<html><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><div>Paul Rumelhart so warmly suggests:</div><div><br></div><div>"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium; ">Well, that's the problem with across-the-board budget cuts, isn't it? Nobody is going to be pleased."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium;"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium;">That's right, Mr. Rumelhart. Many of us will be unjustly displeased; especially that retired veteran sitting in an ICU waiting room . . . hoping for news about his/her spouse that will give his mind some rest . . . as health insurance support that (s)he depends so heavily upon is reduced . . . so as not to cause a tax burden on the filthy, unimaginably rich.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium;"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium;">Happy New Year, America.<br></span><br><div>Seeya later, Moscow.</div><div><br></div><div>Tom Hansen</div><div>Spokane, Washington</div><div><br></div><div>"If not us, who?</div><div>If not now, when?"</div><div><br></div><div>- Unknown</div></div><div><br>On Jan 2, 2012, at 9:50 AM, Paul Rumelhart <<a href="mailto:godshatter@yahoo.com">godshatter@yahoo.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><div></div><blockquote type="cite"><div>
<br>
Well, that's the problem with across-the-board budget cuts, isn't
it? Nobody is going to be pleased.<br>
<br>
We have to cut budgets, and since nobody in Congress can agree on
which way is up, this is our only real solution.<br>
<br>
We have to cut back on how much we spend, since our spending is out
of control. It's ridiculous.<br>
<br>
Paul<br>
<br>
On 01/02/2012 09:31 AM, Tom Hansen wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:42041143-EA68-4C9A-95B1-90C71656374A@moscow.com" type="cite">
<div>Nice, huh?</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Courtesy of the January 9, 2012 edition of the Army Times.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>------------------------------</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;
font-size: medium;"><span class="maintitle" style="font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold;
color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b>Budget cuts could slash $1B from vets
health care</b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium;"><span class="subtitle" style="font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 0.9em; font-weight:
bold;"><b> <br>
Lawmakers may reverse on promises not to cut VA</b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size:
medium;"><br>
</span>
<p style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium;" align="justify"><span class="abody" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;
font-size: 0.8em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">By Rick Maze</span><span class="abody" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;
font-size: 0.8em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br>
<br>
As veterans groups face the pos sible automatic,
across-the-board cuts in federal spending that could begin in
2013, fear of the unknown is strong.<br>
<br>
The Budget Control Act of 2011</span><span class="abody" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size:
0.8em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> is “imprecise,” says a House
staff member who has been trying to advise lawmakers on how
the Vet erans Affairs Department would fare if $1.2 trillion
in automatic budget cuts are ordered Jan. 2, 2013.<br>
<br>
Veterans disability, survivor, education and training
benefits, and low-income pensions are exempt from the
automatic cuts, a process known as sequestra tion. But it is
unclear whether veterans health care funds are protected.<br>
<br>
</span><span class="abody" style="font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em; color: rgb(0, 0,
0);">A 2 percent cut in veterans health care funding appears
possi ble under some readings of the law — and its references
back to the 1985 Balanced Budget and Emer gency Deficit
Control Act, more commonly known as the Gramm-Rudman Act.<br>
<br>
“We have not heard any specifics, only vague references that
earlier pledges not to cut VA health care or benefits may not
be honored by Congress,” said David Autry of Disabled American
Veter ans. “That is worrisome.” With a health care budget of
about $51 billion to serve 6.2 million patients, a sequester
could </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size:
15px;">result in a $1 billion cut at a time when the
population of Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans seeking
treatment for the physical and mental wounds of war is on the
rise. </span></p>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;
font-size: medium;"><span class="abody" style="font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em; color: rgb(0, 0,
0);">Some patients, particularly veterans who do not have
serviceconnected disabilities, could be turned away, say
representatives of veterans groups who have studied the
potential impact. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium;"><br>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;
font-size: medium;"><br>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;
font-size: medium;"><span class="abody" style="font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em; color: rgb(0, 0,
0);">Fear of devastating cuts from sequestration is partly why
leaders of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs committees
were willing in October to propose cuts in veterans benefits. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size:
medium;"><br>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;
font-size: medium;"><br>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;
font-size: medium;"><span class="abody" style="font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em; color: rgb(0, 0,
0);">A joint letter signed by Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and
Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Reps. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., and Bob
Filner, D-Calif., the leaders of the committees, acknowledged
that a plausible legal interpretation of the budget law puts
veterans medical funds at risk for cuts. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size:
medium;"><br>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;
font-size: medium;"><br>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;
font-size: medium;"><span class="abody" style="font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em; color: rgb(0, 0,
0);">We would rather make the difficult decisions now so that
we may never reach that possibility down the road, the four
lawmakers said in a letter to the Joint Select Committee on
Deficit Reduction that tried but failed to come up with an
overall $1.2 trillion deficit reduction package that would
have avoided sequestration. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size:
medium;"><br>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;
font-size: medium;"><br>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;
font-size: medium;"><span class="abody" style="font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em; color: rgb(0, 0,
0);">The four were so concerned about harm to the VA health
care budget that they were willing to take some controversial
actions, including capping annual increases in GI Bill
benefits at a level below increases in tuition. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size:
medium;"><br>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;
font-size: medium;"><br>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;
font-size: medium;"><span class="abody" style="font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em; color: rgb(0, 0,
0);">Miller, the House Veterans Affairs Committee chairman,
said any automatic cuts would have a negative impact on VAs
health care system and its ability to properly care for our
veterans. He expressed frustration that the White House and
VA have not clarified the situation. I have raised this
concern numerous times in the past few months, but I am still
waiting to hear, he said. It is now incumbent on the
administration to clarify this issue immediately for veterans
once and for all. Ryan Gallucci of Veterans of Foreign Wars
said there is still time to fight to protect veterans
programs. Since no one seems to know for sure, we have a year
to make our case to preserve our earned veterans benefits,
said Gallucci, VFWs deputy national legislative director. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size:
medium;"><br>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;
font-size: medium;"><br>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;
font-size: medium;"><span class="abody" style="font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em; color: rgb(0, 0,
0);">Its important for our members to call and write
Congress to explain why these programs are important and why
our veterans need them to remain intact. In a Nov. 22
statement to its members, the VFW warns that sequestration
could lead to increases in co-payments for medical visits and
prescription drugs for veterans, and an increase in the
enrollment fee for veterans who sign up for VA treatment but
do not have service-connected health issues. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size:
medium;"><br>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;
font-size: medium;"><br>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;
font-size: medium;"><span class="abody" style="font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em; color: rgb(0, 0,
0);">Signed by Robert Wallace, executive director of VFWs
Washington office, the statement encourages members to contact
lawmakers to press for a full VA exemption to sequestration. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size:
medium;"><br>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;
font-size: medium;"><br>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;
font-size: medium;"><span class="abody" style="font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em; color: rgb(0, 0,
0);">Over the next year, many in Congress as well as
thousands of registered lobbyists will be working hard to
protect their special interests and programs, the VFW
statement says. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium;"><br>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;
font-size: medium;"><br>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;
font-size: medium;"><span class="abody" style="font-family:
Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em; color: rgb(0, 0,
0);">We must all work hard to protect the Department of
Veterans Affairs health, benefits and cemetery
administrations, as well as all military quality of life
programs for the troops, their families and military
retirees. </span></span>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>------------------------------<br>
<br>
<div>Seeya later, Moscow.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Tom Hansen</div>
<div>Spokane, Washington</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>"If not us, who?</div>
<div>If not now, when?"</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>- Unknown</div>
</div>
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