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Wake up Minnesota

Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty, (rafflaw), Guest Blogger

The other day I came across an article about Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, who has a big idea to save money in the Federal budget.  When I read the article I was disappointed because Rep. Bachmann’s idea to save $4.5 Billion from the Federal budget is to take it away from Veterans disability payments.  “The Air Force Times reports her plan would slice $4.5 billion from the VA, including reducing 150,000 veterans’ disability compensation and the amount they receive in Social Security Disability Income.”       http://thinkprogress.org/2011/01/28/bachmann-veterans/   Now, I am all for saving money from waste and inefficiencies, but Rep. Bachmann’s idea would take it from our wounded heroes!

I wish I could say I was making this up.  Rep. Bachmann has tried to downplay the report by claiming that it was meant to start a discussion on saving Federal dollars.  A few questions come to my mind for Rep. Bachmann and any other politician of any stripe that thinks the way to save money is to reduce the already paltry disability payments now being made to the disabled Veterans who protected us and allowed us to have this free discussion on budgetary issues. Why should the wounded vets lose their disability payments or have them reduced, when this very same politician went to the mat to save the almighty tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans that added billions to the deficit?  Should any soldier, Marine, sailor or Airman or any military person give up their limbs, their health and all too often, their lives in order to come home to politicians who want to sweep their injuries under the table, because they are just too costly?

Thankfully, the VFW, DAV, and many other Veterans organizations have come out publicly to blast Bachmann for suggesting that the United State of America can’t afford to take care of its wounded Veterans.  I think the National Commander of the VFW, Richard L. Eubank’s words say it best. ‘ “I want her to look those disabled veterans in the eye and tell them their service and sacrifice is too expensive for the nation to bear.” ‘ 

I am particularly sensitive to these issues of Veterans benefits, because my Mother and my siblings and I benefitted greatly from VA and Social Security benefits while growing up. Without them, I may not have been able to attend college and my mother would have been destitute trying to feed and house her 5 children.  These payments are vitally important to survivors, let alone the men and women who are disabled!  Where is your shame Rep. Bachmann?

I have two more questions.  First, to the people of the 6th Congressional District in Minnesota;  What were you thinking when you reelected this ungrateful person to Congress?  Second, to all who are reading this post, don’t you think we can find better ways to save this money without terrorizing our wounded warriors?

Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty (rafflaw), Guest Blogger

39 thoughts on “Wake up Minnesota”

  1. So let me get this straight, Bachmann, a congressman, makes a budget proposal to save $400 Billion Dollars out of the budget… and because there’s an item proposed in the budget to cut something most people don’t think should be cut, now is the time for ad hominem attacks. It was a proposal, it wasn’t a mandate.

    Yes, I can see from the responses to this story that most people here are reasonable, intelligent people who don’t sensationalize, jump to conclusions, or make up exaggerated stories.

    I wish there was a sarcasm font.

  2. Stamford,
    I like bullpucky, I just had not seen it in awhile.
    Wayne in Minnesota,
    I think we made it clear that the 6th Congressional District voters are to blame for Ms. Bachmann.

  3. Please don’t blame ALL Minnesotans. Kindly restrict your criticisms to the majority of the voters in Minnesota 6. The rest of us have no control over who buys the St. Cloud – to – Stillwater vote. (Minnesota 5 is Keith Ellison’s district.)

  4. Lottakatz:

    I am amazed also. No lie, outright lie, is too great to spin and no other Republican, no matter how craven, stupid or downright dangerous is beneath anything but their public support. This is not a party that has the best interest of the country in mind IMO.

    ———————————————————

    I agree. There isn’t anything that has come from the Right that shows me it is serious about doing what is best for the country. In 2010, they ran on repealing healthcare and creating jobs. What have they done so far? Wasted time on a symbolic vote that the House knew full well wouldn’t move into the Senate and introduced legislation that pushes women further into 2nd class citizenry. Oh, and Paul and Vitter want to repeal the 14th Amendment. Our tax dollars hard at work!

    So, John of Orange, where are the jobs?

    ———————————————————-

    rafflaw:

    LOL – I’ve been trying to cut down on using more “colorful” language. I thought bullpucky appropriate!

  6. RE: ekeyra, January 30, 2011 at 12:01 pm

    You cant proclaim your desire to end the war and support the people who choose to pull the trigger in it at the same time.

    ###############################

    I guess you never heard of florid psychosis?

  7. I wonder if congress was paid in performance bonuses…how much they would learn…..I am sure it would turn into the golden parachute….while we got the Golden Shower…..its that trickle down theory that I worry about….

  8. You cant proclaim your desire to end the war and support the people who choose to pull the trigger in it at the same time.

  9. Lotta

    “The only politician that consistently responds ‘stop the war’ when asked about the spending/deficit matters is Kucinich.”

    Ron paul slip your mind?

  11. I remember when Barney Frank said that for conservatives the right to life begins at conception and ends at birth. Now the need to Support The Troops begins at deployment (although even this has limits, see Body Armor, Lack Of) and ends when they return home.

  12. Blouise and Buckeye, thank you.

    The only politician that consistently responds ‘stop the war’ when asked about the spending/deficit matters is Kucinich. That is (IMO) the lowest of the low hanging fruit for a politician to pick yet Kucinich is the only one that has spoken out and voted against funding it from the very beginning.

    He did though vote for the Use of Military Force Against Terrorists Act in 2002, the license used to proceed to war.

  13. While I’m on the subject of craven and dangerous this is an update on the Jan Brewer death panels including the list of 26 ways to pay for the needed medical care. Rep. Daglas was on the Ed Show or The Last Word last week. He had forwarded the list to the Governor’s office. They did not contact him so he called the Governor’s office. He was told that at this time the suggestions would not be implemented. He hopes ‘they’ will change their mind(s). Jan Brewer has blood on her hands.

    Article excerpt and list:
    On the face of it you might presume Brewer enacted these draconian measures because she had no choice—as she has argued, Arizona’s budget hole is too huge to accommodate expensive surgeries. And you would be wrong. Rep. Steven Daglas, Republican from Illinois, sent the Governor a list of 26 different ways to come up with the mere $1 million plus, which, combined with federal matching funds, would pay for the transplants. Options include allotting a portion of the annual $8.5 million in Arizona’s unclaimed lottery prize winnings, allocating much of the more than $2 million settlement with AIG, and cutting Arizona State University’s unnecessary and bloated out-of-state travel appropriations.

    http://www.splicetoday.com/politics-and-media/is-the-governor-of-arizona-evil
    ****

    The list of 26 ways to fund the shortage:
    http://www.arizona98.com/funding_solutions.aspx

  14. Standardized I.Q. Test- Question 1:

    Which one of the following Minnesotans wasn’t qualified to be President of the United States of America?

    1. Hubert Humphrey
    2. Eugene McCarthy
    3. Walter Mondale
    4. Paul Wellstone
    5. Michele Bachmann

  15. Stamford Yankee: “It was rather amusing watching Jack Kingston try to spin Bachmann’s silly graph. Just goes to show how much those, particularly on the right, cherry-pick what they want their constituents to hear,…”
    —–

    I am amazed also. No lie, outright lie, is too great to spin and no other Republican, no matter how craven, stupid or downright dangerous is beneath anything but their public support. This is not a party that has the best interest of the country in mind IMO.

  17. I am very glad Bachmann is in Congress. Her being there informs me of some of the limits of human experience which I have never encountered, and determinedly hope to never encounter.

    It is also interesting as a way of comprehending more of the astonishing properties of human brain plasticity.

    Yet, I am also glad that she does not represent Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District, which includes Detroit Lakes. I would like to feel safe in going to the next Class of ’57 reunion.

    People in the 7th District seem to me to be reasonably awake…

    Based on their Congressman, who resides in Detroit Lakes…

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