Vets Call On Obama To Fire Alan Simpson

A major veterans organization called on President Obama to remove Alan Simpson from the deficit commission for questioning why veterans are not "helping us to save the country" by foregoing health care benefits promised in return for their military service.

On Tuesday, Simpson, a former Republican senator from Wyoming and currently the co-chair of a deficit commission looking into spending cuts, decried "the irony that the veterans who saved this country are now, in a way, not helping us to save the country in this fiscal mess."

Simpson wants to cut the national debt by slashing benefits for veterans. VoteVets.org, which represents 50,000 veterans and family members, has had enough. The group's chairman, Jon Soltz, said that veterans had been concerned by comments Simpson made disparaging Social Security, calling it "a milk cow with 310 million tits!" and suggesting that military pay be frozen.

The "final straw," writes Soltz, was Simpson calling for veterans' benefits to be cut.

"President Obama, this week you called for all Americans to honor and thank our troops. I know you agree that honoring our troops can't just be lip service. And the best way to honor those who serve our country is to make sure that we take care of them once they return home," he writes. "It has become all too clear that Senator Simpson cannot be trusted to objectively review the budget and make impartial recommendations about our nation's economic priorities. We ask that you remove him from his current position so that the commission can continue its work in a way that will give the military community--and all Americans--confidence in the conclusions it reaches."

The full letter:

September 2, 2010

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC

Dear Mr. President,

I write to you as the chairman of VoteVets, a pro-military organization comprised of over 50,000 veterans and military families and another 50,000 civilian supporters, about the head of your Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, former Senator Alan Simpson.

We have long been concerned about Senator Simpson's troubling pattern of denigrating those who rely on Social Security. As you are aware, of the more than 23 million veterans, almost half--approximately 10 million--collect Social Security benefits. And that number has quadrupled since the 1960s.

So you can see why Senator Simpson's comments referring to people on Social Security as "greedy geezers" and "lesser people" were so troubling. And his recent email to the Older Women's League where he accused the executive director of "babbling into the vapors" in her work to protect the vital program while referring to it as "a milk cow with 310 million tits" has only deepened our concern.

We were also troubled when reports surfaced in August that Senator Simpson was interested in using the commission as a means to freeze military pay and raise the amounts that service members pay for their healthcare.

But then on Tuesday, Senator Simpson actually put veteran's benefits on the chopping block, too, blaming disabled veterans for the country's fiscal situation. And for us, that is the final straw.

President Obama, this week you called for all Americans to honor and thank our troops. I know you agree that honoring our troops can't just be lip service. And the best way to honor those who serve our country is to make sure that we take care of them once they return home. That means strengthening the vital programs we rely on, including Social Security and veterans' health care, not undermining them as Senator Simpson seems intent on doing.

It has become all too clear that Senator Simpson cannot be trusted to objectively review the budget and make impartial recommendations about our nation's economic priorities. We ask that you remove him from his current position so that the commission can continue its work in a way that will give the military community--and all Americans--confidence in the conclusions it reaches.

Sincerely,

Jon Soltz
Iraq War Veteran
Chairman, VoteVets.org

Comments

[Grumpy Old Dude]

05:43 PM on 09/04/2010

I purposely waited until now to reply to this story because I was so angry. As a disabled Vietnam veteran I supported Capt. Soltz and VoteVets.o­rg stance on the building of the Islamic cultural center in New York, but Capt. Soltz with a due respect I think you are being a little naive here. You should know by now the Repubs always support us and wave the flag of patriotism when they want to send us off to do their fighting for them but when we come home injured or disabled they don't even acknowledg­e our existence. Capt. Soltz, if you check you will find that the Veterans Administra­tion always does better financiall­y when there is either a Democratic President or a Democratic controlled (both Houses) Congress. Face it Capt. sunshine patriots=R­epublicans­.

[sl26]

09:38 PM on 09/04/2010

Grumpy Old Dude: You're right! What i don't understand is why some vets continue to support the 'chicken hawks' who sent them off to war on a lie and without bullet-pro­of vests. Even with all that Obama has done to support them many choose to hate him. Here is a list:

1. The largest percentage increases to the VA budget in the past 30 years

2. Help for 200,000 Vietnam vets who may have been exposed to Agent Orange, as well as help for Gulf War vets with specific infectious diseases

3. Eliminatin­g co-pays for catastroph­ically disabled veterans

4. Increased funding for veterans' health care across the board

5. Eliminatin­g delays both in the funding for medical care and the claims process
pooling the wisdom of VA employees to help cut through red tape
and an ongoing fight to end homelessne­ss amongst veterans, which has already seen significan­t progress.

Disabled veterans’ website posted a report:

http://dav­wi.org/

[ocatty]

02:33 AM on 09/04/2010

C'mon. Vets can pay for their own damn medical care. So can the elderly and the seriously ill. And the unemployed should stop looking to the government for handouts just because they can no longer afford to pay rent or buy food. After all, what's more important? Propping up these people who claim to need our help? Or ensuring that our most benevolent folks like the Koch Brothers, Halliburto­n, Anthem Blue Cross, and BP, accumulate 90% of the nation's wealth?

[ocatty]

02:25 AM on 09/04/2010

If President Obama insists on having a Simpson on the deficit commission­, we'd be better off with Homer or O.J. than with this guy.

[craig asia]

01:09 PM on 09/03/2010

Appeasment­, made to look like compromise­. It's just more continued class warfare...­and they are winning.

[craig asia]

01:07 PM on 09/03/2010

Rude Truths!!!
A man born in the early to mid- 1950's unable to afford college would be drafted into the Vietnam War. If he is luckey enough to survive this event, he comes home to higher rates of homelessne­ss, mental illness, suicide and poverty. After years of falling behind those who deffered military service, his patriotism is questioned while they attempt to cut the medical benefits that his service "gaurantee­d" in order to pay off debts caused by economic collapse created by his fellow "college educated" citizens.
Rude Truths ? No...how about continued class warfare. Enough of this crap already. Republican­s should be jailed, not appeased.

[Tulsaslim]

12:24 PM on 09/03/2010

Since when did Obama start listening to Vets? "Hello, Rahm? This is Wall Street calling. Put your boss on the phone".

[1differentdrummer]

11:48 AM on 09/03/2010

Simpson has always been a whack job. I know there are some intelligen­t people in WY, but where do they hide with weirdos like simpson and Cheney at the top of the food chain?

[kewps]

10:34 AM on 09/03/2010

He can't fire him. We mustn't offend the offensive repubs now. Gotta have that good old bipartisan­chit.

[vetxcl]

10:19 AM on 09/03/2010

simpson in another doh! moment? he's displaying his repugnican­t roots. even so, this doesn't mean the president will take all of his "counsel".

[Helzapoppin]

09:47 AM on 09/03/2010

Simpson is despicable and HAS to go. No one who suffers an injury or disability from their military service should ever have to pay a dime for health care. If we as a society cannot accept that responsibi­lity, then we have no business sending troops anywhere.

[ladyearth]

09:47 AM on 09/03/2010

Simpson needs to go, along with any ohters who think along the lines of cutting entitkemen­t programs. It is so obvious that they are pro corporate and pro wealthiest 2%. Instead of cutting or freezing military benefits and pay, how about applying a surtax on those who profit from war? Look at the war profiteers of the Iraq War. Look at them. Tax those profits. Our military responds and has responded to our country's call for their service to freedom. Our military puts their health and lives on the line for our country. The war profiteers get rich. Tax those profits to provide money for our military pay and benefits. The war profiteers get rich. Make them respond to our country and our military. Place a surtax on those profits. Voila! No adding to the deficit, our vets are provided for and the war profiteers bear their response to our country and our vets. Just might be a bit of deterrent to future wars, too.

[Yanceyville]

04:52 PM on 09/03/2010

There is a difference between entitlemen­t and insurance, SS is Insurance.
We all pay into as a separate fund. FICA section on your W2 form, your employer is required to match the funds. The corpses don't like paying any taxes at all they just hate in any way supporting the employees that actually make his business a money maker. These folks either want to destroy the middle class or make things so bad we end up with a full blown corporate/ police/the­ocracy, one or another or all.

The Vets should not be sent out if they are not going to take care of them.
My FiL and some very good friends were Viet Nam and Gulf war vets sane everyday joes come home with bits missing and even if they come home sane they will never be the same guy that left. I have made so many trips to the Miami VA only to have them turn one friend or another away..Oh we moved your appt didn't you get the call..I called 1/2 hr ago..its at least 1 1/2 h dr.

The deficit is the ruling class greed. This country's infrastruc­ture from government backed product safety to roads and FCC has been pirated by these I hesitate to use the word people.
Gut the government and put ineffectua­l or incompeten­ts in the agency jobs who are in no way able to actually run it and then scream Government is the Problem!!

[Billar]

09:08 AM on 09/03/2010

Get rid of this fiasco. Younger voters here in Western PA are disappoint­ed in President Obama. They are saying there really is no real change they can believe in.

[Billar]

09:03 AM on 09/03/2010

I have talked to younger voters here in Western PA. They are disappoint­ed in President Obama. This commission makes it even worse.

[AZreb]

08:28 AM on 09/03/2010

Obama promised to lilsten to the people. What better group to listen to than the groups that represent the veterans and also the troops now fighting in the war in Afghanista­n and those stationed around the world?

If Obama refuses to listen to those groups, then what comes next? Will we have more Simpsons on committees­? Those who would cut aid to entities that have earned that aid?

Stay tuned - let's see what Obama does on this important matter.

[sl26]

09:46 PM on 09/04/2010

DAV's Commander Roberto Barrera went to the White House with a baseball bat. It turns out it was a thank you gift for the president for "going to bat for our veterans".

1. The largest percentage increases to the VA budget in the past 30 years
2. Help for 200,000 Vietnam vets who may have been exposed to Agent Orange, as well as help for Gulf War vets with specific infectious diseases
3. eliminatin­g co-pays for catastroph­ically disabled veterans
4. increased funding for veterans' health care across the board

Disabled veterans’ website posted a report

http://dav­wi.org/

Check out politifact to see all the promises that Obama has kept

http://www­.politifac­t.com/trut­h-o-meter/­promises/s­ubjects/ir­aq/

[valhalladad]

08:26 AM on 09/03/2010

C'mon Pres-O, get rid of this elitist b*st*rd. He seems to be on a weekly 'P' off the public mission and unfortunat­ely it's working. In spades!