I am saddenned to see these honorable veterans used as pawns by the Bush Administration to demand that the Congress automatically approve his new 46 billion dollar demand. This is on top of the 550 billions FY 2008 DOD Budget and the already requested 150 billion war supplemental already requested.
This is a slap in the face to all veterans who represented the National Service Organizations, the Disabled American Veterans, The American Legion, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars, as they veterans represent all veterans of all wars, they are supporting the (by lack of pushback) the Bush administrations new attempt to use the Dole/Shalala Commission to create a two tier compensation package for the "new terror war" veterans. This is so wrong.
Instead of standing up and being used by the President, these National Organizations that are supposed to represent ALL veterans should be demanding of Congress a full overhaul of benefits and compensation for all veterans as the recently release report from the Veterans Disability Benefits Commission (VDBC) has requested. The report can be read here, it is a large file 562 pages even on cable it takes a minute to open or you can read the highlights at the VA Watchdog.
I have been to all the websites of the National Service Organizations to read news releases and none of them have said anything about how wrong these two tier proposals are. They are very silent on this matter, why, altogther they represent over 24 million veterans most of whom are WW2, Korean, Vietnam and Gulf War One veterans, the new veterans that President Bush wants to provide extra for are "his veterans" created in the terror wars.
It is wrong to treat veterans differently, the same cries were heard after Vietnam when the WW2 veterans objected to the massive new numbers of Nam vets, and the demands they created on the VA system, but there was no call for special compensation for Nam vets, like there are today.
Bob Dole is wrong on this issue, and the Veteran groups are NOT helping this nations veterans by remaining silent on the two tier system, they should all be loudly denouncing it. On their websites, in news releases and in all communications with congressional and Senatorial representatives and their staffers, fix it right and fix it for all veterans not just the "terror war vets" this is a country that believes in equality, the military serves to ensure equality, we were the first nationwide job to become non-segregated thanks to President Harry S Truman's Presidential decision, let's not turn back the hands of time and make different classes of veterans now.
The article here describes some of the new proposals Bush is wanting for new veterans
But the 84-year-old Dole suggested that older vets might have to settle for less.
"I never thought I got enough money," Dole said, and if younger vets "do a little better than we did, that's okay. That's good, it shows we're making progress."
Senator Dole thank you for your service, but take this idea and shove it up your ass, all veterans deserve equal benefits