From the American GI Forum:
The US Congress will be voting on May 19, 2006 to decide on taking away one of the monthly checks of veterans who receive VA Disability Compensation and Social Security Disability. This would affect Veterans who were awarded compensation for injuries related to their military service but who were able to work in civilian life and later became injured or disabled in relation to their civilian employment. If they paid enough quarters into Social Security they would then be eligible for social security compensation, so one has nothing to do with the other. There are several Congressmen who retired from teaching or other employment, but still manage to receive full compensation for their political work, since - one has nothing to do with the other. Their compensation is a helluva lot more than disabled veterans, and they have much better health care.
Between now and November, I urge you to go on-line and check if your legislator voted against the military and VA medical care budget, and then cast your vote accordingly. Military and Veterans are a BIG VOTING BLOCK and we must make sure that the legislators get the message that they can no longer send our troops into combat, while voting against funding for military pay, equipment and medical services, without getting voted out of office.
We will not tolerate one more American soldier dying because she/he did not have proper protective combat gear. We must not allow our government to treat future veterans with the same indifference and disrespect that Vietnam Veterans are still being treated, practically having to beg for our disability compensation. No more closing veterans' medical care facilities, doctors and nurses not having proper critical tools and supplies to provide desperately needed treat and comfort to our wounded and burnt heroes.
Our government must not be permitted to consider future budgeting for the care of our injured heroes as "discretionary" but "A MANDATORY OBLIGATION." How dare they deploy and redeploy our men and women into combat, and then treat those who are lucky enough to return alive as 'expendable or discardable equipment.' Where is the 'compassion' of a supposedly grateful nation? Why must veterans always have to worry about having rightfully earned compensation terminated whenever a president goes wild squandering taxpayers' money, rubber-stamped by a spineless body of politicians, too preoccupied with pleasing crooked/criminal lobbyists to properly fulfull the obligation to their constituents, but most importantly, to the troops they have placed in harms way? To what gutter-level of corruption has the morality of so many of our politicians descended? My fellow-veterans, if our elected officials remain passive, we must clean house, from the Court House to The White House this next election!
Starting tomorrow morning, I urge all of you to jam the phone lines and emails of Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission Director - RAY WILBURN at (202) 756-2293 and the phones and emails of every US Congressman and US Senator. Call as many times as you have time for. Also send plenty of emails to president@whitehouse.gov. Let them know that "You DO NOT mess with a soldier's or veterans' pay OR HIS MAIL, without expecting a good fight - come election time." Please pass this on to every veterans organization or to every civilian, this is their problem, too. Remember, everybody said they "SUPPORT OUR TROOPS?" NOW is the time to prove it, WE NEED YOU.
Placido Salazar (USAF Retired) Vice-President, American GI Forum Rudy Ramos Chapter (210) 658-9756.
FYI: Ray Wilburn's email is veterans@vetscommission.intranets.com
to find your congressman
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