Rep. Slaughters Blog "GOP" went obstructionist on Vet healthcare!!

[frictionlessO]

This kept sinking too fast in GD, so I wanted to repost it here, where hopefully more of you will see it.

Im soooo very proud to have Louise Slaughter as my rep, (she fought for a Gannon inquiry and just about everything most of us would've wanted regarding Iraq) . This is from her blog today...

(oh and if you have a chance go sign her petition for auditing the billions lost in Iraq by the Bushies, http://www.votelouise.com/page/petition/truman )...



"GOP Abandons Injured/Disabled Vets
Tuesday June 28, 2005

I realize it is late but I wanted to get this out to the blogs and grassroots as soon as possible. As some of you may know I serve as the Ranking Democrat on the House Rules Committee… well tonight Republicans on the committee (Chairman Dreier & Reps. Hastings of Washington, Capito, Cole, Bishop and Gingrey) voted against taking care of a serious budget shortfall that the Bush Administration recently announced has opened up in our country’s veterans’ health care system.

<snip>

All major veterans’ groups, including the American Legion, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the Disabled American Veterans, condemned this billion-dollar shortfall and predicted it could seriously harm the quality and availability of veterans’ health care.
In response to this announcement, Texas Congressman Chet Edwards, the top Democratic Member on the House Subcommittee on Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs, offered an amendment to immediately address this shortfall, so no veteran would lose access to her or his needed health care. Invoking a special wartime budget wartime authority, Edwards proposed adding the money to H.R. 3057, the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill that we will be passing later this week.

Unfortunately, my Republican colleagues (Chairman Dreier & Reps. Hastings of Washington, Capito, Cole, Bishop, Gingrey) on the Rules Committee opposed giving Congressman Edwards the procedural waiver his amendment needed so that it could be debated and quickly passed. The Republicans I just mentioned voted along party lines to block the Edwards Amendment and effectively killed his attempt to immediately address the terrible budget shortfall the VA is facing.

I’m sure you’ll agree with me that standing up for our veterans is not a Democratic or a Republican issue. It’s about keeping the solemn promise we make to the men and women who go to war to defend our freedoms. We promise them we’ll take care of them if they come home injured in their minds or bodies. It is unconscionable to me that we would go back on this promise while our country is at war.
Don’t let this horrible event be swept under the rug. Grab your mouse & keyboard and get to work… spread the word and see if we can start another brushfire from the blogs.
-LMS"



....Now lets go punch the friggin' clock! I am so sick of their false patriotism, I am so sick of short shrifting the troops, I am so very sick of these well off, non health care needing, un-sacrificing, selfish, fat cat, blame pinners that my head some days explodes by the minute!

[Oversea Visitor]

1. give it a kick

guys and hey blast it

[frictionlessO]

15. Thanks OV!

[Supersedeas]

2. Swift Boats for Smearing can only get ya so far

[frictionlessO]

16. True that! Lies sink the best of ships... n/t

[AllyCat]

3. Signed and sent to friends.

Nice post!

[frictionlessO]

5. Thanks for sending! That is exactly what she is hoping we'll do.

Thanks again!

[Missy M]

4. I say Louise Slaughter for President.....

she would make a great one. She is my rep too.

[frictionlessO]

9. at least VP consideration, she certainly deserves it! n/t

[DisassemblingHisLies]

6. Done!

I also added that Halliburton & Kellogg Brown & Root should be held accountable for the $1.4 billion waste of the taxpayers' money.

Cushy contracts, free reign with taxpayers' money by the Defense Dept. with lots of overpricing, outdated food served to our troops, Indonesian & Turkish troops were given leftovers in garbage bags despite the fact that Halliburton was committed to serve them their respective ethnic foods.

[Pacifist Patriot]

7. Signed, Thank you!

And I am soooo jealous of those of you who have honest to goodness patriotic Americans representing your interests in Congress.

[frictionlessO]

8. Im sure Louise would say you're welcome!

Im going to try and meet here in the upcoming year or so. I didn't realize what a fighter she was until the Gannon thingy.

Too many people are still unaware of her voice and how senior she is. She takes on some battles that seem hopeless, and honestly I don't know what she can do to help Erie county out of its crisis yet she is still our very own Sen. Boxer as a Representative as far as I am concerned.

Thanks for signing!

[frictionlessO]

10. Oh and hey! Thanks for the Noms everyone! n/t

[Ron Mexico]

11. You live in Rochester?

Greece Athena grad here :)

[frictionlessO]

13. Nope by Buffalo... and western transplant at that.

I've been here for about nine years now though. I've lived all over the US and I love Western NY with all my heart. I think Rep. Slaughter does as well.

[emcguffie]

12. kick

They should fine Halliburton a billion and use that directly for the shortfall....

I know, it's silly. But that's where it went, isn't it?

[frictionlessO]

14. That makes as much sense as anything.

Of course the corp hogs will come in and start screaming about their "rights" being violated. 'Cause what's bad for you is usually good for the corporation.

[Coexist]

17. way to go!