General Wes Clark says with George Bush, "talk is cheap" for veterans

[kentuck]

http://www.bangornews.com/editorialnews/article.cfm?ID=430196

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Recently President Bush addressed the VFW annual convention in Cincinnati, boasting of his administrations strong commitment to veterans. In his speech Bush claimed that "serving veterans is one of the highest priorities of my administration... We're getting the job done." But talk is cheap and the evidence to the contrary is hard to ignore.

The Bush budget for 2005 includes more than $380 million cuts in medical care for vets followed by an unimaginable $1.5 billion reduction in FY '06. Bush's 2005 VA budget is nearly $4 billion below the $33.6 billion recommended by leading veterans' organizations. Most remarkably, Bush undermined his own Cabinet official for Veteran Affairs, by budgeting $1.2 billion less than Secretary Anthony Principi's request for 2005.

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As a decorated veteran with a Silver and Bronze Star awarded to him by military leadership, John Kerry knows that members of our armed forces embody the best of America's values: service, sacrifice, courage, compassion.

I know that John Kerry will fight to protect our veterans with the same passion and bravery he displayed in the swamps of Vietnam. I know he stands firm on his proposals for mandatory funding of veterans health care, improving the responsiveness of the VA, insuring proper compensation for soldiers and their families, fully supporting the members of the National Guard and Reserves, and protecting the families who have lost a loved one in the line of duty. John Kerry has proved time and again that he will serve our country and our veterans with dignity and bravery. We need his leadership, strong steadfast and sure.

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