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No politician is anti-veteran, so it isn’t exactly earth shattering when one calls a press conference to express support for the country’s military.
But that’s what state Sen. Dina Titus did today in her campaign for the 3rd Congressional District seat against Jon Porter.
In her short speech the Democrat didn’t get much beyond the usual rhetoric about a commitment to veterans and a need to do more for them, but she did mention two specific initiatives she supports: the new GI Bill for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and repealing the remaining Disabled Veterans Tax.
As it stands now, a retired veteran rated with a 50 percent disability or less has his retirement benefit reduced by the amount he receives in disability compensation. Titus said she would introduce legislation to change that, so all disabled veterans regardless of disability rating get both their retirement benefits and disability benefits.
“It’s amazing to me we penalize people who come back disabled,” Titus said.
She also said she would work on streamlining the vast bureaucracy of Veteran Affairs – an almost Herculean task. Pressed for specifics on how to accomplish that goal, she mentioned one step could be computerizing the medical records system to make it easier to access the information.
Disability pay is for injuries that keep someone from working. Retirement pay is for people that are done working for their later years. Both payments are instead of wages. Everyone would like more money, but why would we pay twice for the same thing? Is this just trying to get elected. The problem is, the democrats always do this until they have promised everyone more than we have and no one left to pay the payments. Easy to promise something Titus when you know you don't have to deliver.
Ending tax on a retired military person is ok. What bothers me is those non military people who have paid taxes all their life and get little benefits in their life, only a confusion of medical insurance, and unable to pay for drugs.
These military people they want to stop taxing had a successful career in the military and most if not all their problems are not military related. They just happened to have them while they were in the military.
I am also surprized many Americans think the Iraqi and Afgan veteran problems never existed in the VA until Bush's war. Combat veterans for years have been insulted and humiliated for years. I remember one hispanic veteran asking the VA for help (who was on the Battaan Death March) was told his problems were because he drank too much, and came from a poor mexican american family. This was in 1979. True story!
Now that I said my piece I want to say Obama is more apt to help combat veterans and stramline the VA then McCain. Why? McCain never has helped vets.
McCain thinks veterans complain too much. You see in my opinion John McCain who by most standards set by the Department of Veteran Affairs has PTSD.
Well, "neiman1" you just do not know what you're talking about - this is about keeping our promises to our veterans!
Vast numbers of veterans became disabled and got under-rated. Many got rated at 50% or below and were not medically retired - so, they got ripped off on both their disability and retirement!
If we did the right thing, and fairly rated our disabled vets, and medically retired them from service, and paid, BOTH their paltry pension and nominal disability - that would go a long way towards helping the Homeless Vets get off the street! Then, we need to provide the healthcare WE (the American people, Congress and President cycle after cycle) PROMISED THEM!
NOTE to "DMZMarine" - probably half of our Disabled Vets have every conceivable medical problem associated with the extraordinaryly tough wear and tear of soldiering - and they are due medical care for everything that is wrong with them!
It's sad, but McCain has betrayed the vets - much like Gibbons did - we need to VOTE THE BUMS OUT!
I'm voting for BARACK OBAMA and JOE BIDEN - and I strongly recommend that everyone in the Military, Military Families and especially our Disabled Vets vote for SHELLEY BERKLEY (if you live in Congressional District #1), JILL DERBY (if you live in Congressional District #2) and DINA TITUS (if you live in Congressional District #3)!
"No politician is anti-veteran"?
Then where was was Titus when the Nevada State Democratic Party - under CD2 candidate Jillo Derby - PURGED the Veteran's Caucus from its body.
And the Hispanic Caucus...
And the Native American Caucus...
The Vets Caucus and the Hispanic Caucus had served Nevada Dems long and well. Yet under Derby - and WITH Titus' silence - Nevada Dems PURGED these groups JUST THIS YEAR!
Reinstate these groups and I might, just might, believe what she is saying. But as long as Nevada Dems carry this disgrace I have a hard time believing her concern for Vets.
I am sorry but I do not think high blood pressue amounts to a military disabily because of hard wear on our GI's. I do not think a broken leg in a private car wreak is from wear and tear of being a soldier.
I am for being good to our vets, but I want the Iraqi, Afgan vet with Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress getting most of the money from disability payments.
I am for the girl raped by fellow soldiers while on duty getting PTSD payments without stress of proving it in court. For years many many retired military have been getting sugar for just spending 20 years in the military.
I honor their service, but I also honor my grand parents who paid taxes for 60 years and get nothing except a maze of insurance confusion when they go to the Doctor.
The NSDP and County Democratic Parties are, sadly, seperate entities from the individual candidate campaigns - that's how dysfunctional we are in Nevada!
All of these groups are re-forming, under new rules, and effectively supporting our candidates already!
That's also why the individual campaigns make the effort to organize their own demographic support groups, e.g., Vets For Dina, Vets For Jill, etcettera...
...and why the most successful politicians in Nevada organize and build their own political machines seperate from the County and State Party, e.g. Oscar Goodman, Shelley Berkley and Harry Reid - none of them are going to place their fate in any posture dependent on the NSDP!
Shelley Berkley has done more for Veterans than any other Nevada politician in recent memory - and Jill Derby and Dina Titus are fully aware of our needs and support us - I know, this is what I do, and I've interviewed all of them!
"DMZMarine" well, I'm glad you are not writing the regulations and making medical decisions - because high blood pressure is a common symptom of many physical and mental injuries - so, don't be "sorry" about it - realize you are just wrong!
We were guaranteed life-long healthcare for our honorable service - it's that simple and if you truly are for being "good to our vets" than you should support all veterans with legitimate, service-connected disabilities...
...and don't worry about the federal budget buddy - recent events should convince you that there is plenty of money, and we can always just print more!
Jillo Derby - by any stretch of the truthful facts - cannot separate herself from the quite clear discrminative acts of purging successuful, Minority groups from the NevaDUH State Dummocratic Party as their one and only Chair at the time.
And it's taken as FACT that Boss Reid runs the NevaDUH Dums with a clenched fist, dictating every activity it undertakes in minute detail - including this disgraceful act. NOTHING passes the NevaDUH Dum party agenda that Boss Reid has not expressly approved from the top down.
Nice try, JLA, but there's not enough whitewash on the entire West Coast to cover up that which Derby and Boss Reid have done, as well as others who consented by their absence and silence on the GREAT PURGE.
Now...perhaps Titus can go to Congress and improve the quality of life for Vets; perhaps not since campaign promises are little but hypothetical posturing. But - by her actions as Dummocrat Chair - Jillo's sentiments towards Veterans are etched in stone forever. At least in my mind - if not in yours.
Oh,...btw...I looked this up: Titus shares the MOST powerful position in the NevaDUH State Dummocratic Party as "National Chairwoman". [DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF NEVADA BYLAWS (As Amended February 9, 2008 at the State Central Committee meeting in Pahrump) ARTICLE V: State Officers; Section 1(b); {http://www.nvdems.com/images/nsdp_bylaws-february2008.pdf}] (same date of the PURGE)
So...she didn't know the NSDP was purging three Minority groups? Or she didn't care? Or exactly what kept Titus from speaking up for Veterans/Hispanics/Native Americans to have a voice in the NevaDUH Dummocratic Party since she was the TopCat Co-Officer?
'Inquiring minds' want to hear this one explained away... Will Titus come forward and publicly say she will UNDO what Derby did considering her powerful and influentaial position with the Dummocrats? Or is she just pandering for votes with promises that don't match her past actions EVEN IN THE LEAST?
SOMEBODY in this state needs to speak up for Vets since neither Titus or Derby will do it! I agree, JLA, NevaDUH Dummocrats are "dysfunctional" but disagree this qualifies them for a seat in Congress.
I tried for years as a NSO in the 70's to get the government help for combat veterans. It is different now. It was hard because the system was controled by folks who was about as close to combat as Fort Knox. I have little compassion for those bad backs because of weight gain and bad habits. Yes if you have PTSD and a combat veteran high blood pressure is common. But from training. Sorry.