One thing will set me off quicker than anything – screwing with veterans.  To me, there are some things that are untouchable and veterans are one of them, especially injured veterans. 

In a scheme that has steam coming out of my ears, President Obama intends to charge veterans with service connected injuries for the care they receive from the Veterans Administration.  This of course will generate in excess of $500 million a year for the president and certianly will come in handy to help pay for the trillions of dollars in new spending the man has saddled us and our children with.  He will be paying for his stimulus plan and other entitlement programs on the back of veterans. 

In the image at the right, Pearl Harbor survivor Houston James of Dallas embraced Marine Staff Sgt. Mark Graunke Jr. during a Veteran’s Day Commemoration in Dallas. Graunke lost a hand, a leg and an eye when he defused a bomb in Iraq last year. Under President Obama’s plan, both heroes would have to pay for their service connected medical care.

As the American Legion said:

“It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan,” said Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion. “He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it.”

The Commander, clearly angered as he emerged from the session said, “This reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate ‘ to care for him who shall have borne the battle’ given that the United States government sent members of the armed forces into harm’s way, and not private insurance companies. I say again that The American Legion does not and will not support any plan that seeks to bill a veteran for treatment of a service connected disability at the very agency that was created to treat the unique need of America’s veterans!”

Click here to view the complete response from the American Legion. 

All major veteran service organizations (VSOs) are opposing the president’s plan including:  The American Legion, AMVETS (American Veterans), Blinded Veterans Association, Disabled American Veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Jewish War Veterans of the USA, Military Officers Association of America, Military Order of the Purple Heart of the U.S.A., Paralyzed Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, and the Vietnam Veterans of America. There is no debate.  This is bad policy and represents incredibly poor treatment of veterans. 

The VSOs released a joint letter on February 27th outlining the issues with the plan and their opposition to it.  In it they said, “Such a consideration is wholly unacceptable and a total abrogation of our government’s moral and legal responsibility to the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our freedoms.”  The letter continues:

This proposal ignores the solemn obligation that this country has to care for those men and women who have served this country with distinction and were left with the wounds and scars of that service. The blood spilled in service for this nation is the premium that service-connected veterans have paid for their earned care.

Click here to view the letter. 

I honestly am at a loss for words on this.  It is unfathomable that the president would do this.  There is this perception that Democrats are friendlier to veterans.  Maybe this will wake some folks up.  What do you think? 

Click here to read the related story on Military.com.

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