gop Objects To Homeless Women Veterans & Homeless Veterans With Children Act

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_06/024494.php

EVEN A BILL ON HOMELESS VETERANS.... Sen. Patty Murray's (D-Wash.) bill on homeless veterans seems like the kind of legislation that should be approved rather easily. But in this Senate, nothing's easy.

As the senator's office explained, her Homeless Women Veterans and Homeless Veterans With Children Act would "expand assistance for homeless women veterans and homeless veterans with children and would increase funding and extend federal grant programs to address the unique challenges faced by these veterans."

It was approved in committee with bipartisan support, and Murray brought it to the floor this morning, seeking unanimous consent. She didn't get it -- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) objected on behalf of Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), who apparently was concerned about funding.

With an estimated 107,000 homeless veterans, this is pretty low, even for Republicans.

In a statement, Jim Manley, a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said, "Republicans have their priorities backwards -- according to them, it's OK to give tax breaks to CEOs who send American jobs overseas, but not to help out-of-work Americans and homeless veterans. As we've seen time and again, Republicans just want to protect special interests instead of working with Democrats to stand up for the middle class and get our economy back on track."

For her part, Murray vowed to "continue fighting," and urged Senate Republicans "to end their obstruction and allow homeless women veterans across the country to get the support they have earned."

—Steve Benen

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

95% are men.

a) How much would housing assistance to 5000 people cost?
b) Why is it politically impossible to address the problem of homeless male veterans?

http://www.nchv.org/background.cfm

displaying the "Support Our Troops" bumperstickers!

That number sounds extremely low in my experience.

I spent some time on the road journaling about the homeless and other issues, shooting photos, interviewing folks and camping with them a little in the past two years.

Most of the homeless I spoke with were veterans (a majority). Every major town and city had some and there is a remarkable culture hidden under bridges and in wilder areas off the beaten paths of cities.

I cannot imagine that this number has any validity. I would guess it is many multiples of 107,000.

BTW - the republicans are reprehensible on this issue.

NO ONE should be homeless - but especially veterans who gave their lives over to this country in toto to protect us all.

On edit: the link in a post above on the subject says that the number ON ANY GIVEN night is 107,000 (estimated) and that more than 1 million are currently at risk of homelessness. The estimate during the course of a year is double the average nightly average.

These numbers still sound way too low to me.

But i guess I need sources for the data.

I seriously doubt the VA or any other governmental entity (with some exceptions) REALLY want the real numbers published or reported on. But canvassing for the homeless, who because of hideous and inhumane laws try to stay OUT of sight, cannot be a very well done science or art unless people REALLKY want to know.

Most, in my estimation, don't.

It is too embarrassing and depressing and "requires: psychic numbing and denial .

It is a game.

They remain consistent in denying government assistance in any form to anyone but the wealthy and the priveleged.

let the whole country see where the republicans really stand.

Enough of this worrying about filibusters and watering down bills that do nothing

THE GOP is insane with doing stupid...

Why do they hate America?

:sarcasm:

But why does the underlying bill say that if you have a penis you're S.O.L.? That doesn't seem just to me.

:dem:

-Laelth

:thumbsup: