Michelle Bachmann - plans to cut Veterans Benefits

After the REAL support we saw on Oprah for military families and veterans yesterday, the very real support for military families and veterans shown by the 16 different agencies as announced on January 23 at the White House – may we present the latest in “wave the flag but don’t support veterans”. As reported, Representative Michelle Bachmann (R. Minn) is proposing her “plan” to cut $400 billion in federal spending which includes a freeze in Veterans Affairs Department health care spending and cutting veterans’ disability benefits.

Here is part of her plan, directly from her website (no, I won’t link to it, it's bad enough I actually went to it!)

Veterans:

$4.5 Billion Cap increases in Department of Veterans Affairs health care spending, and reduce disability compensation to account for SS disability payments. Reduce Veterans’ Disability Compensation to account for Social Security Disability Insurance payments

Supposedly, Ms. Bachmann has made a statement that this is designed for “discussion purposes”. Really? Discussion? How do you discuss screwing over an entire generation of men and women who have been injured in the defense of their country? How do you “discuss” trying to cut the benefits of men and women and making them even more dependent on Social Security – which many of the “shining lights” of the Tea Party movement have been trying to privatize?

I’ve been looking around for any discussion of this “proposal” or “discussion topic” anywhere and except for various “liberal leaning” FB posts – silence. I found one supporter saying “it’s just a discussion” on Army Times… but other than that? Crickets. Why do I get the feeling that her supporters are whirling and trying to figure out what the hell to say?

I know what I say. SHAME! Shame on you, Ms. Bachmann for even bringing this up! Your other “proposals” are equally ridiculous, but this one is offensive and an affront to the men and women of the United States who are disabled due to their service to the country YOU profess to love. It’s a slap at my father, my son, my daughter in law, who have been injured while serving in the Armed Forces. It’s an affront to the men and women still serving, who risk their lives in the service of their country. It’s an affront to common decency. I wish I could say I’m surprised by your disrespect to the military and veterans, but I’m not.

To you, supporting the troops means sticking a sticker on your car, wearing an oversized flag on your lapel, and all the other empty gestures you and the rest of your ilk utilize to show your patriotism. Want to REALLY show your patriotism? Then stop trying to screw over Veterans!

Monday - so what's the diff?

Since I started working from home, I thought Monday-itis wouldn't be a factor in my life anymore. You know Monday-itis: symptoms include groaning at the alarm clock with an alternative of heaving it across the room; shuffling dazed into the bathroom to blearily climb into the shower; sitting in traffic trying to remember all the "to do's" on the list left on the kitchen counter (damn.. my lunch is there too). I envisioned Monday mornings spent lazying in bed, gently waking to the rhythm of nature, sitting on the deck with a cup of good coffee and a book.

Enter reality: Monday-itis in my new world. Up with the husband anyway, I need the car today, it's due for servicing. I forgot, I still need to scoop litter boxes, don't I. sit in traffic to get in the gate (did I remember my ID card?) drive back; get online/on phone. make appointments. Do all those errands we used to split up - get the car worked on, call the plumber (yes, I'll be here.. of course I'll be here). Look for online jobs, don't forget to get on conferences at school - get graded on responses. juggle chequebook (that paycheque is missed....)

OK, so I don't have to brave the Metro - and yes I'm saving money there... and I'm not facing the horrific traffic (especially when part of the beltway is closed due to a water main break and ice!) and I'm not sitting at a desk in the office. I am sitting at a desk at home, as tied to this computer as I ever was at the law firm, but for a lot less $$! Today, I'm wondering if the trade was really worth it. The trade of a great paycheque for school. The trade of working in a professional office doing work that I didn't care about; for trying to find work and studying.

Monday-itis is a state of mind. After so many decades of hating Monday- it's a hard habit to break. So maybe that's why I'm hating today!

LAW

Threats are NOT ok.

On another blog - I was told I should kill myself. I am a disgrace or something like that. No military family can be liberals, we are all traitors. blah blah... I've heard that before, but to be told that I should kill myself - that is NOT ok. We talk, we argue, we discuss, we disagree. But that is carrying this to a point that is NOT OK! this "patriot" did not identify her/himself. big surprise.

LAW

yeah - yeah... I know... I KNOW!

I've been AWOL here. writing over at LeftFace and the "out there" blog... but no blog love for this faithful old hound of a blog. I'm sorry [petting blog... have a cookie]

Here's some link love. Left Face on the Bullshit from JP Morgan Chase - Big Bidness support the troops lacking where it counts (no, not the yellow ribbons on the corporate car, or the flag waving showing up at the local VA jobs fair) but where it COUNTS. Then a followup - with some info on a couple of Senators - DEMOCRATS, Y'all, not the flag waving Repubs too busy wasting time "repealing" the Health Care Act - who are asking for investigations against the Big Bidness who is screwing over troops and the SCRA extension of protections for servicemembers by.... drum roll.... a DEMOCRAT. I guess protecting servicemembers from Big Bidness creates a problem for the Rs? why?

So - what's going on with LAW? well, she's busy starting another school semester and wishing she could reach through the telephone and smack the morons at the college! No, not the profs (this set seem great!) it's the folks in accounts. Bear with me, this takes a while to tell. OK. So Chief gave me 2 years of his Post 9/11 GI Bill (thanks, dear...) since MyCAA went bye bye [yes I AM still pissed about that, how can you tell] When I finally got my letter from the VA, I called the school - was told to just fax it to this certain person and she'd get back to me. Weeks passed... I called, left messages. emailed... NADA. After weeks, I finally got an email - oh, you also need to fill THIS out online (no link anywhere else on their site... I looked!) so I did that, and refaxed the letter. Finally they sent it in - and the VA got it processed in it's due time (not over 4 weeks) Now the school is sending me nasty grams. I call, fax letters that I got from the VA saying they sent the $$. The school keeps telling me it takes this much time to apply it to the account - and then they send me another nasty gram. No, it's not the VA... it's the college. And they market themselves as Military/Veteran friendly. riiiiiiiggggght!

Work - well, trying to build a business. Lots of networking, lots of giving out cards, talking to people, and not much happening! I know it takes time .... sigh....

I'll try not to be so long again. but life keeps getting in the way!

LAW