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!