Results of the presidents refusal to fund Veterans Benefits:

The disability benefits and health care systems that provide services for about 5 million American veterans have been overloaded for decades and have a current backlog of more than 300,000 claims. And because they were mobilized to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, nearly 150,000 National Guard and reservist veterans had become eligible for health care and benefits as of Aug. 1. That number is rising.

At the same time, President Bush’s budget for 2005 calls for cutting the Department of Veterans Affairs staff that handles benefits claims, and some veterans report long waits for benefits and confusing claims decisions.

I’ve complained previously and extensively about the way Bush treats our soldiers. What I can’t understand is why all those flag wavers with fake yellow ribbons plastered to their cars can’t be bothered to see what is happening with the way our soldiers and veterans are being treated.

It’s as if as long as we say we’re supporting the troops, and as long as well label all those who speak out against the war traitors, we don’t have to do anything else for our soldiers.

I think that the appropriate punishment for Bush would be to force him to finish his national guard service–with the same equipment, pay, and benefits he has given the rest of our soldiers.