REPUBLICANS DON'T SUPPORT OUR TROOPS

The republicans have had control of the government for the last eight years. Six of those years they controlled all of the government. During that time we have spent more than $500,000,000,000 on a war. But little of this unbelievable amount has gone to help troops in the field, in barracks in the US and the biggest shame, to help our wounded vets.

Where has the money gone? Well, right off the bat Bremer lost approx $10,000,000,000 in cash. It just got lost. Halliburton, GE, Blackwater, and other profiteers have had no trouble getting their money. Some times even for projects they never completed. But did our troops get the body armor when they needed it? NO! The Blackwater mercenaries did. Did our troops get the blast protected Humvees? NO! The Blackwater mercenaries did. Did our troops get decent housing in barracks. NO! They got rotting, moldy, leaky, disgusting barracks.

And what have the republicans done for our wounded vets, the young people that we sent to Iraq to fight a war for nothing, they get poor service and a mountain of bureaucracy. The Nation magazine (Sept) has an excellent article on this issue and they state, “In 2007, 32,000 veterans appealed the VA’s initial ruling. They waited an average of three and a half years for their appeals to be processed.” This is a crime. These people that got wounded in battle have been ignored by the very republicans that were so eager to send them to battle. The republicans have pulled out all stops to get their contractor friends “no bid” contracts and their money, but somehow have failed to help out the wounded veterans.

John McCain says he doesn’t like big government. But in the last eight years he has supported the Bush administrations push for bigger government. And John McCain says he supports his fellow soldiers and veterans, but he voted consistently against increases to vet benefits, and he has supported republican filibusters stopping Democratic legislation aimed at streamlining the bureaucracy hurting our wounded vets.

When republicans say, support our troops, they mean support our contractors.