Hawks Who Should Eat Crow

Crossposted at Disabled Americans for Democracy

Congress adjourned for their Spring Break on March 16. Before leaving, the Senate passed the Budget Resolution, acting on a number of amendments to it. here's The Daily Digest for March 16, 2006.

Some thirty amendments were offered to the resolution. We shall mention just a few of them.

• Adopted
  
  • Gregg (for Obama) Amendment No. 3144, to provide a $40 million increase in fiscal year 2007 for the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program and to improve job services for hard-to-place veterans.
  
  
  • Nelson Amendment No. 3001, to provide funds ensuring Survivor Benefit Plan annuities are not reduced by the amount of dependency and indemnity compensation that military families receive, and to provide funds for ``paid-up'' SBP, offset by closing abusive corporate tax loopholes.


• Rejected
  
  • By 43 yeas to 53 nays (Vote No. 59), Lieberman/Mikulski Amendment No. 3034, to protect the American people from terrorist attacks by providing $8 billion in additional funds for homeland security government-wide, by restoring cuts to vital first responder programs in the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice, by providing an additional $1.2 billion for first responders, $1.7 billion for the Coast Guard and port security, $150 million for chemical security, $1 billion for rail and transit security, $456 million for FEMA, $1 billion for health preparedness programs, and $752 million for aviation security.
  
  
  • By 46 yeas to 54 nays (Vote No. 63), Stabenow Amendment No. 3141, to provide an assured stream of funding for veteran's health care that will take into account the annual changes in the veterans' population and inflation to be paid for by restoring the pre-2001 top rate for income over $1 million, closing corporate tax loopholes and delaying tax cuts for the wealthy.
  
  
  • By 46 yeas to 53 nays (Vote No. 67), Kerry Modified Amendment No. 3143, to prevent the imposition of excessive TRICARE fees and co-pays on military retirees.
  
  
  • Akaka Amendment No. 3044, to provide $310 million over five years in mandatory funding for non-service pensions for World War II Filipino veterans, paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes.

We commend the Senate for passing the Obama and Nelson amendments, however regretable it may be that they have become necessary. This writer is appalled that any question of adequately providing for homeless veterans or for the dependants of service personnelle should arise. However, the Senate is on record with these votes. Vidulent citizens must remember and hold their senators to their word.

It is instructive to look at who voted against two of the "rejected" amendments, those offered by Sens Stabenow and Kerry.

Voting against both amendments:
Alexander
Allard
Allen
Bennet
Bond
Brownback
Bunning
Burr
Chambliss
Coburn
Cochran
Coleman
Collins
Cornyn
Craig
Crapo
DeMint
Dole
Domenici
Ensign
Enzi
Frist
Graham
Grassley
Gregg
Haggel
Hatch
Hutchison
Inhofe
Isakson
Kyl
Lott
Lugar
Martinez
McCain
McConnell
Murkowski
Roberts
Santorum
Sessions
Shelby
Smith
Stevens
Sununu
Talent
Thomas
Thune
Vitter
Voinovich
Warner

We shall set aside for the moment the rank hypocrisy of John McCain, the *only* veteran currently serving in the Senate, voting *against* measures that would assist veterans and military retirees. Clearly, goose stepping with the administration ranks as a higher priority for him right now than solidarity with his brothers in arms.

The larger, and more important, point is to observe who among those voting no on the Kerry and Stabenow amendments voted *for* the Iraq War Resolution. In other words, which Republican senators voted to authorize the Iraq war, but now refuse to deal honorably with those who must fight it? The answer should not come as a surprise to readers here.

Yes on Iraq War Resolution *and* no on Kerry & Stabenow Amendments
Allard
Allen
Bennet
Bond
Brownback
Bunning
Cochran
Collins
Craig
Crapo
Domenici
Ensign
Enzi
Frist
Grassley
Gregg
Hagel
Hatch
Hutchison
Inhofe
Kyl
Lott
Lugar
McCain
McConnell
Murkowski
Roberts
Santorum
Sessions
Shelby
Smith
Stevens
Thomas
Voinovich
Warner

If you vote to authorize war, then you have a moral obligation to see to it that those who fight that war are provided for. Veterans and military retirees give to this country, sacrifice for this country in ways that senators, sitting on their fat arses in their plush offices can't even begin to imagine.

Honoring veterans, retirees and their families means a hell of a lot more than waving flags and pinning cheap yellow ribbons to your car. Honoring veterans, retirees and their families means making sure that the health care they receive is affordable and high quality. Honoring veterans means providing for them and their families when they are wounded. It means putting your money where your mouth is and fully funding the VA, not backing away from a morally correct act in order to ass-kiss a weak, incompetent, and morally bankrupt partisan leader.

Perhaps in the short term, these senators' constituents will commend them for "holding down spending." But History and the Almighty will judge them as the craven hypocrites they are.


Alternate link for comments