PLEASE SHARE THIS: "Mystery Republican Blocks Cost of Living Adjustment for Veterans"

[WilliamPitt]

Last edited Thu Sep 27, 2012, 06:57 PM - Edit history (4)

Mystery Republican Blocks Cost of Living Adjustment for Disabled Veterans

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Chairman of the Senate Veteran’s Affairs Committee, announced that an as yet unnamed Senate Republican has blocked a traditionally non-controversial bill that would provide over 3.9 million veterans and their survivors with a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for the benefits they receive. The COLA increase, which is designed to offset inflation and other factors that lead to the rising cost of living, was brought to the Senate floor by Senator Murray last Thursday. The bill was cleared by all Senate Democrats but was blocked by at least one Senate Republican that has not come forward to claim responsibility.

“This is stunning” said Senator Murray. “Particularly because we still don’t have any indication why someone would block a cost-of-living adjustment for veterans and their surviving spouses, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet. This adjustment for our disabled veterans is hard earned and well deserved. My hope is that whichever Senator has decided to hold up this bill will at least come forward to own up to it. That way we can move forward to overcome their opposition and get our veterans the support they need.”

The Veterans COLA will affect several important benefits, including veterans’ disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children. The COLA rate will match the annual increase provided to Social Security recipients and is based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index.

http://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=65d3f84b-29cb-47c0-ae77-5fea93ea6fcb

And another link: http://vetlawyers.com/vetblog/index.php/2012/09/va-cost-of-living-increase-blocked-in-the-senate/

Military.com has the story now: http://www.military.com/daily-news/2012/09/27/senator-puts-secret-hold-on-veterans-cola-bill.html?comp=7000023317828&rank=1

Navy Times: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2012/09/military-senate-delay-could-mean-late-colas-retirees-092712w/

My take: http://truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/item/17539-the-scum-of-the-earth-gop-senator-blocks-bill-to-increase-benefits-for-veterans

"The Roman method for dealing with corruption was to sew the offender into a sack with a wild animal and have that sack thrown into the river. In these enlightened days, I'd be satisfied to sew whoever blocked this legislation into a sack with five veterans who depend on the benefits earned with their blood and service, and let nature take its course."

The scum of the fucking Earth.

UPDATE: According to this Washington Post report, the hold has been removed: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/patty-murray-says-gop-senator-blocking-vets-cola-increase/2012/09/27/da47ac88-08cb-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_blog.html

Great news for veterans and their families, but still thoroughly disgusting that some coward chose to play this despicable game.

[n2doc]

1. My guess is Rand Paul n/t

[bunnies]

50. +1 nt

[Panasonic]

2. Anonymous blocks should be banned forever.

Public scrutiny and a regular beatdown of that said senator is required.

And then throw him to Afghanistan and tell him to man up and stop being a chickenhawk.

[FiveGoodMen]

9. Hear, hear!

[HooptieWagon]

42. +1000

[Kablooie]

62. Why do they allow it in the first place? It's our government, we should know who does what!

[porphyrian]

3. . n/t

[porphyrian]

63. How could any self-respecting American vote against this? n/t

[OldDem2012]

4. We need to find out which GOP senator blocked the Veterans COLA and....

....whether or not that person is running for reelection in November.

Does anyone have direct connections with The Rachael Maddow Show, The Ed Show, and The Last Word? If they don't know about this, they need to know ASAP!

[WilliamPitt]

6. They know.

[OldDem2012]

8. Cool. Thanks. nt

[patrice]

5. This is outright extortion, mob bosses threatening voters, "Do what we want, or else!"

[OldDem2012]

7. Important related link. Please read!

Medical coverage cost jumps for working-age military retirees
Tricare compromise plan kicks in Monday
[link:http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20120927/NEWS14/309270056/Medical-coverage-cost-jumps-working-age-military-retirees?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7C%7Cs|

This is how we treat our veterans, especially those who have suffered physically and mentally from combat??

Shameful at best.

[fasttense]

61. The increased cost of my TRICARE, medical benefits

will probably equal this COLA adjustment.

[freshwest]

10. Too bad the vet link doesn't mention that NO Democrats blocked this bill, which leaves it open.

Although the piece above says:

The bill was cleared by all Senate Democrats but was blocked by at least one Senate Republican that has not come forward to claim responsibility.

That's not on the second link. The GOP will spin this to say the anti-American Demoncrats did it. So I have nothing to refute this to my right-leaning disabled veteran relatives. Because they are not about to read the blog of a Democratic Party Senator. Sigh...

[Cali_Democrat]

11. How the fuck can one Senator block a bill?

[WilliamPitt]

12. Anonymous hold

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senate_hold

[Kber]

13. Since we don't know who it was

our only option is to vote against ALL republicans, isn't it.

[WilliamPitt]

14. My BuzzFlash blog post on the subject

http://truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/item/17539-the-scum-of-the-earth-gop-senator-blocks-bill-to-increase-benefits-for-veterans

[kiranon]

15. Time to vote against all Republican Senators running for reelection.

If the Republican Senators will not disclose which Republican Senator won't allow COLA increases for veterans then throw them all out. Use this against all of them in each and every state where a Republican is running for reelection. Would appeal to independent and Republican voters. Democrats won't vote for them. Blocking by anonymous Congress persons needs to end.

[MrScorpio]

16. Fucking coward. nt

[Tom Rinaldo]

17. Every Republican who does not publicly condemn this block must own it

That goes not only for all sitting Republican Senators, but all those running for the Senate. And it goes for Mitt Romney also if he does not bring his full influence to bear in removing this block.

[busterbrown]

35. Perfect!

All campaigning democrats must pounce on this story, today!

[MineralMan]

18. Because of their silence, all Republican Senators

should be held to account for this hold. Each and every one is responsible for it. And they know who put the hold on the bill, I guarantee. Someone agreed to do it, probably a Senator who is not up for re-election or who has withdrawn and is retiring.

They are all to blame, and should be blamed by every voter with a conscience.

[Care Acutely]

19. +1

[OldDem2012]

22. Agree 100%. nt

[Liberalynn]

38. +1

[heaven05]

20. i

don't have facebook or tweeter, someone please send this so it can go viral. repugthugs again!

[UrbScotty]

21. And they say there's no difference between the parties...

[TrollBuster9090]

23. No need to guess who it is. Just pressure the media to start phoning again.

Remember the last time an "anonymous Senator" blocked something, and the media just started phoning the Senators' offices to ask for a denial that it was them? I think it took about an hour to find out who blocked it.

[McCamy Taylor]

24. No way this will stay secret.

[Hutzpa]

25. They'll learn

nt.

[Pat Riot]

26. Who cares which is the Mystery Republican?

They pretty much all march in lockstep and are the same.

[atreides1]

27. Because they did it with permission from no chin McConnell!

"If the Senator provides notice privately to his or her party leadership of their intent (and the party leadership agreed), then the hold is known as a secret or anonymous hold. If the Senator actually objects on the Senate floor or the hold is publicly revealed, then the hold is more generally known as a Senatorial hold."

So it does matter.

[DollarBillHines]

43. Well, then, that leaves (at minimum) two guilty parties.

And they are fucking with me and mine.
DBH

[julian09]

28. He will probably vote himself another raise. paying for it on vets backs nt.

[Hubert Flottz]

30. They..."Support The Troops"

The GOPers.

[WestWisconsinDem]

41. they support the troops just like they are pro-life...

Support the troops (until they come home) and be pro-life... as long as that life exists within the uterus. After they're born or they come home, fuck 'em!

[Ian_rd]

46. Yeppers

[Ian_rd]

48. ...

Republicans love the idea of troops and the idea of children. They see in their head 80s action movie star style troops who never get hurt, and happy cute children born into Norman Rockwell homes of plenty.

But ACTUAL troops? And ACTUAL children? Just like you say ... Republicans think: "FUCK THEM!"

[SheilaT]

31. All they need to do is name all of the

Republicans on the committee, and say, "One of these committee members is the anonymous blocker."

Hold then ALL responsible for this shit.

[Flaxbee]

32. And I'll bet this mystery Republican firmly believes he (or she) is a "good Christian"

[DirtyDawg]

33. All you need...

All you, and the country, needs to know is that they've got 'R' next to their name. The Dems need to blast this across the nation and into military and retiree heavy states and areas before the SOB gets a chance to change their mind or the other Repigs to 'off him/her'.

[Hubert Flottz]

34. Whoever it was...

Probably gets a big kick out of knowing, that he of she has the power to make all those veterans suffer, want and need. It must give the bastard who did this a big thrill. Like shotgunning game birds as they fly from a cage.

[justice1]

36. The Democrats need to run ads in military states about this.

There is a misconception with many in the military, that Republicans are better for people that serve.

[dorksied]

37. Every time they do stuff like this they prove to the people exactly what they are. Scum.

[LiberalAndProud]

39. Imagine that, one of my (R) reps is on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.

Richard Burr, NC
Ranking Member

Johnny Isakson, GA

Roger Wicker,MS

Mike Johanns, NE

Scott Brown, MA

Jerry Moran, KS

John Boozman, AR

I think I'll drop him a note. I dropped him a note.

[tavalon]

60. Hmmm, I think it's Scott Brown

But hey, I could be wrong.

[amygdalavet]

40. AAARRRGGGHHH!!! "Mystery Republican Blocks Cost of Living Adjustment for Disabled Veterans

I am a disabled veteran of the Vietnam War.
I would have been receiving this COLA but now
the do nothing Republicans are once again proving
that they DO NOT support veterans !

I hate them all !
Bastards !

Send YOUR child off to war asshole !

Edit to add:
Oh and Thank You.

[Tumbulu]

49. Welcome to DU and thank you for your sacrifices

I hate what these republicans are doing!!!!!!!

[Ian_rd]

44. "(Mitt's) job is not to care about those people."

Ever since the great political realignment after the Civil Rights movement, the Republican Party has been based on two pillars: 1. Serve the interest of super rich, and 2. Retain political power by whipping up the prejudices and religion of the white voter, while lying to them about the effects of their economic policies.

That big lie is cracking. People are starting to "get it." Republicans are having a harder time lately with their tired bullshit lies and their true character is beginning to show to more and more people.

[Arugula Latte]

45. Let your veteran/military friends/family know about this.

Spread the word. Let's show people how Republicans "support the troops."

[alfredo]

47. Let's ID it as a Republican that is up for reelection.

[WilliamPitt]

51. Military.com has the story now

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2012/09/27/senator-puts-secret-hold-on-veterans-cola-bill.html?comp=7000023317828&rank=1

[spanone]

52. the republican party in the fucking death throes....we must rid our nation of these 'people'

this is exactly how these assholes treat veterans time after time after time.

[cr8tvlde]

53. Our President needs to weigh in on this. This is not campaigning. This is his job as a bully pulpit

Support the troops, President Obama, even if the lily-livered Republicans hide behind their proverbial "mommy skirts", and exuse me Mom, but it gets the point home.

[WilliamPitt]

54. Up

[w8liftinglady]

55. just posted on dallas news.

[kentuck]

56. Repubs thrive on the ignorance of their supporters...

It would be sad if it wasn't so damn deceitful.

[LiberalAndProud]

57. The issue has been cleared up ... just in time for Senate recess.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/patty-murray-says-gop-senator-blocking-vets-cola-increase/2012/09/27/da47ac88-08cb-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_blog.html

After Murray issued a statement Thursday morning calling the development “stunning,” the office of Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), the ranking Republican on the Senate veterans’ committee, said the issue had been resolved.

“It has cleared our side, meaning there is no hold,” David Ward, a spokesman for Burr, said Thursday afternoon.

- snip -

The bill, HR 4114, was passed by the House in July and is intended to provide more than 3.9 million veterans and their survivors with a cost-of-living adjustment to disability compensation and benefits meant to offset inflation and other factors, according to Murray’s office. The bill normally passes each year without controversy.

With the Senate out of session until Nov. 13, it will have to immediatley pass the legislation to provide the increase in time for January’s disability checks, according to Murray’s office.

[Jazzgirl]

58. K&R and read it on Buzzflash.

Thanks Will for writing such a great article. I was royally pissed when I finished reading it. Grrrrrr........

[WillyT]

59. K & R !!!