NEW YORK -Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the nation's first and largest nonpartisan Iraq and Afghanistan veterans' group, demands that the few hold-out Democrats stop delaying the "Post-9/11 GI Bill." The new GI Bill has been included in the war supplemental funding bill, but a House vote on the measure was postponed last week due to an outcry from a small group of Democrats who oppose paying for veterans' educational benefits through supplemental funding. The vote should happen later this week.
"The GI Bill is a cost of war as much as any other expenditure in the supplemental," said Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "Any member of Congress who votes for a $170 billion dollar war bill and then votes against the GI Bill is nickel-and-diming our troops. Veterans of all generations will be outraged by that decision."
"The Post-9/11 GI Bill," originally introduced in the Senate by a bipartisan coalition of combat veterans including Senators Jim Webb (D-VA), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and John Warner (R-VA), has the endorsement of every major Veterans Service Organization, as well as the overwhelming bipartisan support of more than 330 Senators and Representatives. Yet last week, Representative John Tanner (D-TN), a member of the Blue Dog Democrats, made an insulting and flippant comment about the legislation. In an interview, Tanner remarked, "some of us oppose creating a new entitlement program in an emergency spending bill, whether it's butchers, bakers or candlestick makers."
"Comparing our troops to candlestick makers is insulting and counterproductive. Furthermore, the notion that the GI Bill is a new entitlement is ludicrous. It has existed for more than 60 years. The bill before Congress simply updates the program so it actually covers the current cost of college," said Rieckhoff. "IAVA and its tens of thousands of members nationwide demand that Representative Tanner and all lawmakers vote to fund a new GI Bill. For all of the members of the House of Representatives who say they support the troops, this is the time to put their money where their mouth is."
This week, IAVA is urging its national membership to call their local representatives and demand that they support a new GI Bill. Much more information is at www.GIBill2008.org
WASHINGTON - Increasing numbers of U.S. troops have left the military with damaged bodies and minds, an ever-larger pool of disabled veterans that will cost the nation billions for decades to come — even as the total population of America’s vets shrinks.
Despite the decline in total vets — as soldiers from World War II and Korea die — the government expects to be spending $59 billion a year to compensate injured warriors in 25 years, up from today’s $29 billion, according to internal documents obtained by The Associated Press. And the Veterans Affairs Department concedes the bill could be much higher.
Why?
Worse wounds. More disabilities. More vets aware of the benefits and quicker to file for them.
Also, ironically, advanced medical care. Troops come home with devastating injuries that might well have killed them in earlier wars.
Time is also a factor when it comes to disability compensation costs. Payments tend to go up as veterans age, and an increasing number of soldiers from the Vietnam War will be getting bigger payments as they get older and are less able to work around their disabilities.
‘A cost of war’
The number of disabled veterans has jumped by 25 percent since 2001 — to 2.9 million — and the cause really is no mystery.
“This is a cost of war,” says Steve Smithson, a deputy director at the American Legion. “We’re still producing veterans. We’ve been in a war in Iraq for five years now, and the war on terror since 9/11.”
VA and Census Bureau figures show the previous six-year period, before hostilities in Afghanistan and Iraq, saw a more modest increase of 4 percent in the number of disabled vets. Veterans can make claims for disability benefits long after their military service has ended.
Today’s veterans — disabled or not — number nearly 24 million. That population is projected by the VA to fall under 15 million by 2033, mostly because of dying World War II and Korean War vets. But costs are expected to rise.
Inflation accounts for a big chunk of the increase. But even when the VA factors out inflation, the compensation for disabled veterans would still grow from $29 billion to $33 billion in today’s dollars — a more than 10 percent increase. And the department acknowledges the estimate could rise by 30 percent.
VA officials were not eager to talk about reasons for the increases. They declined several requests for interviews. In a written response to a handful of questions, the agency noted a few factors at play in the rising costs, such as the aging veterans population, an increase in the number of disabilities claimed and the severity of injuries sustained.
A senior US officer has told the Telegraph that Iraqi troops had not been ready to assume responsibility for Basra when British forces withdrew late last year.
He also said that US commanders in Iraq believe the Shia south is ready to copy the developments that transformed the western province of Anbar from being the main hotbed of insurgency into one of Iraq's most peaceful regions. To foster this change, US troops are moving south for the first time since the 2003 war.
"There's going to be a whole new approach when we send troops down there," said the US officer.
Article continues
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"We won't take the self-delusional route of convincing ourselves that the Iraqis are ready to fight but then standing back while they fall apart.
"They're not ready and we have to be more proactive. There's too much at stake."
Britain has been in charge of four provinces in southern Iraq since Saddam Hussein's downfall. While the divisional command will continue to operate under British leadership at Basra airbase, the orders of the US units will be to "get out front" and resume patrols and combat missions.
US hopes of making the whole of Iraq secure before its eventual withdrawal have been raised by what commanders see as a potential southern version of the Sahwa, or tribal awakening, which turned locals against al-Qa'eda.
Troops have been shifted from Anbar province to the Tallil airbase, Nasiriya, to assume responsibility from 550 Australian troops pulling out of the country.
According to the US assessment, the Australians followed the mistakes of the British by pulling back to "overwatch" local forces but then neglecting the security challenges in the area.
The US officer said its allies had adopted a "University of Arizona" attitude - American slang for being rigid and unimaginative. "There's dirty work to be done and we've got to go forward to it," he said.
Quote by velveeta jones:
Ugh!
The continuing saga......... continues. Yesterday my fridge died. I come home last night to find my wife sitting in a dark house. Power throughout the neighborhood is out. *sigh* So here I sit in a coffee house.
Still............. I count my blessings. These are small inconveniences compared to what's going on in Burma and China and............
Quote by Raine:
:rofl: Shano-O !!! OMG!!! :spit:
Quote by Raine::hug:Quote by velveeta jones:
Ugh!
The continuing saga......... continues. Yesterday my fridge died. I come home last night to find my wife sitting in a dark house. Power throughout the neighborhood is out. *sigh* So here I sit in a coffee house.
Still............. I count my blessings. These are small inconveniences compared to what's going on in Burma and China and............
I hope the weather will be loverly today so you can soak up sun of the sun!
Quote by Raine:
Donnie... Donnie... Donnie...
Give ME some of that
Quote by livingonli:
I believe the Olympics are in Beijing.
Quote by BobR:
A bar in Marietta, GA (a suburb of Atlanta) is catching flak for selling this T-shirt:
YA THINK????
Assholes!
Quote by BobR:
A bar in Marietta, GA (a suburb of Atlanta) is catching flak for selling this T-shirt:
YA THINK????
Assholes!
EDIT: story here
Quote by livingonli:
Good morning Mala. The sun's out here today too, but it is windy.
Quote by Raine:
I am belly laughing here. LIEberman... the brokeback of John and Joe. :rofl:
Quote by livingonli:
Atlanta wind and ignorant barkeep killed the blog.
Quote by BobR:Quote by Raine:
I am belly laughing here. LIEberman... the brokeback of John and Joe. :rofl:
Why can't I quit you?...
Quote by BobR:
A bar in Marietta, GA (a suburb of Atlanta) is catching flak for selling this T-shirt:
YA THINK????
Assholes!
EDIT: story here
Quote by jd_in_ny:
um, this guy wasn't going to vote for a Dem anyway. Stop wasting my time.
Quote by Scoopster:
Here's something that might help...
The big red dot is the quake's epicenter, yellow dots show aftershocks and the apparent fault line.
Beijing is in the upper right corner of the map.
Quote by Raine:Quote by jd_in_ny:
um, this guy wasn't going to vote for a Dem anyway. Stop wasting my time.
You are probably right. I need to stop getting worked up about these nitwits.
Quote by Raine:Quote by Scoopster:
Here's something that might help...
The big red dot is the quake's epicenter, yellow dots show aftershocks and the apparent fault line.
Beijing is in the upper right corner of the map.
Thanks Scoop.
Good to know that China can make this all go away for the Olympics... <_<
Quote by Raine:
n/t
Quote by BobR:Quote by Raine:
n/t
1: Is that a lump in your cheek or are you just happy to see me?
2: T-minus 2 seconds to tongue.
3: sword fight!
Quote by Scoopster:Quote by BobR:Quote by Raine:
n/t
1: Is that a lump in your cheek or are you just happy to see me?
2: T-minus 2 seconds to tongue.
3: sword fight!
4) Hey I think I can see the Virgin Mary in the scar on your cheek!
:doh:
Quote by Raine:
n/t
Quote by BobR:
wow - photo caption fun really broke the blog...
Quote by Raine:
Here we go!!! (sorry it took so long...)
Quote by BobR:Quote by Raine:
Here we go!!! (sorry it took so long...)
:rofl: :bow:
Quote by Raine:
Here we go!!! (sorry it took so long...)
Quote by Raine:
Faye... Take it and pass it on, sista!
Quote by Random:
I feel a strange sense of forbooding...Like I'm Luca Brasi or sumtin.
Quote by BobR:
hey - a new face!
welcome to the blog!
Quote by Random:
I feel a strange sense of forbooding...Like I'm Luca Brasi or sumtin.
Quote by Shane-O:
Random is here! yay!
Quote by Random:Quote by Shane-O:
Random is here! yay!
Yes...Now i can be a Troll on this blog too. I feel so deversified (And i know...I can't spell)
Quote by Random:
I...Have no response to that *choked up* thanks Shane-O
Quote by Shane-O:Just don't tell Clay!Quote by Random:
I...Have no response to that *choked up* thanks Shane-O
Quote by Scoopster:
Ok guys.. getting back on track with our caption fun day, what can you make of this:
Quote by Random:Quote by Shane-O:Just don't tell Clay!Quote by Random:
I...Have no response to that *choked up* thanks Shane-O
Oh? Does Clay say I'm a troll? If he does, I'm honored.
Quote by IzzyBitz:
Jessica Hahn having a mental breakdown on Howard 100.
Quote by Shane-O:No, no! -- I don't usually read Clay (I tried so hard this am!) - I was saying, welcome to YOU as a non-Troll - and not a Clay (the Official Scapegoat of the SMS Live Blog)Quote by Random:
Oh? Does Clay say I'm a troll? If he does, I'm honored.
Quote by Scoopster:
Ok guys.. getting back on track with our caption fun day, what can you make of this:
Quote by Scoopster:
Drunk Vader sentenced for assaulting two Jedis
I don't know what's more disturbing about this story - the drunk dude dressing up as Darth Vader, or the fact that a real Jedi Church exists.
Quote by Scoopster:
Drunk Vader sentenced for assaulting two Jedis
I don't know what's more disturbing about this story - the drunk dude dressing up as Darth Vader, or the fact that a real Jedi Church exists.
Hughes, who has previous convictions for assault, had drunk the best part of a 10-litre box of wine and could not remember the attack, his lawyer Frances Jones told the court.
Quote by Scoopster:Quote by IzzyBitz:
Jessica Hahn having a mental breakdown on Howard 100.
My most vivid memory of her is a music video from the 80s featuring Sam Kinison.
Yikes. :unsure:
Quote by Random:Quote by Scoopster:
Drunk Vader sentenced for assaulting two Jedis
I don't know what's more disturbing about this story - the drunk dude dressing up as Darth Vader, or the fact that a real Jedi Church exists.
Uh...Yeah...Right. Glad I am not that much of a geek...*hides membership card to Star-Fleet academy*
Quote by Scoopster:Quote by Random:Quote by Scoopster:
Drunk Vader sentenced for assaulting two Jedis
I don't know what's more disturbing about this story - the drunk dude dressing up as Darth Vader, or the fact that a real Jedi Church exists.
Uh...Yeah...Right. Glad I am not that much of a geek...*hides membership card to Star-Fleet academy*
Bad time to admit that I have two TNG technical guides and a Klingon dictionary?
Quote by Scoopster:
Ok guys.. getting back on track with our caption fun day, what can you make of this:
Quote by Scoopster:
Ok guys.. getting back on track with our caption fun day, what can you make of this:
Quote by IzzyBitz:Quote by Scoopster:Quote by IzzyBitz:
Jessica Hahn having a mental breakdown on Howard 100.
My most vivid memory of her is a music video from the 80s featuring Sam Kinison.
Yikes. :unsure:
Now she's almost 50 and bitter, very very bitter. She slept her way through Hollywood and now she's old news. Oh, well.
Quote by Random:
Well...Quiet...
Quote by Raine:Random!Quote by Random:
Well...Quiet...
Dahlink!
WElkommen!
I was off trying to take care of house things and the flaven!
Que?
Quote by Raine:
It is nice to see you Random.
Quote by Scoopster:
Ok guys.. getting back on track with our caption fun day, what can you make of this:
Quote by Scoopster:
Ok guys.. getting back on track with our caption fun day, what can you make of this:
Quote by Raine:
I represent the Lollipop Kids.
:sprint:
Quote by Scoopster:
Ok guys.. getting back on track with our caption fun day, what can you make of this:
Quote by BobR:Quote by Scoopster:
Ok guys.. getting back on track with our caption fun day, what can you make of this:
"ok - who wants to see me perform fellatio on this microphone - let's see a show of hands..."
Quote by Raine:
Is that the WV population stacked up?
I know, I know... off to the penalty box I go... ::: skates off :::
Quote by Random:
Has anyone here seen that youtube video, "Hillary's downfall"?
(I have run out of things to say)
Quote by Raine:
:thud:
Clinton loses her First PLEDGED delegate...
This was the meme that hillary was trying to use about her going after Obama's pledged delegates.Do you remember when she was saying that she was going to go after HIS pledged delegates?
And now we have a serious flip.
I shudder for BOTH candidates.
Quote by Scoopster:
Okay wow Bob.. I didn't even see the fellatio one show up on 4chan!
(They did get the heil one though.. they even caught the shadows of the eagles in the background for added nuance!)
Quote by Raine:Quote by Random:
Has anyone here seen that youtube video, "Hillary's downfall"?
(I have run out of things to say)
you have?
Ask Tri about the BoSox... :lol:
Quote by Raine:
I do not think any dem will win WV in the fall.
Do I need to post a kitten photo now?
Quote by starling310:
Is there going to be a W.VA Blog tonight? If so, I will stop in. I actually have the night free.
:peace:
Quote by Raine:
you have?
Ask Tri about the BoSox... :lol:
Quote by Random:
Oh, I'd love that, a W.VA. Blog...We need a drinking game for Hill's speech
Quote by Random:Quote by BobR:Quote by Scoopster:
Ok guys.. getting back on track with our caption fun day, what can you make of this:
"ok - who wants to see me perform fellatio on this microphone - let's see a show of hands..."
"The Reason Bill went elsewhere" O.o
Quote by BobR:
NEED FUZZY ANIMAL PICTURE!!! STAT!!!!
Quote by Raine:
I do not think any dem will win WV in the fall.
Do I need to post a kitten photo now?
Quote by TriSec:Quote by BobR:
NEED FUZZY ANIMAL PICTURE!!! STAT!!!!
Well, there is a domesticated Chinchilla on his head...
Quote by Raine:
Whew. BIG computer crash. All is well now.
and about the WV blog... ::: joe Biden Voice ::: Yes.
We should have one.
What time do the polls close?
Michael Moore is making a sequel to "Fahrenheit 9/11" for Paramount Vantage and Overture Films, who will shop the project to international buyers when the Cannes Film Festival and market get under way today. The two companies are co-financing and co-producing the untitled documentary, which will be released in 2009....
Moore may be leaving the Weinstein Co. -- where he made his last two films, including "Fahrenheit" -- but Overture and Vantage are no strangers to the filmmaker. Overture CEO Chris McGurk and COO Danny Rosett were both at MGM and United Artists, home of Moore's "Bowling for Columbine."
Moore also knows Vantage topper Nick Meyer, former president of Lionsgate's international arm. Lionsgate teamed with Bob and Harvey Weinstein and distributed Fahrenheit after Disney refused to let Miramax to do so. Lionsgate again teamed with the Weinstein's to distribute Moore's last docu, "Sicko."...
It's possible that his new docu could play at Cannes next year, if it isn't released earlier in the Spring. He's already at work on the docu....
Sequel will pick up where "Fahrenheit" left off. In the time since, President Bush's popularity has plummeted, while the Iraq war continues and the economy falters....
Quote by livingonli:
I still want a Kittie.
:goes into blog corner: :sulks:
Quote by Raine:
:D
I am bad.
Quote by Raine:
Tonite, Obama does not plan on giving a speech...
And I have a terrible earworm... Which I WILL share...
John Denver... West Virginia... Mountain Momma.... Country Roads...
DAMN you John Denver!!!
Quote by Raine:
Random, you can be our designated Blogger.
Velveeta Jones (who sadly is still without power today, so she is mia) could use a little help in that area I am sure!
Quote by livingonli:
Time for a music interlude in case anyone missed it last night.
Quote by Raine:
Get used to "trippy" Random!
Quote by Raine:
:ireland: if no one shows up, I hope you can join the bloggie here tonite.