[Peace-discuss] Fwd:Bush's efforts to cut off veterans' outreach funds

[jencart]

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   Saturday | August 31, 2002
   Taking stock of Bush priorities

   Krugman recently wrote about efforts by the Department of Veterans
   Affairs to give our nation's vets the shaft. Tipped off by a memo
   posted by Joshua Marshall, Krugman wrote:

     Citing "conservative OMB budget guidance" for spending on veterans'
     health care, the memo instructed subordinates to "ensure that no
     marketing activities to enroll new veterans occur within your
     networks." Veterans are entitled to medical care; but the
     administration hopes that some of them don't know that, and that it
     can save money by leaving them ignorant.

   In other words, there's a budget crunch, so let's save money by
   enrolling fewer vets. While utterly lacking in Bush's supposed
   "compassion", there could theoretically be some logic to the move.
   Probably not, but let's give the administration the benefit of the
   doubt. The message: saving money is paramount in these tough budgetary
   times.

   So how to explain this?

     One of Bush's top campaign promises was to help religious
     organizations compete for federal money to run charitable programs,
     including soup kitchens, homeless shelters and treatment for
     addiction. The House passed such a bill last year, but this fall's
     crowded legislative calendar makes passage of a Senate version
     problematic.

     So the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
     is pursuing a new agenda that does not depend on the consent of
     Congress, starting with the development of proposals to change a
     host of federal regulations to lower the barriers encountered by
     religious groups in dealing with the federal government.

     The administration also plans to stage seminars around the country
     over the next seven months to teach more than 5,000 religious
     groups how to use current law to win federally funded contracts.

   So, while the White House has ordered VA officials to cease all
   outreach efforts for our nation's veterans, as well as blocked
   congressionally appropriated funds to alleviate shortages in the
   nation's VA hospitals, the administration will conduct seminars all
   around the country to teach religious groups to spend (supposedly
   scarce) federal dollars?

   Ultimately, this is symptomatic of Bush's skewed priorities. Bush
   expects its armed forces to do the dying in pursuit of his 2004
   re-election effort. Yet, when it comes to their health care, Bush
   would rather they suffer in silence rather than jeopordize his
   faith-based initiative or precious tax cuts.
   Posted August 31, 2002 03:04 PM | Comments (2) | Trackback (0)

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