The following was received from
a floating email in the Veterans
Circuit where so many of us
pick up news tidbits to pass
around to each other in the
email universe.

The scenario is a Town Hall
meeting held by Florida's
Senator Bill Nelson, (D) dated
January 12, 2006 who was
questioned by Jim Berrey on
Veterans issues and the larger
response is what Senator Nelson
had to say.
_______________________________


Question: Reference YOUR
amendment to end the deduction
of VA survivor benefits from the
Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP)
annuities, and implement a 30-year
paid up (SBP) coverage, which was
stripped from the Defense
Authorization Bill by the House.
What will your plans for
correcting this injustice to
the military widows and the
military retirees who have
paid for (SBP) for approximate
34 years be ?

ANSWER: HR-602-S.407 Keep
Our Promise to America's Military
Act had a House majority 236
Co-sponsors, but was lacking
support in the Senate. With 236
co-sponsors, not one stood up
to the House leaders to bring
it up for a vote. It seems like
Congressional members will sign
on as a co-sponsor, but will not
take action to support their
constituents by putting pressure
on the Congressional leaders.
This has been repeated for the
past 10 years.

There seems to be two reasons
military Bills are not being
voted on, maybe you can help
correcting one of them.

First the party leaders in both
the House and the Senate are
stopping Legislation in support
of military retirees, Veterans
as well as widows.

They may say it is money, but
these same Leaders support
free health care for the WORLD,
and free health care for all
the illegal aliens.

Congress has no problem bailing
out the promised health care
for the Steel Industry, the
Airlines, and now it looks like
the Auto Industry, but not the
promises made to the military
retiree who has given twenty
or more years when our country
called for 3 major wars.

This is a problem all military
retirees, including those
retiring this month, are having
with DOD and you may be able to
help. I am speaking for over
24,000 local veterans, over
1,000 in our local northwest
NAUS FL-10 Chapter, which includes
District 1, 2 and part of 3,
and 184,000 military retirees
and widows in Florida. DOD is
out to destroy all present
and future entitlements for all
military retirees. How ?

Informing Congress and the media
that health care costs are
hurting the war effort. Suggesting
legislation supporting military
retirees should not be supported.
I guess this means the 700
homeless Veterans in our area
as reported on WJHG this past
week, or the many wounded who
are now not supporting the war
effort, and of course the military
retirees from WWII, Korea, and
Vietnam Wars plus future retirees.

What else is DOD doing?
Closing or downsizing military
hospitals like they have done
at TAFB. DOD has cut back on
Pharmacy drugs, and increasing
the price by 2 1/2 times for
a start.

Presently they are increasing
Tricare Health Insurance by 3
times the present fees for all
retirees under 65 years old,
including those retiring from
Iraq. They closed the VA clinic
on TAFB and in Marianna.

They had Keesler VA Hospital in
Biloxi on their kill list until
Congress stopped them.

There are more issues but you
can see that Congress must stop
the DOD before they destroy the
military service. DOD made the
statement that the new service
member was not interested in
health care should they retire,
but they would be happy with a
bonus for a new truck.

Freedom is not free, and without
the military there would be
no United States of America.
Congress should make some laws
to limit the increases of fees
to less than the cost of living,
and not allow the cutting of
entitlements - and get DOD
out of Congress's business on
what Bills to pass.

__________________________________

Senator Nelson sits on the
following Committees:

Armed Services Committee
Budget Committee
Commerce Committee
Foreign Relations Committee
Aging Committee
and is a former NASA Mission
Specialist

It should be noted that national
healthcare costs around the
country in different arena's
are skyrocketing out of control
because of the World Trade Center
disaster; the Hurricane disasters;
and medical malpractice insurance
which can run $30K to $50K per
year per doctor. It's the insurance
industry who is spiralling out
of control and creating a
domino effect into constituent
population groups.

World relief has to end or
be remarkably cut back to
offset the balance of the
insurance crisis.