September 10, 2014 - There aren't really any unifying issues in this year's midterm elections, except for one: the treatment of the nation's veterans.
snip It may seem like candidates for Congress are spending a lot of money to win over veterans, a relatively small segment of the electorate. But what they're really after are votes of undecided and independent voters, says Jon Soltz, chairman of VoteVets.org. He says it's because veterans affairs are a "mom and apple pie issue."
Vote Vets is a democratic group that's spending $5 million to unseat Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky. Soltz blames McConnell for blocking a $21 billion measure aimed at increasing VA funding. The group is running this ad featuring a Vietnam veteran, shown slowly walking with a cane:
snip Dan Caldwell, issues and legislative campaign manager for Concerned Veterans, says this spot and one the group is running in North Carolina targeting Democratic Senator Kay Hagen are aimed at holding Democrats accountable.
"Congressman Braley and Senator Kay Hagen have something in common. They both campaigned on being veterans advocates, they were going to help fix the VA. But once they got into office, the situation at the VA got worse and they didn't really devote enough attention to it," he says. read more & listen>>>
Ahhh yes the 'Concerned Veterans for America' {really??, concerned??}, reminds one of that small group, mostly non Vets, called 'swiftboaters'. This group funded by the conservative, Poser Patriots, Koch brothers who reaped more wealth from investments in these two recent wars and the no bid private contracts of as the costs were rubber stamped and off the books till executive administrations changed, still not paid for!!
Taking Hagan to task, who isn't privy to VA agency reports, over problems at the VA while the Senior Senator of NC, Burr, is privy to All the reports and has done little for but attack VA personal during the now many years he's held that seat, is the Minority head of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, when he's got time to actually attend the hearings. Hagan is on the Armed Services Committee not the Veterans Affairs Committee, having just another Senators voice and vote and not leadership and oversite in VA Affairs! She has stepped up for Veterans on numerous occasions though, like the want to privatize the Salisbury VA, long want of conservatives to privatize for corporate profits and ability to then raise budgets for more bottom line profits under that private care, while the Country were sending our Military into two more wars of choice. Or the Marine Base Camp Lejeune cancers and deaths from water contamination's on the base for years, to name but a few as well as positive votes on calls from the Executive branch for more VA budget funding. Country still hasn't Sacrificed, neither of these recent wars, and no bid private contracts for, have also not been paid for, let alone the long term results from, DeJa-Vu all over again, decades and wars of.
As we abandoned so quickly the missions and those sent to accomplish after 9/11 and invaded Iraq, with troops in harms way and that administration and rubber stamping conservative congresses were doing almost nothing for not only the Veterans but Military Personal and their families: Salisbury VA Medical Center Changes Still On the Table Despite Word of Delays:
December 15, 2008 - The VA announced yesterday that it would not implement any proposed changes to the Salisbury (Hefner) VA until 2013, leaving the facility as a fully operational medical center. While union officials applauded the work of Senator-elect Kay Hagan and Congressmen Mel Watt and Larry Kissell for fighting the proposed elimination of health care services at the hospital, they criticized the VA’s continued commitment to privatize the medical center.
That VA, W. G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center - Salisbury, NC, has a National Cemetery on it's grounds also. And instead of 'privatizing' the Facility has gone through many much needed upgrades as well as some expansions, same for the cemetery, during the Obama administration and the Shinseki Veterans Administration. As the clinic in Charlotte was upgraded and now a new expanded one is being built for the many Veterans' in this area and surrounding, including northern South Carolina, area's. Like many facilities around the Country, including new and upgraded National Cemeteries during the past six years. Hoping that continues but it needs the Country to finally step up and uphold it's side of the contracts to those some 1% that have Sacrificed for them!!
Neither of these recent wars have yet been paid for, let alone the results from! As well as under deficits most of the, grossly under funded, VA budget is still borrowed thus added, problem creating, costs that shouldn't exist!
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