Tag: veterans
House DFL Majority Announces Veterans and Military Affairs Budget
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota House Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy Division has announced the committee’s omnibus budget bill. The legislation includes $4.34 million in new funding for the state Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Military Affairs.
“We all have a responsibility to uphold our promises we’ve made to the brave Americans who have put on the uniform, and in my role as chair of this committee, I’ve put this at the forefront,” said the committee’s chair, Rep. Rob Ecklund (DFL – International Falls). “The work in our committee is totally bipartisan. I’m proud that we’ve worked together to assemble a budget that does right by those who are currently serving and those veterans who have previously made sacrifices for our nation.”
One of the main initiatives of the committee this session was the expansion of Veterans Courts and restorative justice practices. To that end, the bill includes new sentencing recommendations for veterans who have experienced PTSD or another service related disorder to refer them to treatment for substance abuse or mental health problems rather than jail or prison. Along with this, the bill includes $400,000 toward a Veterans Justice Grant Program to support veterans who fall into the criminal justice system. Continue reading “House DFL Majority Announces Veterans and Military Affairs Budget”
THE REAL STATE OF THE UNION: Marine Corps Veteran: ‘My Children Don’t Care About Walls’
Take a break from Trump and hear from regular Americans about the real state of our Union. Watch Marine Corps veteran Sarah Watterson talk about not being able to pay for basic necessities because of Trump’s shutdown:
“My children don’t care about walls. They do care about having a warm house to live in, a car to ride in, clothes to wear, and food in their bellies – none of which is possible if their mom can’t go to work.” – Marine Corps veteran
Past 48 Hours: Trump Sells Out Veterans & Workers, Corruption Reaches New Heights
Republicans had a rough night, and will have an even tougher road ahead. News over the past 24 hours is a big reason why: Trump and his administration’s corruption reached new heights, and he continued to sell Americans out. See for yourself:
Trump’s corrupt cabinet continues. Wilbur Ross ‘could rank among the biggest grifters in American history’ after he allegedly stole more than $120 million.
Forbes: “Over several months, in speaking with 21 people who know Ross, Forbes uncovered a pattern: Many of those who worked directly with him claim that Ross wrongly siphoned or outright stole a few million here and a few million there, huge amounts for most but not necessarily for the commerce secretary. At least if you consider them individually. But all told, these allegations—which sparked lawsuits, reimbursements and an SEC fine—come to more than $120 million. If even half of the accusations are legitimate, the current United States secretary of commerce could rank among the biggest grifters in American history.” Continue reading “Past 48 Hours: Trump Sells Out Veterans & Workers, Corruption Reaches New Heights”
Why Paulsen should support the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act
By Nick Etten, MinnPost Community Voices
As a former Navy SEAL officer turned veterans advocate, I hope our lawmakers will be inspired by their time spent on Memorial Day in somber remembrance of the fallen to redouble their support of the returned.
America’s veterans are in crisis. On average, 22 veterans commit suicide every day. Veterans suffer chronic severe pain at rates disproportionately higher than their civilian counterparts (roughly 40 percent higher, according to the National Institutes of Health), helping explain why the opioid crisis has hit veterans at a rate two times the national average. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), upwards of 20 percent of the 2.7 million Iraq and Afghanistan veterans will experience post-traumatic stress or depression.
While VA physicians are quick to prescribe powerful drug cocktails (opiates and benzodiazepines) in response to these and other service-related conditions, the federal government continues to deny veterans legal access to a demonstrably safer alternative treatment option: medical cannabis.
Continue reading “Why Paulsen should support the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act”
Veterans make excursion to Big Island
The following article by Tim Engstrom was posted on the Lakeshore Weekly website June 29, 2017:
Photos by Tim Engstrom
ON BIG ISLAND — Despite being part of the negotiations for selling the veterans camp on Big Island in 2006 and despite being on the board that oversees the funds from the sale of the property, Tom Tweet of the Bloomington VFW Post had never set foot on the island.
Finally, on Wednesday, June 21, he did.
And he brought the commander of the Bloomington VFW, Doug Doerfler, with him.
“I really appreciate the opportunity to see what it looks like,” Doerfler said.
Tweet said the trip was good because of the connections the island has had with veterans over the years.
If Trumpcare Ends Up Happening, Up To 7 Million Veterans Could See Their Health Care Ruined
The following article by Michael Hayne was posted on the AlterNet website May 6, 2017:
The ramifications of the AHCA will be felt far and wide.
The abominable AHCA (or simply Trumpcare), the House Republican’s replacement of Obamacare, is being felt far and wide. While the Senate has already said it has no intention of taking up the House version and the hope is it will die there, many are frightened by the sheer amount of malice the bill contains.
Among the many negatives in the Republican plan to repeal Obamacare, one of the hastily added “improvements” to the bill could wind up making 7 million military veterans ineligible for health care tax credits. The very party that shamelessly exploits the troops out of political expediency, feigning patriotism in the form of flag pins, is now screwing veterans, and Press Secretary Sean Spicer has absolutely no answer for it. The snafu was discovered by Chris Jacobs, the former policy adviser for the House Republican Conference under Chairman Mike Pence. Jacobs discovered: Continue reading “If Trumpcare Ends Up Happening, Up To 7 Million Veterans Could See Their Health Care Ruined”