Food stamp cuts for veterans ‘unacceptable’ and ‘revolting’

[Cigar]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Rep-Tammy-Duckworth-via-Flickr-615x345.png

Veterans Duckworth and Soltz: Food stamp cuts for veterans ‘unacceptable’ and ‘revolting’


An estimated 900,000 U.S. military veterans will lose some or all of their Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits on Friday. According to Think Progress, the program — more commonly known as food stamps — will be cut by $5 billion thanks to budget shortfalls caused by the Nov. 1 expiration of 2009 stimulus funding initiated by President Barack Obama.

Veteran pilot and Iraq War soldier Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Jon Soltz, Iraq War Veteran and Chairman of VoteVets.org told Raw Story that the cuts coming Friday are unnecessary and unconscionable. Duckworth called the cuts “unacceptable” and Soltz questioned why Republicans in Congress are so “hell-bent” on hurting people in need.

“Cutting assistance to veterans is completely unacceptable,” said Rep. Duckworth. “Congress needs to find ways to cut costs, but compromising our care to veterans is not one of them. We must honor those who served our country and continue to provide the benefits they need. I am hopeful that my colleagues can come together and right this wrong by reinstating funds to the SNAP program to help our veterans.”

Soltz told Raw Story, “It’s revolting that so many men and women who served this nation in uniform are about to be cut off of the help they need the most for them and their families. What’s wholly irresponsible is for the Republican Congress to repeatedly reject the idea of a conference committee to pass a budget, which would help at least stabilize the economy, so many of these families could get off SNAP, and then turn around and fight to cut their SNAP benefits too. I don’t know why they are so hell-bent on hurting the American troops, veterans, and their families who are in need.”



And in related news, the Navy just floated its newest $5+ billion dollar destroyer -> http://www.democraticunderground.com/11794884


Expect Outraged GOP Photo-Opportunities at the Veterans Memorial soon .......... :rollseyes:

[Codename Section]

Maybe they can fix our VA system first? 5 years now and the building's floor is buckling from the paperwork. Feed the Children works with vets and active duty military. I know dudes out of Bragg that got more assistance from them than SNAP.

Seeing to our other needs like they promised would also be great.

How about spending as much money on prosthetics as figuring out how to read minds or creating fly sized drones?

Politicking.

[Cigar]

Maybe they can fix our VA system first? 5 years now and the building's floor is buckling from the paperwork. Feed the Children works with vets and active duty military. I know dudes out of Bragg that got more assistance from them than SNAP.

Seeing to our other needs like they promised would also be great.

How about spending as much money on prosthetics as figuring out how to read minds or creating fly sized drones?

Politicking.

Amazing what two (2) Wars, one still going can do to a countries economy, especally when it's "un-paid" for. :wink:

[Codename Section]

Amazing what two (2) Wars, one still going can do to a countries economy, especally when it's "un-paid" for. :wink:

Most vets wouldn't fucking need to be on food stamps if they--yes your guy too--would get the VA system fixed. People need their claims processed and their problems seen to.

We are capable of amazing things because we have some of the best training in the world and we have on the spot EQ and IQ thanks to these stupid wars, but some of us are injured and need those claims seen to.

I want my fellow vets to get their food stamps but I also want my buddy to receive his fucking disability.

[Cigar]

Most vets wouldn't fucking need to be on food stamps if they--yes your guy too--would get the VA system fixed. People need their claims processed and their problems seen to.

We are capable of amazing things because we have some of the best training in the world and we have on the spot EQ and IQ thanks to these stupid wars, but some of us are injured and need those claims seen to.

I want my fellow vets to get their food stamps but I also want my buddy to receive his fucking disability.

Hello ... guess who is hurting the effort?
http://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/Despite-Warnings-of-Government-Shutdown-Dept-of-Veterans-Affairs-Reduced-Backlog-228836081.html

Virginia is considered to be the state most affected by the government shutdown. It has heavy exposure to federal employees and federal contracting dollars. Virginia also has the second most veterans per capita.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/10/12/states-hurt-by-government-shutdown/2967711/

Sequestration Could Hurt Veterans
http://www.feedourvets.org/news/sequestration-could-hurt-veterans/

[Codename Section]

Hello ... guess who is hurting the effort?
http://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/Despite-Warnings-of-Government-Shutdown-Dept-of-Veterans-Affairs-Reduced-Backlog-228836081.html

Virginia is considered to be the state most affected by the government shutdown. It has heavy exposure to federal employees and federal contracting dollars. Virginia also has the second most veterans per capita.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/10/12/states-hurt-by-government-shutdown/2967711/

Sequestration Could Hurt Veterans
http://www.feedourvets.org/news/sequestration-could-hurt-veterans/

Five years. They've had five years and it is a smaller system than Obamacare. I'm not playing partisan politics on this one. No one gives a shit or it would be done.

Fact.

In the last five years they have gotten over 100 other IT projects of large scale off the ground and running.

[Cigar]

Five years. They've had five years and it is a smaller system than Obamacare. I'm not playing partisan politics on this one. No one gives a shit or it would be done.

Fact.

In the last five years they have gotten over 100 other IT projects of large scale off the ground and running.

The Wars have been going on for over a Decade and The GOP has done nothing but Obstruct Progress; give them a call and ask them to get out of the way of Progress and stop The Sequestration and Government Shutdowns.

[Codename Section]

The Wars have been going on for over a Decade and The GOP has done nothing but Obstruct Progress; give them a call and ask them to get out of the way of Progress and stop The Sequestration and Government Shutdowns.

I have been in the wars for over a decade and I do blame the GOP for starting them. I never vote Republican. I don't vote Democrat either because they voted right along with them. The food stamp program is not the biggest concern because like I said if they fix our fucking system people will get their disability checks.

[Ravi]

Even worse, they want to cut foodstamps for children.

[Captain Obvious]

Maybe they can fix our VA system first? 5 years now and the building's floor is buckling from the paperwork. Feed the Children works with vets and active duty military. I know dudes out of Bragg that got more assistance from them than SNAP.

Seeing to our other needs like they promised would also be great.

How about spending as much money on prosthetics as figuring out how to read minds or creating fly sized drones?

Politicking.

You're talking to an unthinking political zombie.

Cigar is only programmed to throw darts at conservatives. Ration, logic and understanding are not part of his program.

[Codename Section]

You're talking to an unthinking political zombie.

Cigar is only programmed to throw darts at conservatives. Ration, logic and understanding are not part of his program.

So it seems.

[Captain Obvious]

So it seems.

I don't mind reading and/or engaging in opposing political opinions/discussion - it's really what we're here for, but the whole "Obama sucks" and "GOP sucks" schtick that just goes on and on and on gets really boring after the first couple seconds.

And for some people, that's all they got. Cigar is the poster child for "gotcha" only threads, he's incapable of discussing points.

[Cthulhu]

I am strangely okay with slashing vet benefits. Should the government honor its promises? Well yeah, it should. But it won't.

The entire VA should be scrapped. Have a privatized insurance people can pay into while they are in the service for this sort of thing. That way if something horrible happens like limb loss and such, the vet has only himself to thank for his situation.

Since the government got involved and has no incentive to improve, things have only gotten worse. The delays on vet benefits are often not paperwork errors or other such nonsense. But the actual protocol involved, and the VA's seemingly spiteful attitude about awarding people their benefits under the guise of preventing fraud.

Fraud is a problem, but when stuff like telling a vet he has ADD? When he has no prior history of it? Pitching him ritalin like candy? They do this often because ADD has a lot of similarities of a TBI(traumatic brain injury) from concussive force - explosions can easily do this. Even larger caliber weaponry can do this. And it is a hell of a lot cheaper to fling ritalin his way than it is to address a TBI.

The VA has incentive to lie and do dubious diagnosing to veterans because it costs less. So it does lie and make things as hard on the veterans as possible in the name of "fraud prevention".

So scrap it. It is a failed system. Scrap food stamps too. It creates a dependency class which will only grow.

[Codename Section]

I am strangely okay with slashing vet benefits. Should the government honor its promises? Well yeah, it should. But it won't.

The entire VA should be scrapped. Have a privatized insurance people can pay into while they are in the service for this sort of thing. That way if something horrible happens like limb loss and such, the vet has only himself to thank for his situation.

Since the government got involved and has no incentive to improve, things have only gotten worse. The delays on vet benefits are often not paperwork errors or other such nonsense. But the actual protocol involved, and the VA's seemingly spiteful attitude about awarding people their benefits under the guise of preventing fraud.

Fraud is a problem, but when stuff like telling a vet he has ADD? When he has no prior history of it? Pitching him ritalin like candy? They do this often because ADD has a lot of similarities of a TBI(traumatic brain injury) from concussive force - explosions can easily do this. Even larger caliber weaponry can do this. And it is a hell of a lot cheaper to fling ritalin his way than it is to address a TBI.

The VA has incentive to lie and do dubious diagnosing to veterans because it costs less. So it does lie and make things as hard on the veterans as possible in the name of "fraud prevention".

So scrap it. It is a failed system. Scrap food stamps too. It creates a dependency class which will only grow.

I would be with you on this one if we didn't work 24 hours a day 7 days a week in the worst conditions imaginable with low wages because "we get benefits".

[Cthulhu]

I would be with you on this one if we didn't work 24 hours a day 7 days a week in the worst conditions imaginable with low wages because "we get benefits".

I'm with you there. I was sold something specific with amazing guarantees by a recruiter, but what I received was not what was promised.

The old bait and switch. False advertising at its finest with millions of victims.

It would be nice if the gov would live up to its promises, but we could spend our lives hoping and voting accordingly and nothing would change. Because they have no incentive to improve - because they are funded by government tax money.

There is a reason I saved money prior to school in the past. I counted on the VA being slow and stupid. And when they overpaid me? I saved it, because I knew they would come for it in the future, and they did. The VA is one of the many government run disorganizations that is exempt from penalty for its errors. And they behave accordingly.

[nic34]

Problem is, you guys always want to "scrap" things without having anything to take it's place. Always easier to tear down someone elses ideas....

Discuss then implement alternatives first, then do the scrapping....

[Codename Section]

Problem is, you guys always want to "scrap" things without having anything to take it's place. Always easier to tear down someone elses ideas....

Discuss then implement alternatives first, then do the scrapping....

What nic34?

I'm not sure what you mean by "scrapping" in this. I don't want scrapping of any VA system. I want them to keep their promises. I was sold ten tons of bullshit by my recruiter so...pay up.

OR fucking pay us our salary + overtime for the extra hours we're on duty each week.

I'd have come out a fucking millionaire.

[nic34]

What @nic34 (http://thepoliticalforums.com/member.php?u=572)?

I'm not sure what you mean by "scrapping" in this. I don't want scrapping of any VA system. I want them to keep their promises. I was sold ten tons of bullshit by my recruiter so...pay up.

OR fucking pay us our salary + overtime for the extra hours we're on duty each week.

I'd have come out a fucking millionaire.

Response was to Cthulhu:

http://thepoliticalforums.com/threads/18171-Food-stamp-cuts-for-veterans-‘unacceptable’-and-‘revolting’?p=407673&viewfull=1#post407673

[Cthulhu]

What I said-



The entire VA should be scrapped. Have a privatized insurance people can pay into while they are in the service for this sort of thing. That way if something horrible happens like limb loss and such, the vet has only himself to thank for his situation.

What you said-


Problem is, you guys always want to "scrap" things without having anything to take it's place. Always easier to tear down someone elses ideas....

Discuss then implement alternatives first, then do the scrapping....

Read entire post first. Then respond.

There are plenty of alternatives, none of which the state would allow.

[Cthulhu]

What @nic34 (http://thepoliticalforums.com/member.php?u=572)?

I'm not sure what you mean by "scrapping" in this. I don't want scrapping of any VA system. I want them to keep their promises. I was sold ten tons of bullshit by my recruiter so...pay up.

Wish in one hand...



OR fucking pay us our salary + overtime for the extra hours we're on duty each week.

I'd have come out a fucking millionaire.

LOL. That would reduce the amount of **** **** games they could play in the service, thereby enhancing productivity due to budget restrictions.

It will never happen.

[nic34]

There are plenty of alternatives, none of which the state would allow.

My point exactly.

[Cthulhu]

My point exactly.

So then why not dismantle the mechanisms preventing an alternative? Aflac would easily fill the gap on this - they have accidental death, payment due to work disability, life, amputation and all sorts of insurance you can buy.

I'm sure aflac isn't the one either.

So why not scrap the existing system?

Or better yet - all new enlistees will be given the option of a private market alternative upon enlistment. That way they have a choice in whether the careless government gets charge over this stuff, or an interested company with incentive to do a good job.

You could also just make it so that new enlistees don't have VA benefits and phase the program out with time. It would reduce the amount of liability and the promises could in theory still be met without floods and floods of new claims coming in because those claims are going elsewhere.

[Codename Section]

So then why not dismantle the mechanisms preventing an alternative? Aflac would easily fill the gap on this - they have accidental death, payment due to work disability, life, amputation and all sorts of insurance you can buy.

I'm sure aflac isn't the one either.

So why not scrap the existing system?

Or better yet - all new enlistees will be given the option of a private market alternative upon enlistment. That way they have a choice in whether the careless government gets charge over this stuff, or an interested company with incentive to do a good job.

You could also just make it so that new enlistees don't have VA benefits and phase the program out with time. It would reduce the amount of liability and the promises could in theory still be met without floods and floods of new claims coming in because those claims are going elsewhere.

I think DOD is 100% wasteful--except with us. They get more than their money's worth of our time. I calculated my hourly rate one time based off my salary and it was less than $4.

[Mr. Freeze]

I think DOD is 100% wasteful--except with us. They get more than their money's worth of our time. I calculated my hourly rate one time based off my salary and it was less than $4.

That sucks. :(

[Cthulhu]

I think DOD is 100% wasteful--except with us. They get more than their money's worth of our time. I calculated my hourly rate one time based off my salary and it was less than $4.

Been there, done that, still have the t-shirts too.

Never again.

[BB-35]

Been there, done that, still have the t-shirts too.

Never again.

Thank you.

[Cthulhu]

Thank you.

Uh, sure....