Bill on Veteran"s Funding an Issue by Barbora Kasparova

Before Veteran's day, George W. Bush urged the democratic Congress to pass the law that would add $3.7 billion to his request for funding programs for veterans. As Congress failed to do so, some expected the president would touch the subject in his Veteran's day speech in Texas on Monday, however, he directed his whole speech towards the veterans and their families. The Congress not only failed to deliver the bill to Bush, despite Bush's request to have it before Veteran's day & "The best way members of Congress can give thanks to our veterans is to send me a clean bill that I can sign into law" (http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/washington/index.ssf?/base/politics-10/1194760142251670.xml&storylist=washington), but they also tried to attach bill on spending on education, health and job training programs with it. Some republicans stated it was an unheard-of practice and accused the democrats of choosing politics over heroes. A republican member of the House of Representatives Phil Gingrey has even proposed a resolution to stop the political game in the future and to make sure that the veteran funding bill could only be voted on all by itself. (http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/PhilGingrey/2007/11/12/veterans_funding_by_veterans_day) Let alone the political character of the dispute, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the increased funding is necessary. Their figures show, that more and more veterans become homeless over the years. In 2006 for example, they estimate that 336,627 of veterans were homeless (http://www.endhomelessness.org/content/article/detail/1839). However, should we not rather apply what wise men say, that prevention is the best cure…?

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071112/ap_on_go_pr_wh/white_house_veterans;_ylt=Agx_DAH_00PE3hIaB2p2qnCs0NUE

by Barbora Kasparova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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