Memorial Day at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans
Your patriotic Republican lawmakers in action, taking away trusted caregivers from the men and women living at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans. May 19th:
One of Michigan's largest employee unions organized a group of about 60 people from the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans to converge on state Rep. Lisa Posthumus Lyons' meeting Thursday evening.
The group attended her regularly scheduled meeting with constituents, at Robinette's Apple Haus, to protest budget cuts that will eliminate their jobs.
The proposed cuts would come from outsourcing resident care jobs. But employees said the issue revolves around much more than just money.
"We have members there that have needs at certain times of the day, that we, as people, who have been working there all of this time know what their needs are," said Hazel Gant, who works with veterans.
Workers at veterans facilities become friends to the people that have served and sacrificed so much for our country - but that doesn't matter to Republican legislators if they can eliminate union jobs. In the final budget:
Military and Veterans Affairs:
Budget: $152.48 million, up $2.4 million
Highlights: Saves $4.2 million by privatizing 171 resident care aides at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans.
Snyder isn't the only Republican governor that is calling for more sacrifice from our vets; Gov. Perry in Texas targeted counselors at the Texas Veterans Commission who help disabled veterans for a 20% budget cut, Gov. Scott in Florida cut aid to homeless veterans. And so on. Those are just two that came up right away, you can probably find more if you dig a bit deeper.
U.S. House Republicans have also targeted veterans for budget cuts. The Ryan Plan - which contains massive tax cuts for the rich - hits veterans hard.
During the April budget impasse that nearly resulted in a government shutdown, House Republicans fired a warning shot at veterans by passing H.R. 1, which sought to end the Housing and Urban Development Agency's Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program (HUD-VASH). In the past three years, the HUD-VASH program has helped nearly 30,000 veterans by providing housing vouchers and assistance to help them get back on their feet. Thankfully, H.R. 1 was defeated in the Senate, but the battle isn't over.
The so-called deficit hawks are back on the warpath. House Speaker Boehner is now calling for trillions of dollars in cuts from the federal budget, as opposed to the one-hundred billion in cuts Republicans fought for in April. Not only that, but the current Republican budget blueprint, the "Ryan Plan," sets the 2012 Veterans Affairs budget at $128 billion, down $4.2 billion from the department's proposed budget. With our military currently fighting three wars, which are creating more wounded veterans every day, the Ryan budget is a slap in the face to anyone who has ever served in uniform.
The best way to honor the dead is to make sure the living are cared for. It's too bad the Republicans don't see it that way.