Bill @ MindSay

Just this morning, President Bush signed the new GI Bill into law. Since we are only a few days away from celebrating the 4th of July, this milestone is a fitting way to honor our veterans who have bravely served this nation.

IAVA has led the fight for the new GI Bill from the beginning, and your dedication over the past year and a half ensured that our lawmakers kept it a top priority. Over 20,000 of you called your representatives in Congress, spread the word in your communities and signed the petition at www.GIBill2008.org. Thanks to your hard work, we finally achieved our goal.

Generations of veterans to come will benefit from this bill. Your support in this fight has been overwhelming- very few bills in recent history have received such an outpouring of public support. Together, we can be extremely proud of this victory.

In a few days, we'll let you know more about this remarkable bill and how IAVA plans to help veterans take full advantage of these new benefits.

Thank you for standing with IAVA throughout this fight.

Sincerely,

I went by Dorinda's desk (a lady that I work with) she was on the phone with our IT guy Bill and she asked if he'd like to talk to me. He didn't need to but he asked if I had packed up and moved yet.  Dorinda laughed and like stared me down and said no that I wasn't leaving.  And I guess he said don't go after a shark there's plenty of fish in the sea.  Or something like that.  I felt so awkward. He's the same one that kicked my chair last Friday and told me to wake up lol and called me smiley in the hallway.  He's a nice guy, but I have no idea how he knew about it.  *sigh* I guess I get to be the office gossip for the moment.

Vitter To Introduce Concealed Carry Reciprocity

Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://www.gunowners.org/

Wednesday, June 18, 2008


Senator David Vitter (R-LA) is planning to introduce a concealed carry reciprocity bill next week.

Senator Vitter had been working closely with Gun Owners of America to draft and file a reciprocity amendment a few weeks ago, but that amendment, unfortunately, never saw the light of day -- thanks to powerful opponents inside the Senate.

However, Sen. Vitter has continued undaunted and last week sent a Dear Colleague letter to his fellow senators, asking them to cosponsor his forthcoming bill, the "Respecting States Rights and Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act."

The Vitter bill treats concealed carry permits much the same as drivers' licenses, where one state's license is recognized in all other states.

In addressing the matter of reciprocity, the first concern of GOA and Sen. Vitter is that it be done constitutionally and that it respects states' rights.

Unlike another senate reciprocity measure, S. 388, Vitter's bill does not establish "national standards" for concealed carry. It simply says that states that allow concealed carry must recognize the CCW permits of other states.

Vitter's bill also respects the rights of states that allow concealed carry without a permit. Citizens of Vermont and non-license holders in Alaska are allowed to carry concealed without a permit. Under the Vitter bill, these states would be recognized in the same manner as states that do issue permits.

States that do not allow concealed carry at all are not forced, under the Vitter bill, to recognize out-of-state permits. There are currently two such states, Illinois and Wisconsin. While it is deplorable that these states refuse to trust their citizens with firearms, this is an issue that has to be dealt with at the state level.

Citizens should not be forced to sacrifice their right to self-defense at the state line. The Vitter bill will allow more Americans to defend themselves away from their home state.

Action: Please urge your two Senators to become original cosponsors of the Vitter "Respecting States Rights and Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act."

You can visit the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at:

http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm

to send your Senators the pre-written e-mail message below.

----- Prewritten letter -----

Dear Senator,

Senator David Vitter is planning to introduce a concealed carry reciprocity bill next week.

The bill, the "Respecting States Rights and Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act," will allow citizens who are permitted to carry concealed in their home state, to carry in all states that allow concealed carry.

This bill does not establish national concealed carry standards, but takes a sound constitutional approach that respects states' rights.

I urge you to contact Senator Vitter and become an original cosponsor of this legislation.

Sincerely,

WOW!  We got a bill from the IRS for ~$45,000.  I don't know how they got things so wrong and now I have to figure out a way to prove that they are crazy.  Can't I just write to them and tell them they are crazy?!  I guess that probably will not work.  Luckly, I have all of my documents for the year in questions and did my taxes on H&R Block's TaxCut software, so hopefully the "you've got people" company will help sort this out.  Someone said that I can make an appointment with the IRS and explain that there is no way I could ever owe that much and then it would just clear itself up... in the mean time a bill for more than I will make in the next two years of grad school and for ~4 times what I am spending on my own wedding is a bit intimidating!

TRAVELING DOWN OUR NATIONS HIGHWAYS AS MY HUBBY AND I DO MOST EVERYDAY ,I NOTICE ON A LOT OF OUR CARS AND OTHER VEHICLES THAT TRAVEL THE ROADS, THAT MANY DISPLAY A YELLOW OR PATRIOTIC RIBBON ON THE SIDES OF THEIR VEHICLES THAT SAY 'WE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS' AND I WONDER JUST HOW ARE THE SUPPORTING THEM? BY DISPLAYING THE BUPPER STICKER? IS THAT TRULY CONSIDERED SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS, OUR VETERANS OUR HEROES? SURELY YOU JEST. I SAY SUPPORT THEM BY DEMANDING THAT YOUR REPRESENTIVES DO THE RIGHT THING, SUPPORT THE NEW G.I. BILL, A BILL THAT  THE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE  JOHN MC CAIN ,WILL NOT DO !!! WHILE HE IS  WILLING TO GO TO IRAG AND USE THEM AND IMAGES OF OUR TROOPS TO TRY TO GET HIM ELECTED, HE USES THEM AS  A POLITICAL PLOY ALL THE WHILE, THERE IS A BILL IN CONGRESS  ON THE RIGHT AND HUMANE TREATMENT OF OUR VETERANS HE WILL NOT SUPPORT. SO COME ON AMERICANS AND DO THE RIGHT THING, DONATE TO VETERAN CAUSES, CALL AND DEMAND YOUR CONGRESSWO/MAN TO SUPPORT THE NEW G.I. BILL AND ANYTHING THAT KEEPS OUR TROOPS ALIVE, LIKE GETTING OUT OF IRAQ FOR ONE THING!

 

updated: January 30, 2008
 
Summary

 

More than 1.5 million troops have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.1 30,000 troops are counted among those wounded in action.2 But hundreds of thousands of others have suffered injuries not recorded in the official tally, including the many veterans with serious mental health problems. These veterans are overwhelming the military and veterans’ health care and disability systems.

As a result, hundreds of thousands of wounded troops and veterans are being forced to wait months and even years for medical appointments and disability compensation. Some veterans with serious mental health problems have committed suicide while waiting for counseling, and others have fallen into debt awaiting compensation from the military or Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

A major cause of the delays is the maze of paperwork that troops and veterans must navigate to get care or benefits. The military and the VA have separate health care systems and separate disability benefits systems, each with an exceptionally complicated and confusing bureaucracy.

The medical care offered through the Department of Defense (DOD) is some of the most advanced in the world. But some wounded troops are suffering delays in treatment because the military does not use a consistent digital medical records system. Moreover, troops too wounded to continue their service must chaperone complicated paperwork through an arduous and confusing process of medical evaluation. Some veterans’ advocates believe the Army is taking advantage of troops’ confusion to lower disability ratings and save money. According to the Dole-Shalala Commission tasked with addressing the problems faced by troops at Walter Reed, less than 40% of wounded troops say they are satisfied with the disability evaluation system.

For those who have left military service, the Veterans Affairs system can provide health care and benefits. Unfortunately, the transition from the DOD to the VA is far from seamless. Crucial DOD paperwork, including medical records and military service records, regularly gets lost in the shuffle from DOD to VA. Moreover, the transition from top-echelon military hospitals to a local VA facility can mean a reduced standard of care.

Changes to VA eligibility rules have restricted access to VA health care and contributed to the 1.8 million veterans who lack health insurance. But even for those veterans with access to the VA system, delays and bureaucratic hurdles are commonplace. High demand has created a huge backlog for mental health treatment, making care “virtually inaccessible” at some clinics, according to at least one high-ranking VA official.

The VA disability benefits system is also massively backlogged. There are about 400,000 pending disability claims, including 83,000 that have been waiting six months or more. The average wait-time for a disability claim is 183 days, or about six months. For claims that are appealed, the wait-time skyrockets to 657 days, or almost two years. Despite the backlog, the VA’s claims processing staff has not substantially increased. In the meantime, veterans too wounded to work are often unable to support themselves or their families.

The public outrage over bureaucratic neglect and shoddy conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center shined a light on the many problems facing wounded troops and veterans. A wide array of recommendations has been made, but whether these solutions will be effectively implemented remains to be seen.