George W. Bush - AWOL from Supporting our Troops

Between tax cuts for the rich, war profits for Halliburton, or support for our troops - which does the Bush Administration choose, time and time again?

* Bush Administration cuts $1.5 billion from military family housing. The Bush Administration cut $1.5 billion for military family housing, despite Department of Defense statistics showing that in 83,000 barracks and 128,860 family housing units across the country are below standard. ("Nothing But Lip Service," Army Times, June 30, 2003; "House Appropriations Committee Approves $59.2 Million for Ft. Hood," U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards Press Release, June 17, 2003)

* Bush Republicans support millionaires instead of military veterans. Bush allies in Congress stopped efforts to scale back the tax cut for the nation's millionaires by just five percent - a loss of just $4,780 for the year - in order to restore this funding for military family housing. ("The Tax Debate Nobody Hears About," Washington Post, June 17, 2003)

* Bush Administration underfunded veterans' health care by $2 billion. The Bush Administration's 2004 budget underfunded veterans' health care by nearly $2 billion. ("Vets Health Low on Bush's Priority List," The Hill, September 17, 2003; "Support for Troops Questioned," Washington Post, June 17, 2003; U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs, September 2002)

* Bush Administration proposal would end health care benefits for 173,000 veterans. More than 173,000 veterans across the country would be cut off from health care because of Bush Administration proposed budget cuts and its plan requiring enrollment fees and higher out-of-pocket costs. ("Support for Troops Questioned," Washington Post, June 17, 2003)

* Bush Administration budget cuts force more than 200,000 veterans to wait for health care. Over 200,000 United States veterans have to wait more than six months for a medical visit because of health care shortages. ("VA Health Care Funding Alert," Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Press Release, January 31, 2003)

* Bush Administration opposed plan to give National Guard and Reserve Members access to health insurance. Despite the war efforts of America's National Guard and Reserve Members, the Bush Administration announced in October 2003 its formal opposition to give the 1.2 million Guard and Reserve members the right to buy health care coverage through the Pentagon's health plan. One out of every five Guard members lacks health insurance. ("Bush Opposes Health Plan for National Guard," Gannett News Service, October 23, 2003)

* Bush Administration cuts $172 million allotted for educating the children of military personnel. The Bush Administration's 2004 budget cut $172 million of impact aid funding. Impact aid funding assists school districts by making up for lost local tax revenue from tax-exempt property, such as military bases. These education cuts will especially affect school-age children of troops serving in Iraq who reside on military bases. ("Support for Troops Questioned," Washington Post, June 17, 2003)

* Bush Administration tax cut denies military families increase in child tax credit. The families of 262,000 children of military personnel do not receive the child tax credit increase because the plan fails to cover taxpaying families with incomes between $10,500 and $26,625. According to The Washington Post, the House version of the Bush Administration plan "wouldn't help many of those serving in Iraq." One solider who will not benefit is Army Specialist Shoshana Johnson, the soldier and single mother who was wounded twice in the same convoy as Jessica Lynch. ("Ex-POW's Family Accuses Army of Double Standard on Benefit," Washington Post, October 24, 2003; "The New Senate Child Credit Legislation - What It Does and Does Not Do," Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, June 25, 2003; "Whose Child Is Left Behind," Children's Defense Fund, July 23, 2003)




"He volunteered to go to Vietnam."

-- Bush campaign chairman Marc Racicot [2/23/04], on National Public Radio

"No, I didn't."

-- President Bush, Feb. 8, responding to a question on NBC's "Meet the Press" about whether he volunteered to go to Vietnam

Apparently, all you need to do to "Support the Troops" is slap a yellow ribbon on the back of you car.

God damn, I really feel bad for the troops. Bullets coming from the front and getting fucked at home.

What is sad is that half the people that have those stickers don't have a clue. They might as well just have "All Hail Bush" stickers. I was driving along (in uniform, in a NAVY Vehicle) yesterday, and a guy pulled up along side, yelled at me for going too slow (I was doing 5mph OVER the limit) and then he cut me off dangerously. The tailgate of his truck had 6 "Support Our Troops" magnets on it, so I guess he REALLY supports his troops, except when they aren't driving fast enough...

It's horrible. I bet over half the people who have them on their cars bought them because everyone else has one. "Support Our Troops" is the pop-culture craze right now. It's popular to slap magnetic yellow ribbons that say "Support Our Troops" right now, and that's why people do it. The business aspect is ingenius because so many people sympathize with our service men and women right now that I bet a majority of them feel somehow obligated to do it. Of course, there are people who do it simply because the feel very strongly about it. But I refuse to believe they are in the majority. It almost makes me sick. After 9/11, the pop-culture thing to do was to put an American flag....everywhere. I thought back then, damn....it took a horrible catastrophe and thousands of deaths to make people realize they love this country. I know, it's called rally around the flag and it's common after national tragedies. But still, I mean...we get attacked and now all of a sudden we're proud to be Americans? Too many people took and probably still take what we have for granted. Putting magnets on your car that say God Bless America and Support Our Troops don't make you automatically exempt from this.

Exactly. I agree 100%. And that is not to say that if you have one on your car, you are wrong... I have one on my car, I stole it from a car that had U.S. Government License plates (I think it's silly and obvious to have such a magnet on a government vehicle, it's kind of already said). My thing is this, if you have a magnet on your car, and you have a reason (e.g.: You are a soldier, you have family or friends who are soldiers, you are in anyway close to a soldier etceteras...) then that's fine. Otherwise if you want to show your support, do something to support your troops before you get a magnet. Write a letter, mail a care package, send an e-mail, send some magazines, anything, but DO something.

We need a woman for president now more than ever. We need someone who is clear thinking and level headed. And we need someone who is not going to send our boys off to fight and die for frivalous reasons.

I agree with that.

tadpole you forgot

"The White House parries the charge by pointing to pay raises for the troops of more than 15 percent under Bush, privatizing of troops' housing, and large increases in defense spending -- all resulting in record retention rates in the military. Bush aides also counter that the president proposed the largest-ever increase in discretionary spending for the Veterans Administration in his 2004 budget.

"The commander in chief has restored respect, pride, pay, training and the quality of life for our active-duty military and veterans," said Trent Duffy, spokesman for Bush's Office of Management and Budget. "His special bond with our troops only grows stronger by shallow attempts to weaken it." "

from your source ("Support for Troops Questioned," Washington Post, June 17, 2003)

also what about clinton? "Over eight years, OMB's Duffy said, the Clinton administration proposed cutting a total of $100 million in such funds"

Yeah you are right, making our life at home slightly better sure is worth being sent away for years to die in a fools errand... What good do nicer barracks and more pay do if you are in the dessert and die before you can use them? I am not against war, I am very for it in many cases, but not to support a personal vendetta.

Clinton didn't send thousands of U.S. troops to the grave either.