Let me say THIS!
I've been raising HELL (as have folks like Joe Galloway and THOUSANDS of others) for more than 20 years now! Sure I blame the demos and anyone ELSE that has had an opportunity to correct this shit in the past. BUT that's just it! They are ALL in the "PAST"! Now correct me if I'm wrong here, but I believe that Congress has been under the "control" of the Republicans for more than a decade now, right? Aren't YOU the fellow that keeps "harping" that THEY control the "purse strings" for funding?? Why the HELL haven't THEY fixed it? Not ONLY that --- but according to JG and others in several veterans organizations it's THIS DAMN ADMINISTRATION of GEE-DUBYA'S that is putting pressure on all the republican congressman to NOT vote for it! I don't believe there was ANY (not one single one, nada, zip!) democratic presidents administration that EVER attempted to try this bullshit tactic to prevent veterans legislation improvements of ANY KIND!
The "reason" this was not a 'major" issue prior to the 1980's was because they're were not that many folks who had completed 20 or more years of military service that were TOTALLY disabled and would be "eligible" for it that were WILLING to raise hell about it, even if it was able to be enacted! It's been the Vietnam era veterans along with some retired officers from WWII, and Korea that have been leading the charge to correct this shit! Most of those guys from WWII just "accepted" this as "that's what the Government said is the law" and went on about their business! It took some real HELL RAISERS from OUR generation to get this damn ball rolling!
Now let's see. Since 1969 we've had SIX republican administrations (Nixon--Ford--Reagen--Reagen--Daddy Bush and now baby Bush) for a grand total of nearly 23 years! The past THREE years with a MAJORITY of Republicans in Congress---in BOTH Houses! The democrats have had the whitehouse for 12 years during that time (Carter--Clinton--Clinton), AND for nearly EIGHT of those 12 years a democratic administraion (Clinton's) had to deal with a majority republican Congress unwilling to "negotiate" a real solution to this shit!
One MORE "point"---I do believe that the PRESIDENT and his administration submits "budget proposals" to Congress for "approval" and "consideration" to be advanced into legislation, HUH?
Show me ONE DAMN TIME where a sitting republican president since 1969 has submitted legislation proposals to correct this shit!
Not one---NADA!
OK---Maybe the TWO Democrats sitting in the Whitehouse haven't either-----BUT there have been FIVE REPUBLICANS in the whitehouse during that time who have had ELEVEN (11) more years to do it, and as yet HAVE NOT! And NOW it appears that the "majority" party is falling in line behind their "leader" and will NOT pass it now either!
So don't sit there and try and tell ME "the democrats" could have fixed this shit! Yeah, maybe so. But that's GONE NOW! The Republicans have had just as many "chances"(really MORE) to correct this as well.
But, my old Grandad told me when I went into management at newspaper back in the late 1970's---
"Son, when you're in the seat--you takes the HEAT"!
Soooooooooooooooooo, guess who's gonna "get the heat" now????
And, you know DAMN WELL he deserves it----because HE said----"HELP IS ON THE WAY"---and it was a damned, bald-faced-LIE!!!!
