Facts to make a choice on who will be a better President for veterans

::::::::

I realize many veterans vote for other veterans out of loyalty, the common bond of "brotherhood". Senator John McCain is then the obvious vote come this fall for the nations 26 million veterans and likely many of their family members. My own family for instance knows how well the VA has taken care of me and afforded them college opportunities, allowed us to have a decent home, despite the fact I am totally disabled due to service connected medical problems.

There are approximately 3 million veterans families like mine, we all receive disabled benefits from the government due to our service, some receive as little as 110 dollars a month for a 10% disability, or for quadriplegics that are bedridden with numerous problems requiring around the clock care can receive as much as 7500 a month, thankfully very few meet this extreme category.

Now come this November the citizens of this nation will be asked to vote for either a Republican candidate (John McCain) versus either Senators Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, but the majority of the veterans and their family member will vote for John McCain, and the reasons are brotherhood, he is one of us, a highly decorated and respected war hero.  Held as a POW for 5 and half years by the North Vietnamese, refused early release due to his father being CINCPAC, as an Admiral, his grandfather was an Admiral. He is a war hero no matter how you cut it, and even I salute him for that.

But now let's talk about bread and butter issue's, how has he helped disabled veterans and their families, when he voted on laws that would help them,

Veterans Issues

2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 20 percent in 2006.

2006 In 2006 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Senator McCain a grade of D.

2006 Senator McCain sponsored or co-sponsored 18 percent of the legislation favored by the The Retired Enlisted Association in 2006.

2005 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 25 percent in 2005.

2004 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 50 percent in 2004.

2004 Senator McCain supported the interests of the The Retired Enlisted Association 0 percent in 2004.

2003-2004 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Vietnam Veterans of America 100 percent in 2003-2004.

2003 Senator McCain supported the interests of the The American Legion 50 percent in 2003.

2001 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Vietnam Veterans of America 46 percent in 2001.

1999 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 66 percent in 1999.

1997-1998 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Vietnam Veterans of America 0 percent in 1997-1998.

1989-1990 On the votes that the Vietnam Veterans of America considered to be the most important in 1989-1990 , Senator McCain voted their preferred position 50 percent of the time.

Veterans Issues

Date Bill Title Vote
10/01/2007 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 NV
02/02/2006 Tax Rate Extension Amendment N
11/17/2005 Additional Funding For Veterans Amendment N
10/05/2005 Health Care for Veterans Amendment N

This information was compiled by Vote Vets and can be reviewed here http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfJAN08/nf012108-1.htm   you can also review date on Senators Clinton

Veterans Issues

2006 Senator Clinton supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 80 percent in 2006.

2006 In 2006 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Senator Clinton a grade of A-.

2006 Senator Clinton sponsored or co-sponsored 41 percent of the legislation favored by the The Retired Enlisted Association in 2006.

2005 Senator Clinton supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 92 percent in 2005.

2004 Senator Clinton supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 100 percent in 2004.

2004 Senator Clinton supported the interests of the The Retired Enlisted Association 0 percent in 2004.

2003-2004 Senator Clinton supported the interests of the Vietnam Veterans of America 50 percent in 2003-2004.

2003 Senator Clinton supported the interests of the The American Legion 50 percent in 2003.

2001 Senator Clinton supported the interests of the Vietnam Veterans of America 92 percent in 2001.

Veterans Issues

Date Bill Title Vote
10/01/2007 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 NV
02/02/2006 Tax Rate Extension Amendment Y
11/17/2005 Additional Funding For Veterans Amendment Y
10/05/2005 Health Care for Veterans Amendment Y

Now for Senator Obama

Veterans Issues

2006 Senator Obama supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 80 percent in 2006.

2006 In 2006 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Senator Obama a grade of B+.

2006 Senator Obama sponsored or co-sponsored 12 percent of the legislation favored by the The Retired Enlisted Association in 2006.

2005 Senator Obama supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 92 percent in 2005.

Veterans Issues

Date Bill Title Vote
10/01/2007 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 NV
02/02/2006 Tax Rate Extension Amendment Y
11/17/2005 Additional Funding For Veterans Amendment Y
10/05/2005 Health Care for Veterans Amendment Y

Now in the light of this information, I can see which candidate I prefer, the one with the long history of supporting veterans, Hillary Rodham Clinton, but if she is not the Democratic Nominee, I can still support Barack Obama before I could vote for John McCain.

The democratic candidates are far and above Senator McCain in voting for the wallet issues that affect veterans and their families. It appears Senator McCain loves veterans, just not disabled ones, they cost money. He appears to be on the wrong side of spending on these issues, WHY?

I have always heard that the Republicans are the party that supports the troops, why don't these votes reflect that? Why has it been the democratic Senators like Patty Murray of Washington trying to force the VA to take 2 billion dollars in extra fund in 2006 and Secretary Nicholson made his now infamous remark "The VA doesn't need any extra money" only to have to go hat in hand not once but twice in June 2006 to the Senate VA Committee and ask for a extra one billion dollars on each trip, the same amount of money Senator Murray tried to give the agency in April 2006.

While the "Wars on Terror" have been ongoing and the Bush Administration has tried to run the VA on the cheap, despite record budgets every year, most of it was due to inflation and it was eaten up by inflation, services did not improve, claims processing got even fartherbacked up, with waits for adjudication rising to over 400 days, far from the goal of 180 days.

The Republicans refused to consider DR Linda Bilmes, of Harvard Kennedy School of government proposal to handle VA claims similar to the way the IRS handles tax claims, process them and pay them, if any of the transactions wave bright flags, audit them. It would be cheaper and more efficient to audit the strange claims, than it is to pretend every claim is fraudulent and spend years to decide if the claim has merit, and in the meantime the veterans and their families, end up homeless, lose their cars, their dignity, their credit ratings and ending in divorce, long before the VA ends the process and awards the claim. How is destroying veterans families advantageous to America?

This is not information many of the candidates or their campaigns are going to lay out there, I imagine they don't want to be seen impugning a war hero, sorry when it comes to my wallet, I will tell it like it is. I am a veteran, 15 years infantry, I served from Vietnam to Desert Storm, my step father was in the 8th Army Air Corp in WW2, he bombed Germany in 1943 and 1944. My biological father served in the 7th Calvary in 1914-1916. My grand father served with the Calif 4th Volunteers in the Civil War in Arizona from 1861-1865. I have relatives on my grandfathers side of the family that go back to the Revolutionary War, there has always been a Bailey in the ranks as an enlisted man since this nation began, the military needs Non-Commissioned Officers as much as they needed Commissioned Officers, some say NCO's are the backbone of the military.

I want a President with a backbone that stands up for veterans, especially disabled veterans, we deserve the best America can offer, not the left overs, our benefits are not welfare, they are earned with our blood, body parts, minds, our families deserve that the "PROMISE" be kept.

John McCains' voting record shows he is not so much for the "PROMISE" it's his voting record, he created it, I am just putting it here where you can see it.

Authors Website: http://vets4politics.blogspot.com/

Authors Bio:
Disabled Army Staff Sergeant who served from 1973 thru 1982 active duty and in the National Guard from 1988 thru 1992, I served on the DMZ in Korea and served in Oamn during the Gulf war.