Join the Iraq and Afghan Veterans of America

You can join some vet organizations and they will give you a hat and let you march in parades.

Or you can join IAVA and be a part of an organization that really makes a difference. Rightardia recommends either the IAVA or Votevets.  Both watch Congress closely on veteran issues.


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Saint Petersblog: Former Congressman Patrick Murphy endorses Jessica Ehrlich for CD 13

Jessica Ehrlich has received former Congressman Patrick Murphy’s endorsement of her campaign for Congressional District 13. 

Note: Murphy is running against the notorious Allen West and has a substantial lead. 

Partick Murphy stated: 

Despite Bill Young’s past commitment to our veterans through the decades, after 42 years in Congress it’s clear he’s lost touch when he earns an ‘F’ rating from the Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America and opposes President Obama’s Veterans’ Jobs bill,”.

“Jessica Ehrlich understands the needs of America’s next generation of returning heroes – our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. She will work to fully fund our VA hospitals, she understands we need to veterans back to work once they served our country with training programs and she understands that we cannot just thank our veterans one day and go back to work the next.  Jessica wants an ongoing to commitment to our veterans from the moment they enlist and for the rest of their lives and their families lives.

Jessica Ehrlich added: 

I’m proud to receive Congressman Murphy’s support. He has stood for veterans time and time again and its an honor to stand with him now for all the veterans across the country. I want to go to Congress to honor our government’s sacred trust with veterans. To vote for continued education, to prevent homelessness among our veterans and to fully fund our VA hospitals.

Murphy was the first veteran of the Iraq War to serve in Congress. He is perhaps best known for his successful effort to repeal the ”Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in the military.

Former Congressman Patrick Murphy endorses Jessica Ehrlich for CD 13 | Saint Petersblog:

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Congressman Bill Young releases misleading ad

This is the first ad coming from Congressman Bill Young’s re-election campaign.  

CW Bill Young said: 

“Taking care of our nation’s heroes is one of the most important parts of my job, and it is one of the reasons Beverly and I work so hard at it every day. Everyone who serves our nation in uniform is a hero, and deserves our thanks and appreciation.”

Unfortunately,Young has not been taking care of our nation's heroes  He has gotten two F grades in 2008 and 2010 for his lack of support for veterans programs form the Iraq and Afghan Veterans of America. 

We also wonder why a clergyman would be featured in a political ad.

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IAVA's 2012 Member Survey

The  Iraq and Afghan Veterans of America  (IAVA) published a 2012 Member Survey.

As the nation’s first and largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization committed to veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, IAVA has a real‐time understanding of what our member veterans think, believe and experience:

2012 findings include:

• Our members’ unemployment rate was almost 17% - significantly higher than the 12.1% average unemployment rate for Iraq- and Afghanistan-era veterans in 2011
• Almost half (49%) of unemployed members did not feel that employers were open to hiring veterans
• More than 50% of our members are interested in starting a business in the next 3 to 5 or 6 to 10 years
• 37% of IAVA members personally know someone they served with or another Iraq or Afghanistan veteran who has committed suicide
• 2/3 of our membership do not think troops and veterans are getting the care they need for mental health injuries, including combat-related stress or military sexual trauma
• Almost 1/3 (31%) divorced or broke up with a long-term partner as a result of deployment and the return home
• 1/4 of IAVA members with children said their child had emotional problems (25%) or had problems in school (24%)
• 60% of our membership does not think the military/ Department of Defense is doing a good job of reaching out to troops and veterans regarding their mental health injuries and care, and less than half (49%) think the VA is doing a good job of reaching out to troops and veterans regarding their mental health injuries and care
• 35% of our members are already taking advantage of their New GI Bill benefits, and almost 50% plan to use it for themselves or their families.
• The majority of our members do not think Congress (75%) or the President (61%) listen to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans enough, and 69% didn’t know or guessed incorrectly the name of the current Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Secretary Shinseki.

Download the complete survey here.:  IAVA member survey     

Ninety per cent of IAVA members are registered to vote and most live in CA, VA,TX,NY, FL or NC. 

Rightardia would mention that the VA is a high priority item in the Obama administration and the VA budget was increased by 30 per cent. There is also an agreement between the two parties that the VA budget won't be cut in the out years. 

Va Secretary Eric Shinseki has vowed to clean up the 800,000 backlog in claims by 2015. The VA also automated the claims process with the Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQ). 

It is our opinion that the VA has substantially improved during the last 4 years. 

Rightardia is still waiting for the IAVA 2012 Congressional Report Card. It was supposed to be released last week. 

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Right wing views of the Iraq and Afghan Veterans of America (IAVA) Report Card

The Iraq and Afghan Veterans of America (IAVA) rates representatives and senators on thier support of veterans. The methodology is simple.

As the 2010 report states:

IAVA Action has a straightforward approach to scoring lawmakers’ support for veterans.  #e grade is not a comment on a legislator’s party, platform, history or character.  

Nor is it and endorsement or rejection of that particular lawmaker.  It is based solely on their action or inaction in voting or sponsoring IAVA Action’s legislative priorities outlined in IAVA Action’s 2009 and 2010 Legislative Agendas. 

IAVA Action has identified the 23 key votes on veterans’ issues in the 111th Congress, which best address these priorities 

Each of these votes was an opportunity for Senators and Representatives to take a stand on behalf  of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. 

IAVA has been vocal on these issues through Congressional testimony, direct lobbying, and advocacy in national and local media. 

The significance of each vote is described in the “Vote Description” section of the report card.

Here is the vote from FL Representatives for 2010. A vote with a 1 is pro-vet and a 0 is against the vet. Some representatives were given incomplete because of their short terms.

CW Bill Young and Gus Bilirakis got an F and D respectively. Some of our central FL neighbors like Alan Grayson got an A. Kathy Castor got an A. DNC head, Debbie Wasserman Schultz got a B.

Connie Mack who is running against Sen. Bill Nelson for the US senate, got a D.

Florida is typical of most of the other states. Democrats support veteran bills and the GOP congressman more often vote against them.

You will not find the IAVA discusiing this, but this become obvious as you peruse the report cards. Of intrest, after 2008, the IAVA stopped listing party affiliations.

A right winger named Paul-Gregory Matuszak tried to explain this away by suggesting that an extreme  socialist had debated the IAVA report card. Well, certainly if the a socialist was involved with the report, it must be tinged with pink.

Such right wing baloney!

Mr. Matuszak has some valid points about separating VA and DOD issues. But then he suggests that the IAVA should delve into the riders and amendments of bills. Certainly, this would create an unrealistic workload for IAVA.

The writer also says IAVA ignored some of the "better bills." He got subjective at this point. Who decides which are the better bills?

Rightardia would agree that only bills that made it to the floor should be evaluated. If a bill is shelved that IAVA suported, it should be noted the bill was withdrawn. But the congresman should not be rated on dead bill votes.

Paul-Gregory Matuszak also lamented that the 112th congres had not been rated in 2011, but that report was supposed to be published today. The IAVA only publishes its report card every two years.

Rightardia considers the IAVA report card to very important because it can separate political reality from political rhetoric.

Of interest, CW Bill Young just got his third F from IAVA since its first report in 2008. Rep. Young is a senior Republican in congressional armed forces issues.

Veterans need to elect people who support veteran programs. They also need to vote people out of office who don't support veterans. 

see http://media.iava.org/iava_action/IAVA_Action_2010_Congressional_Report_Card.pdf

http://media.iava.org/iava_action/IAVA_Action_2010_Congressional_Report_Card.pdf
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New IAVA Report Card due out on Aug. 23

This is the Iraq and Afghan Veterans of America 2010 report card for the two US Republican representatives form Pinellas county. These two report cards were unchanged form 2008.

 

Of interest,Gus Bilirakis runs annual veteran events with Bay Pines and many other veteran organizations annually  You would think he would be big supporter of vets. His voting record suggests otherwise,

CW Bill Young has been in the House for 40 years and needs to retire. His Democratic challenger, Jessica Ehrlich, may send him packing!

MS. Ehrlich needs to work with veteran organizations to expose Young's shabby record with vets.

The 2012 IAVA report card will be out in two days, Young, who is a leading lawmakers on military matters,  got another F. 

sources:

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/124931-veterans-group-gives-congress-low-marks-

http://media.iava.org/iava_action/IAVA_Action_2010_Congressional_Report_Card.pdf

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