Did you know that Senator John McClain was a POW during the Vietnam war?? It seems to come up with regularity in his speeches.
Senator McCain is also quick to tell you that the surge of troops to Iraq last year was a success and that he was all for it and Senator Obama was against it.
But this is nothing new. It seems that Senator McCain voted against increases in various veteran's programs in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and of course 2008. He voted against many of these bills because they would have been funded by rolling back the capital gains tax cuts or cutting back on tax breaks for the wealthy.
I also found that the Veterans Administration is in a shambles. It takes 6 months for them to even act on a vet's 26 page application for disability benefits. The vet's aren't allowed to obtain the assistance from a lawyer when completing the application. The vet's must show proof that their injury was the result of combat. Vet's have shown up with combat ribbons, purple hearts, medical evaluations from Iraq, only to be told they need to try to obtain witness statements. In 2007 32,000 vets appealed the refusal of their benefits. Some appeals take up to 3 1/2 years. In short, it's believed that there are 150,000 homeless vets on the streets today and 1,000 vets attempt suicide each month.
So it would seem to me that Senator McCain has no qualms about putting our troops out there on the front lines, but won't lift a finger to help them when they get home. He and Bush will spend millions of dollars a month for the war effort, but pinch their pennies when it comes to the soldiers at home. It's time for a change.
So, why don't I hear anything on his campaign or in his speeches about veterans issues?? Wouldn't you think that a former POW would be out front of the pack when it came to wanting the best for his troops?
So I did a little digging on the Internet and it turns out that many of the major veterans groups such as "Veterans United for Truth", "Veterans for Common Sense", Iraq Veterans Against the War", Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America" and "Swords to Ploughshares" don't care much for him. It turns out his voting record for veteran's issues is poor to say the least.
The most recent example of Senator McCain's disdain for veterans is his lack of support for the recent G.I. Bill measure. Not only did he not support an increase in the education benefits for veterans, but he didn't even bother to show up when the vote was taken. When asked about the measure, Senator McCain said that the measure would offer the same benefits to a vet with only one enlistment as those with multiple enlistments. He favored top education benefits to those veterans who earned them with multiple enlistments. He also said the measure would keep soldiers from re-enlisting and causing a drop in the nation's military strength. He also made no distinction about these benefits if the veteran was disabled from his/her injuries in the war.
But this is nothing new. It seems that Senator McCain voted against increases in various veteran's programs in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and of course 2008. He voted against many of these bills because they would have been funded by rolling back the capital gains tax cuts or cutting back on tax breaks for the wealthy.
I also found that the Veterans Administration is in a shambles. It takes 6 months for them to even act on a vet's 26 page application for disability benefits. The vet's aren't allowed to obtain the assistance from a lawyer when completing the application. The vet's must show proof that their injury was the result of combat. Vet's have shown up with combat ribbons, purple hearts, medical evaluations from Iraq, only to be told they need to try to obtain witness statements. In 2007 32,000 vets appealed the refusal of their benefits. Some appeals take up to 3 1/2 years. In short, it's believed that there are 150,000 homeless vets on the streets today and 1,000 vets attempt suicide each month.
So it would seem to me that Senator McCain has no qualms about putting our troops out there on the front lines, but won't lift a finger to help them when they get home. He and Bush will spend millions of dollars a month for the war effort, but pinch their pennies when it comes to the soldiers at home. It's time for a change.
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