[HM2Viking]

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070409/berman

After Congressman Bob Filner read the Washington Post's series on the scandalous treatment of injured soldiers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, he called Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and delivered a simple message: Their party had to fund the wounded warriors as well as the war--or instead of it. For years Filner, a liberal Democrat who represents the military stronghold of San Diego, had been warning that the country's military and veterans hospitals were strained to the breaking point.In the wake of Walter Reed, the public and the party were finally listening. House Democrats added $3.5 billion to an Iraq spending bill to treat brain injuries and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for returning soldiers and upgrade the country's 1,400 deteriorating veterans hospitals....."This is a test for our party," Filner told me during an interview in his Washington office, which looks directly out on the Capitol dome. "Clearly, the Republicans failed. I hope we pass it."

Yet veterans aren't giving Filner a grace period, even as they welcome his arrival. The Bush Administration chose to run the "war on terror" expensively abroad and cheaply at home. In 2004, when then-VA chair Chris Smith tried to add $1.3 billion to fully fund VA healthcare, Republicans booted him off the committee. His replacement, hard-line conservative Steve Buyer, was put there, in the words of a top GOP aide, "to tell the veterans groups: Enough is enough." This year, the Administration brags that it has produced the largest VA budget in history. That's true--but veterans groups say the $37.1 billion for fiscal year 2008 is not nearly enough to meet the needs of returning servicemen and -women and aging vets. VA hospitals across the country require urgent repair. At least one in four Iraq and Afghanistan vets is suffering from severe mental injury, including PTSD, to say nothing of physical wounds.

He's outlined an ambitious agenda to try to correct years of neglect. Filner wants to invest billions of dollars into research and care for severe brain injuries; put issues like mental illness and homelessness into the national consciousness; modernize the GI bill so that it pays for college as it used to; and overhaul VA facilities..... "When they come home, whether injured mentally or physically, and this Administration doesn't want to deal with them, as a society, we're saying, We need to take these kids in."

Rep Filner is like the late Sen. Paul Wellstone. A nonveteran who passionately advocates on behalf of veterans. As a a society we need to keep our promises to disabled veterans and their families.

[ingelein]

2008 can't come fast enough.

[bethin]

Originally Posted by ingelein

2008 can't come fast enough.

Amen to that. The new president will have alot of cleaning up to do. I say we send no new troops to the middle east until we can properly take care of those here at home. If this war lasts 20 years as one person expects it to, where are we going to be putting these soldiers? Less soldiers are dying d/t the advances in healthcare in the field but more are coming home with psych issues, missing limbs, head trauma, etc. This whole mess makes me nauseous.

Off topic, but a few weeks ago I was waiting outside a pt's bathroom waiting for her to come out. The TV was on CNN and they were discussing John Edwards. I thought to myself that it seemed early to be declaring candidancy. I started thinking and I said to myself "holy crap, we elect a new president this year!" I started grinning, I was so happy. Then it hit me and I felt like the life was sucked out of me.

[noggin_wise]

It's so easy to be compassionate with everyone elses money. Too bad that Democrats had so much compassion for the Taliban back in the 90's that they never went after them. The truth if 9/11 had happened on Al Gore's watch we wouldn't have even invaded or bombed afghanistan. Thank GOD we don't have a liberal girlie man in the white house.

[SueBee RN-BSN]

First of all "the war on terror" could have been handled much differently, and the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ could have been spent for greater impact on the bad guys. But, we have a war monger in the Whitehouse who has done very littel for this counrty, except increase out poverty rate.

Second, vets have never been cared for. This includes peace time and war time. Just go to Washington D.C. and you will find many homeless vets.

Vote in 2008, and pick your poison-

[CametoitlateTexan]

" But, we have a war monger in the Whitehouse who has done very littel for this counrty, except increase out poverty rate."

This is the kind of statement that exposes "left-wing non-thinking automatons" for what they are. It is never helpful to try and have a discussion by throwing out incendiary hatespeak.

[SueBee RN-BSN]

The truth has to hurt, but the thing speaks for its self--

[noggin_wise]

I guess the several trillions thrown at the war on poverty (the most dismal failure in American history) is still not enough. So just how would the left have handled it differently? Negotiate our surrender? We have the wealthiest poor in the world how many below the poverty line have cell phones, x-box, cable TV, nice cars, big screen TV(s), and any other number of luxuries that real people in poverty do not have. Bush didn't ask for this war it was handed to him by an impotent previous administration that would rather chase interns than terrorists. I remember when Clinton took office all of you Libs were chastising the Bush 41 administration for not finishing the job and leaving Sadaam in power for Clinton to deal with. Well, W finished the job.

Originally Posted by SueBee RN-BSN

First of all "the war on terror" could have been handled much differently, and the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ could have been spent for greater impact on the bad guys. But, we have a war monger in the Whitehouse who has done very littel for this counrty, except increase out poverty rate.

Second, vets have never been cared for. This includes peace time and war time. Just go to Washington D.C. and you will find many homeless vets.

Vote in 2008, and pick your poison-

[CametoitlateTexan]

Originally Posted by SueBee RN-BSN

The truth has to hurt, but the thing speaks for its self--

I'm sorry. Of course, because you say something is so, and because you obviously care so much, that makes it so.

[pickledpepperRN]

Our veterans deserve excellent healthcare.
We the people should insist on it.