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Maybe soon, we will see who stands up for parity and who stands with the insurance companies.

Sad because the distortions have to be dispelled … if only more people were informed instead of being mislead.
I’m glad that the AFL-CIO issued a press release as a result of the Coalition For a Democratic Workplace TV ad. I was visiting a friend who questioned me if Franken was running as the Democratic-Farmer-LABOR candidate, why he was against workers. I had to explain it to him, but it shows the power of misinformation.

It’s good that Veterans and their issues are going to be active this election. And as you pointed out in a previous entry, we can’t believe everything we hear … such as “And I want to thank members who worked hard for the GI Bill expansion — especially Senators Webb and Warner, Graham, Burr, and McCain.”
Let’s remember that John Kline voted against the GI Bill before he voted for it.

Let’s also remember how people voted and then changed their votes … for example on H.R. 6331: Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. At hand was a 10.6% cut in Medicare’s payments to doctors, health providers and pharmacies. Military families have health coverage under a program called Tricare, which follows the pricing structure of Medicare. If payments to health care providers are cut in Medicare, Tricare will be similarly cut, placing Tricare patients at risk. The Senate failed to pass the legislation at the end of June … falling one vote short of breaking the filibuster … so who was missing … John McCain who is marked as AWOL and Ted Kennedy who was recovering from brain surgery. When the bill came up for a vote again, McCain was still AWOL but Kennedy came in to record the necessary vote … but wait … that would not look good if so many Republicans opposed seniors and veterans …. So Republicans switched their votes … Let’s remember Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX), John Cornyn (TX), Arlen Specter (PA), Johnny Isakson (GA), Saxby Chambliss (GA), Mel Martinez (FL), Lamar Alexander (TN), John Warner (VA) and Bob Corker (TN) for their weak knee support of American veterans and their families. (Oh and by the way, Minnesota voters need to remember that Congresswoman Bachmann voted AGAINST this bill.)

Some highlights of the bill include :

Expanded GI Benefits for Veterans Education: Expands the education benefits veterans receive under the GI bill to restore the promise of a full, four-year college education and make the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan part of an American economic recovery, just like the veterans of World War II were. Also allows service members to transfer educational benefits to their spouses and dependents.

Iraq Policy Provisions

• Iraq Reconstruction: Requires that State Department and USAID reconstruction aid for Iraq be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Iraqi Government.

• No Permanent Bases in Iraq: Prohibits military construction funds from being used to establish permanent bases in Iraq.

Military Construction and Veterans Hospitals: $4.6 billion, $2.2 billion above the President’s request, for military construction and veterans hospitals including increases of $863 million for BRAC, $863 million for military hospitals, $396 million for VA hospitals and polytrauma centers, and over $210 million for the military child care centers that the President announced in the State of the Union but never funded.

Extended Unemployment Compensation: Extends unemployment benefits for workers who have exhausted their benefits by up to 13 weeks in every state. The number of Americans looking for work has grown by 800,000 over the last year, and the number of American jobs has declined by 260,000 since the beginning of 2008.

I know of one Dad who’s feeling a little better today. This weekend I attended the wedding of a neighbor’s eldest daughter … over the past 25 years, we have watched the kids grow and met many of their extended family. The bride was beautiful, but Mom and Dad were more at ease because the bride’s twin brother was able to move his leave from April to June and arrived in from Iraq just 14 hours before the service. Through the Dad I have heard the stories. He joined the Army to be a medic and help people, but he soon found himself on the receiving end of getting assistance after a mortar attack in the Green Zone. He’s had a buddy killed and had to confront and kill an Iraqi in combat. Through it all, his attitude is great … and as he says, “He loves his job.”

On this Father’s Day, we should renew our commitment to improving Veterans care – it’ll make every Dad proud !