of a stinking burden that you no longer have to carry. BUSH. LIED. TO. ME. Go ahead. Say it out loud. Relish it. Use the word LIE in its full glory.
Bubblegum Tate
A-fucking-men.
Zifnab
I’ve heard this meme before. Clinton cut the defense budget and people cried foul over all the money that should have been going to the “troops”. Meanwhile, contractors were still picking up billion dollar contracts for weapons systems that don’t work and weapons we would never (in a sane administration) have a reason to use. A billion on new stealth bombers. But no money for bullet-proof vests. Hmmm…
Somehow that was Clinton’s fault.
Tsulagi
I’m too pissed to write too, so I’ll just add a nod to what I blockquoted.
ThymeZone
We can’t ever repay these veterans, but we can pony up generous funding and try like hell.
I really can’t understand why anybody would want to reduce funding for veterans benefits. It’s nuts.
Pb
Boy that’s depressing. I’ll counter with a horrific yet hopeful story–and as the diarist says, “before you click on it, be warned that it’s one of the most tragic photographs I’ve ever seen”.
Zifnab
Bush is in political freefall mode. He can’t get hated anymore, so he’s free to offer up dumb-as-shit ideas to the general public to give his fellows cover to utter the phrase, “Well at least we tried, unlike the Democrats who have no new ideas.”
ThymeZone
Yes Pb, Jonathan posted that the other day. It’s a heart stopper. I couldn’t post to the thread the rest of that day.
It’s heartbreaking. Enough of this shit is enough, for God’s sake. This shot has to stop.
les
Don’t worry, it’s just part of the balanced budget con; see here at Carpetbagger Report.
Steve
Of course we should do whatever it takes to make sure our veterans get all the benefits and health care they deserve. It’s the least we can do.
But I note that veterans voted for Bush over Kerry by a 16-point margin. Democrats, God bless ’em, continue to push for veterans’ benefits because it’s the right thing to do. But where is the incentive for Republicans to do more for veterans, considering they’re easily carrying this constituency even as they propose cut after cut?
Mike
That is clearly more incentive for the Rethugs to blow these guys off. “Look, they voted for us after we screwed them. Let’s screw them some more.”
Zifnab
Indictments for some, decorative party hats for others!
Jake
John Cole made a funny.
I guess the soldiers will get purple heart bandages and a smack on the ass. Or to paraphrase Rumsfilled: “You come back from war to the VA you have.”
Uh. Yeah. Does anyone have a link to poll results for a more recent election? (cough2006cough)
Kimmitt
Why would Bush — or the rest of the chickenhawks — do anything for soldiers once they’re done with them? If they wanted decent health care, they wouldn’t be poor enough to serve.
Punchy
Fixed.
Ellison, Ellensburg, Ellers, and Lambchop
God forbid you clowns use a little perspective:
and from the article you linked:
So what President has done more for the VA than Bush has? [crickets] Now go back to your BDS whining about how Bush hates veterans and wants them to die on the streets.
Larv
As infuriating as this is, it’s pretty much par for the course. On the bright side, I don’t think there’s very much chance that the cuts will ever happen. This is just a way of gaming the budget. You predict cuts in sacred programs to get the numbers to work, then when it comes time to actually implement the cuts, reverse course and say you’re doing it for the troops. If anyone complains, accuse them of hating the troops and wanting veterans to suffer. Republican budget 101.
Nikki
Why do soldiers continue to believe that is the Republics who support them the most when VA benefits always seem to be dramatically slashed under a Republic administration? Is that what the troops consider “supporting the troops”?
Perry Como
You got that right Ellison, Ellensburg, Ellers, and Lambchop. Bush is keeping a steady supply of seriously wounded soldiers flowing into the VA. Mission accomplished.
Otto Man
It’s all about priorities, John. We’ve earmarked $20,000,000 dollars for a victory party for Operation Awesome Kickass!™ and therefore have to cut funding for frivolous, unimportant issues like taking care of the men and women who defend us and make sacrifices on our behalf.
Jesus, what do you expect Bush to do? Roll back the tax cuts for the rich?
Mike S
Maybe he’s unhappy that so many veterans ran and won as Democrats. He figures that they are ungratefull bastards and don’t deserve the support anymore.
Andrew
Shorter EEEL: It’s Truman’s fault!
Nikki
And that photo has made me cry.
BettyPageisaBlonde
Um, Ellison, Blowhard, Douchebag & Company… Might it occur to you that a great many of us would like to see spending INCREASED*? Cite your statistics until you’re blue in the face. More money for the people who’ve put it on the line for you, me and everyone else.
*All caps because I’m not convinced they can read anything other than, um, all caps.
Perry Como
How shrill.
Zifnab
If Tammey Duckworth hadn’t run for Congress, and just killed herself, she’d have save the Republicans millions in campaign contributions spent against her.
The cuts pay for themselves.
Zifnab
Don’t worry, we don’t really even need the troops now.
matt
One of the problems (and why this isn’t political suicide when it obviously should be) is that the right wing noise machine pretty much controls the media narrative. If they don’t care, the press doesn’t care, and so people don’t care (or know).
It’s why a botched joke can derail your presidential hopes, while actually screwing the troops hardly gets a notice.
I would urge everyone to sign up at and support the folks at
http://www.iava.org (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) a veterans advocacy group.
matt
By the way, seriously, at least join their mailing list. They’re doing some really good (and important) work.
JWeidner
How the hell does a dolphin or sea lion apprehend someone?
Ellison, Ellensburg, Ellers, and Lambchop
What the spending history shows a smart person is 1) that there may be problems at the VA, but getting funding under the BUsh Administration isn’t one of them. And 2) if you saw the stats from the WWII, Korea, and Vietnam era, you should see that the problem isn’t the war. The VA was funded much worse in much greater conflicts. And 3) the retarded “EvilBushHitler is an asshole for not supporting and respecting the troops!” hucksterism is shortbus rhetoric, but of course, I expect to see it from some of you BDS-stricken knuckledraggers.
Andrew
Well, assuming we’re talking about being underwater, how the hell does a dolphin or sea lion not apprehend someone?
I’m also assuming that they are armed with mini-torpedoes.
ThymeZone
Look, dude, this is Carnegie Hall here. We really don’t have time for second-rate amateurish spoof material.
Either step up the quality or go back to the minor leagues and get some more practice.
John Cole
And what this chowderhead, EEEL, refuses to acknowledge is that the mortality rate in combat is down SIGNIFICANTLY due to an increased capacity to keep what would formerly be KIA soldiers in past wars alive. Hell, I bet Bush spends more on veteran services than his apparent mentor (if you are a Powerline reader), Abraham Lincoln. A great thing, if you ask me, but what does that mean, exactly?
It means there are more wounded soldiers to contend with civilian side, with an even greater need for medical services for a long, long time. He needs to spend more. We need to spend more. And we still aren’t keeping up with demand.
Next talking point, EEEL.
Rome Again
We talking “Man-o-War” here or what?
Rome Again
Let’s not forget the amount of childbirth defects happening to those who were injured and then came home to father children. I knew a guy in college in Vegas who had this happen in the first gulf war. I understand it’s happening more and more now. Advanced chemical warfare and all (from our side, I hear).
Dave
Help me decipher the chowderheaded spoof: what the hell is a BDS?
tBone
Shorter Mac Buckets: Why are you goddamned traitorous terrarist-loving Defeatocrat retards so shrill?
Rome Again
Love it! PERFECT BPIAB.
::high five::
tBone
Damn it, I asked for sharks with frickin’ laser beams on their heads, not this chicken-of-the-sea-with-mini-torpedoes bullshit.
Are the dolphins and sea lions ill-tempered, at least?
Otto Man
Bush Derangement Syndrome.
It’s what conservatives call pointing out when the president makes a mistake. Its usage is usually a sign that the conservative in question has no real argument to make, no real facts to support his position, no reality to fall back upon and all they can do is insist that it’s just a personal grudge.
In their eyes, Dear Leader cannot make a mistake. Dear Leader is glorious and great and wise. Anyone who argues — insanely, of course — that Dear Leader might not be glorious and great and wise is DoublePlusUngood.
Perry Como
Bush Defender Syndrome. Its symptoms include:
– Blurred vision when budget numbers are released
– Momentary deafness when accountability is called for
– Reading impairment when Constitutional issues are brought up
– Bouts of verbal diarrhea including, but not limited to: moonbat, appeaser, dhimmicrat, cut and run, stay the course
– Apoplectic fits whenever the Decider is criticized for anything, ever
The only known cure at this time is a heaping dose of reality. Unfortunately 27% of the population of the US has shown high levels of resistance to the cure.
hth
hand
jake
Shorter E3L: I know how to search the internons to find stuff that supports what I think!
I think this method of supporting one’s contentions is lazy (to say the least), but it can be amusing. For example, the E3L method of research allows the average moon bat to prove that President Bush is an unpleasant person.
Andrew
Until 2002, the vast majority of VA expenses were for chronic health problems and end of life care for older vets. In many ways, it was basically a special medicare for vets.
Now there are 25,000+ seriously injured vets coming into the pipeline once they come out of Tricare. Their problems are significantly different from those of the existing patients.
You can’t reasonably extrapolate a cost increase proportional to the number of new patients because the type of care is radically different.
Now, to address the blatant misrepresentations in EEEL’s stupid fucking quoted text:
The 1947 funding includes the huge outlays for wartime only vets for education, unemployment benefits, and home buying assistance. Given the huge number of WW2 vets, it’s not surprising that this was a huge amount of money. In particular, the one year of unemployment insurance reached its peak claims in 1947.
Now, these benefits were not extended to peacetime veterans who served after the war, so of course, this spending dropped significantly after the WW2 vets claimed these benefits. So, 1947 was a peak year of funding for quite a long time. There was a bump in 1952 with the Korea reauthorization of the GI bill, but VA funding dropped to $5 billion, FAR below the 1947 peak for many years afterwards. Adjusted for inflation, up until Vietnam, most years of post-1947 VA funding were a fraction of the 1947 expenditures.
Now, onto Johnson, who apparently hated veterans so much that he extended GI bill benefits to ALL servicemembers, not just WW2 and Korea combatants. What an ass. Of course, the vast majority of Vietnam vets were not eligible for benefits by FY1969 — that didn’t occur until 1976 — but that does not matter to ass ponies like EEEL.
Now, looking at George W Bush’s oh so generous increases in funding: the 51% increase in VA funding for the first 5 years of his term barely covers the inflation in health care costs. Benefits were not made more generous because Bush loves vets. Now, add in the significant expenditures for the aforementioned acute medical cases, and we see that his “generous” funding increases is, at best, keeping pace.
The amount of VA funding relative to the size of the federal government MEANS ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOTHING. The only metric is whether vets are getting the care and funding they need.
In other words, go fuck yourself hard with an Ann Coulter hardcover in whatever orifice will bleed the most, EEEL.
Richard Bottoms
Sounds nice. But in reality the money will go to stealh carriers and planes, stuff that fattens the wallets of Republican donors.
Saying mean things about the troops is more of a problem than actually doing mean things to them. At least if you are a Republican.
Davebo
Ellison, Ellensburg, Ellers, and Lambchop
Got a link to support your claims? Because American Thinker sure as hell doesn’t support them.
Ted
“ass ponies”
Priceless!
Ted
I’m sorry, but the more than a few cases of PTSD afflicted vets who’ve killed themselves or someone else after being put on a waiting list for in-patient psych care is all the damning case you need for Bush’s VA support. And that’s leaving aside all the other cases dealing with physical health problems.
Perry Como
I’m sure Hugh Hewitt said something that supports Lambchop.
Rome Again
Yeah, what’s up with that, kinda screwy, huh?
Richard 23
When you offer too much health care and other services for free there will always be deadbeats that consume more than they need. I think it’s wise to cut excess funding to get down to the right level as opposed to the Democrat party that thinks the answer to everything is more money, tax and spend, and all that.
While Democrats like to enslave people by keeping them on the government teat, smart and compassionate Republicans know better. Since we believe in individual responsibility, the correct course of action is one that nudges people in the direction of pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps.
Democrats: a pony for every vet.
Republicans: individual responsibility for all.
Besides, it was Clinton who made deep cuts in the military. I think you can look to the nineties for the cause of most of today’s troubles.
ThymeZone
What the hell has happened to spoof?
It’s turned into farce.
The Other Andrew
I think we’re going to have a spoof Presidential candidate, in 2008. “We’re at war, we’re deep in debt…let’s cut taxes!”
Rome Again
“Liar”… excuse me, that’s not exactly correct… “Fucking Liar”!
Bob In Pacifica
I worked for the VA Hospital in San Francisco from 1974 to 1979. The hospital was flooded not only with vets from Vietnam but also WWII vets and some Korean vets who were reaching the age where they needed serious healthcare. I don’t even know if a vet without healthcare can be seen at the VA unless it’s for a service-connected condition. A lot of coverage was reduced during the Reagan-Bush years.
I find it reprehensible that people who send men off to war (since I’ve been paying attention off to wars that weren’t in our national interest) to be killed or wounded and then don’t take care of them when they get home. There hasn’t been a Republican administration in my lifetime that really gives a damn about our men and women in uniform.
Rome Again
That’s because they really DON’T care. It’s all a freaking show, image only, made to look like they give a damn when they don’t. It’s fake, it’s trickery, it’s meant to deceive, for the purpose of re-election, and saving a buck for the upper 2$. YIPPEEEE! Fuck yeah!
Rome Again
2$ = 2% sorry, fingered wrong.
RSA
You rock, Andrew.
grumpy realist
Dolphins? And sea lions?
Yeah, that’ll work REALLY well in the middle of Iraq….
Sounds like the entire U.S.A. military has jumped the shark.
Sojourner
Translation: I got mine. Screw everyone else.
DougJ
Lambchop, you seem like a bright sort. I’m going to give you a quiz. Finish the phrase “the right to work gets traded in for..”
And then this one “you don’t know that now nobody’s gonna tell you, you don’t know that now…”
DougJ
Huey Long: A chicken in every pot.
George Bush: A pony in every shit pile.
Rome Again
OMG, you’re right.
jake
Fixed.
demimondian
Serious. Samrt. Strong.
It’s just that you leftards are so far from the mainstream that you don’t see it. That’s how you are.
Sojourner
Check the polls, sweetheart.
tBone
The Decider doesn’t decide on decisions by looking at polls, moonbat. And those “polls” are from the liberal MSM. How “honest” of you to omit that point.
Rome Again
A lie, a big fat lie!
demimondian
After last November’s election, when the liberal MSM spent literally months swooning over Pelosi (and her daughter, the “film-maker”), while not investigating any instance of electoral fraud in Philadelphia. Oh, yeah, like their polls mean anything.
Zifnab
Get your facts straight. FOX is the most liberal news station on TV according to the New York Post. And the New York Post is manned by commie-terror-islamo-facists according the the Weekly Standard. And the Bill O’Reily says the Weekly Standard needs to come off the fence and be a real conservative.
Every media outlet I listen to says the MSM is too liberal. They can’t all by lying. Next thing is you’re going to tell me they’re all owned by the same guy.
Stoop liberals.
Rome Again
Hilarious Zifnab, absolutely hilarious.
Mike
Did you mispell “Samrt” intentionally? I almost lost my drink on my monitor.
Pb
Speaking of Bill O’ (and spoofery), did you hear about his book? No, I mean the one from 1998:
It’s just amazing how hilariously bad and embarrassing the whole thing is–I just don’t see how you could write a more damning parody of a book that Bill O’ would write. So it’s no wonder that Stephen Colbert has so much respect for him–Bill O’ is already his own perfect self-parody!
demimondian
Jeebus, Pb. That sounds truly…awful. I mean…really, really bad.
Serious. Samrt. Strong. (Gotta figure out how to add that word to my FF spelling dictionary so that I don’t the nasty red line underneath…)
demimondian
Jeebus, Pb. That sounds truly…awful. I mean…really, really bad.
Serious. Samrt. Strong. (Gotta figure out how to add that word to my FF spelling dictionary so that I don’t the nasty red line underneath…)
Ted
We have “deadbeat” veterans?? Huh. And here I thought their life-risking service warranted quality health care for life.
I guess the top 2% couldn’t be asked to part with that $1.4 trillion tax cut. After all, they’re essential to winning the biggest, most important war in the history of civilization.
BettyPageisaBlonde
Serious, Samrt, Strong & Lambchop (And Douchebag and Bloward) say the following:
Splellcheckers are for pussbags. BDS is a a a a thing. And I’ve got links! And stuff. And, um,,,, BDS means other things too! Like, um,,,, stupid comma, Big Dick Syndronme! Yeah, where it is too big! And stuff!
And,,, vetrans are happy people who have all the hot dogs they need! And,,, umm, painkillers! They KILL the pain!
We can also rpresent you at trail too!
Perry Como
When do we get a post about the historic agreement between the US and North Korea that returns us to where we were 6 years ago? Except now North Korea has nukes.
Strong. Smart.
Richard 23
Yeah, punish the successful. The liberal way: reverse natural selection.
I hope you make this your campaign slogan, kooks.
Whatever. She had black hair, weirdo.
Ted
Hey, if this war is so critical to our national survival (which of course it isn’t), the billionaires won’t mind if we preserve their royal way of life by repealing a few tax cuts.
Richard 23
then we ought to encourage the strongest of us to survive.
Weakest or unemployed, if you’re a neorad.
Sherard
Ridiculous. The entire federal budget could EASILY withstand an administrative hit of at LEAST 2%. Nothing like a little faux outrage.
John S.
Indeed. Nobody does faux outrage better than you, Sherard.
numbskull
Dick 23 says
Heh. I remember reading Atlas Shrugged in junior high, too. Hopefully you’ll figure out what a pile of crap it is by the time you graduate high school. In the meantime, ponder your own lack of logic: Why would “the strongest” need any encouragement to survive?
Otto Man
Actually, that was Herbert Hoover in the 1928 campaign. Which makes it even funnier.
Otto Man
Fixed.
demimondian
Herbert Hoover: A chicken in every pot.
George Bush: More pot for every chicken(hawk).
Zifnab
That’s ridiculous. I thought Republicans believed in Intelligent Design? Or at least… design. The first part the board is still out on.
Sojourner
No shit. He thinks G-d is guiding him. My point was that so-called lefty positions have now become mainstream. Remember November?
Please point me towards the “liberal” MSM, such as CNN (Glen Beck), ABC (Mark Halperin, Glen Beck), MSNBC (Carlson, Scarborough, Tweety), Fox News (enough said).
Only suckers still buy into righty claims of liberal bias.
tBone
You should hear excerpts from the audiobook version, read by the author. It’s unintentionally hilarious, and there’s a scene in there that shows that Loofah Bill definitely has a thing about showers.
tBone
I suppose you’d rather have a goat-sacrificing pagan for a leader, moonbat? Please, shout it from the rooftops so everyone can see just how extreme you really are.
Sojourner
Another insightful missive from the faith-based community.
demimondian
Ah, Soj. Welcome back.
I don’t know if you’re trolling the trolls or not, but, either way, welcome back.
ThymeZone
Yes, we call them the Thirty Percenters.
Ellison, Ellensburg, Ellers, and Lambchop
Gosh, I’m just a “chowderhead,” but even I know that mortality rates are almost entirely irrelevant to funding the VA. The gross number of wounded and the VA caseloads are far more significant.
During the war on terror, the VA caseload for medical services increased by 22%, from 4.1M in 2001 to 5.3M in 2005 (last stats available). Bush increased the VA budget for medical services during that time by 83%. “B-B-B-But Bush hates the soldiers and doesn’t respect them and doesn’t care about the wounded!” If you’re dumb enough to believe that, look at the 2008 budget — he’s got a funny way of showing it.
By the way, the VA reports that case backlog (like what happened in the unfortunate case you linked) is also down in the Bush years, despite the additional personnel coming through the system — backlog has been cut by 20% since 2001.
ChristieS
Richard 23, I’m breaking from my normal practice of staying clear of nasty attacks, but buddy…you’ve earned it with this quote.
Too much, healthcare…too much healthcare…TOO MUCH HEALTHCARE! You pustulant boil on the face of our country. THESE ARE VETS OF THE UNITED GODDAMNED STATES OF AMERICA!!!!!
Jessica
Apparently according to Republicans, the “right level” of healthcare is the level at which those who have the greatest amount of need just go die or live under a bridge, and stop wasting money that could go to perfectly good plasma TVs and McMansions and stock portfolios of companies whose products are all made in China.
Personal responsibility, you know.