Thanks once again to the fine folks in Washington, D.C. who decided that those of us who have and died to preserve the Constitution of the United States deserve little to nothing. In such an economic crisis that according to Washington, D.C., has not been seen since The Great Depression, it seemed much more comprehensible to "bail out" big businesses with some $750 billion. So, Mr. Congressman, Mr. President, Mr. Senator, Mr. Lobbyist... where exactly does this generous "bail out" come from? The ever so wealthy American tax payer (I mean that facetiously). It comes from the single parent raising the children who lost a mother or father while serving in the US Military. It comes from the WW II, Korean, Viet Nam, Desert Storm, Operation Freedom, "Cold War" veteran who cannot get a doctor to see them for the chronic injury/illness incurred while serving their country. It comes from the disabled veteran who still stands proud, hand over his/her heart as the National Anthem or God Bless America is played. It comes from those who put their very life on the line to defend freedom, not only for their own country but those around the world. It comes from those who fought for a country that elects individuals who have either never served their country as a US Military Serviceman/woman or they took the easy way out of serving by letting daddy get them out of it or taking a hiatus to another country. All the while, as the multi-millionaire who has enough for his great-grand children and then some can walk away after scamming his company as well as the US government - with a smile on his face. We, the REAL US citizens, are once again duped by the government without a say so. Considering the fact that those we elect are responsible for their own pay raise votes as well as ours, and considering we are the ones who elect them to office, therefore they are an employee of the people, does this not seem somewhat backwards? Should we not be voting their pay raises, as well as ours? And should we, the tax payers, not be the ones who vote whether or not the billion dollar companies get a dime when they obviously cannot handle what they have already? To "give the economy a boost" as the bureaucrats like to say, why should all of this money go to further our national destitution? Of the 299,398,484 people in the US (2006 total), giving $750 billion could have been put to use much better than giving it to the huge corporations who, for the most part, will again be standing with an open hand in less than 10 years from now, if history repeats itself, which we have seen by these groups, it does. So, for Christmas this year, as many try to explain to there children why there will be no presents, no power, no water, no jobs, no food, we can give thanks to our government for the predicament we are in while we thank them as well for the "bone" we have been given that they call COLA that will not cover food, energy, or any other "luxury". Have a very Merry Christmas, Washington! I would send a card to you, but I choose a piece of bread to feed my family instead.

As the wife of a deceased Vietnam Veteran, whose husband was killed due to human error at the VA hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, I can tell you that his son's ages 8 and 10 have suffered from this lose in more ways than one. The amount of benefits was cut in half and so our way of life changed dramatically. I was in school and could no longer afford to stay in school and work and take care of our home and children. It has been eight years of struggling financially. The men and women who fight for our country deserve the best in medical treatment and financial support and decent cost of living raises. We have got to take care of our veterans and their family's.
They may get good care at Walter Reed and some other facilities and then they go to their home-towns and get crap care from the local level of Veterans small town facilities, I know I lived it with my husband.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Susan A. Wade

Sadly, as Washington continues "politics as usual" it is "We the people" who pay for the greedy pigs that have turned our country upside down. An individual who worked 3 weeks in a bank that was overtaken makes $90 MILLION, that's right fellow vets with a 2.8% COLA raise and all but beg for medical care and to receive compensation, that is 90 with 6 zeros attached! So where does the money come from? Check your bank accounts! Check your raise this years! Check our congress! Just never look in your wallet because they'll take that, too! How can we afford $700-$850 Billion to bail out Wall Street and the like when we cannot afford to pay for these fat, lazy individuals who look down their noses at us, the ones who fought for their freedom. Once again, our government shows their allegiance to our fine men and women who gave their all.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
I AM A 100% SERVICE CONNECTED TOTALLY DISABLED FORMER USAF PILOT AS THE
RESULT OF CRASHING MY PLANE INTO A MOUNTAIN DURING THE KOREAN WAR,WITH MULTIPLE FRACTURES,BROKEN BACK,RUSHED RIBS, FRACTURED SKULL, BROKEN LEGS AND ARMS, AS WELL AS 2ND AND 3RD DEGREE BURNS OVER 80% OF MY BODY, BUT FORTUNATELY, STILL ABLE TO WADDLE AROUND AND PUSH MYSELF AROUND IN A WHEEL CHAIR.
I WOULD MUCH RATHER BE BACK FLYING A JET IN COMBAT AGAINST RUSSIAN PILOTS, WHOM I AM CERTAIN WILL ONCE AGAIN SOON BE FLYING AGAINST US.I PERSONALLY SEND MY BEST WISHES TO ALL OF YOU DISABLED AND STILL WOUNDED DISABLED VETERANS, BOTH IN YOUR BODY AND MIND, AND WISH YOU ALL WELL.I STRONGLY CONCUR WITH ALL OF YOU REGARDING THE PITTANCE OF MONIES THAT THE CONGRESS HAS FOR US, PARTICULARLY IN THE LIGHT OF ALL OF THOSE WALL STRTEET PIRATES WHO HAVE BEEN STEALING OUR TAX MONEY ON WALL STREET FOR YEARS, ALL OF YOU SHOULD WRITE TO THE U.S.ATTORNEY GENERAL IN D.C. AS WELL AS YOUR CONGRESSMAN AND DEMAND AN INVESTIGATATION INTO THIS MASSIVE THEFT OF BILLIONS OF OUR TAXPAYER MONEY THAT THEY PUT IN THEIR POCKETS.THAT WILL GET ACTION.IF NOT,
JOIN ME IN A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IN PRO-PER,TO BE FILED AGAINST THE V.A. AND THE CONGRESS FOR THEIR FAILURE TO DO SO ON OUR BEHALF, MY CONTACT doctoruft@gmail.com,,,SEMPER FI

My simlpe solution to the ignorance of our government is not a one of them get my vote this year! I am not voting for a single individual who is already in office, I want change and the only way to do this is vote everyone of the career oriented Pompass A..... out and lets make a change!! In the following election if things stay the same vote those people out again and eventually we will rid the flower bed of weeds and have something to be proud of!!

Is this some kind of joke? Considering the Cost of Living nationwide is off the charts, a 2.8% COLA is like giving a man dying of thirst a salty cracker! For years the travel pay to a VAMC was .11 cents/mile. When it was finally increased, it takes three times this much for gas for those of us who have to drive 100 miles to the closest VAMC. For those of us with children and receive 100%, it is almost impossible to feed and clothe them PLUS pay all of the added expenses of "public schools" that nickle and dime you to death. In order to catch up to the ACTUAL cost of living, we would need to see at least 10% or more in a COLA. For all of our law makers in Washington, D.C., is it truly possible for you to continue your same quality of life with a mere 2.8% increase, especially living in Washington? Allow me to inform you that those who supported this country and put their lives on the line are not totally stupid and we ARE capable of simple math! 2.8% - our current cost of living = NEGATIVE NUMBERS, which is exactly what we receive. Way to go congress. You have done it again.

Its truly amazing ! Iraq has a huge budget surplus, massive amounts of OIL, our continued extravagant financial assistance, yet we are only granted a 2.8% increase ! What a slap in the face! We can pay the people in Iraq, but let the US vets fall further and further behind. Its time to calculate the TRUE cost of living in this country instead of saying this does not count and that does not count. All necessities of living should be figured into the calculations of the TRUE cost of living increase. Another example of us loosing is the travel pay to medical centers. We were granted a increase in travel pay a few months ago and within a month and a half the increase was totally wiped out by the increase in the price of gas. And what about that stiff deductable the govt takes right off the top, wow !
I call on "Ginny" Brown-Waite, a staunch supporter of Vets to sponsor a bill for an additional Quality of Life increase for disabled vets.
Thank you !

Maybe if a Tax Exempt I.D. was also implemented it would save us another 10% of our income! Those of us who are 100% disabled are eligable for commisary priveliges but can't afford the gas to take advantage of the savings. The 2.8% increase in COLA amounts to about $68.00 a month if you are 100% disabled. Sure people wine about compensating veterans but we give the government at least 10% back in taxes, state, county, city and groceries, not including the extra taxes on energy. Every bill we have has taxes involved so its not like we are recieving x amount of money because there is a proportion of that goes right back into the system in the for of taxes.

The xxx million dollar value has always got to be there so that it looks like something great is being done for the veterans when it should have the dollar amount per veteran, that is the only number that counts!!! The 2.whatever increase wont pay to fill up my vehicle, I use to spend $100.00 dollars a month for gas 3 years ago, now it is closer to $300.00 . People say buy a hybreed vehicle I ask them how do I pay pay for it? I honestly think policy makers truly don't understand the reallity of living on our income, I ask them to try it for 6 months if they want to put themself in our shoes, they actually might understand what the complaining is all about!! I don't think I need to cover food,water,natural gas, electricity or other living expenses!!!!!!!!
you make my life very fullfiling, my family gets together 1 time a month and all I can afford to bring is beans because potatoes are to expensive! Thank you for all your dedicated help in making my life so miserable. Sometimes when I am hungry I wonder if my comrades should have kept me alive because when your hungry you would feel so much better DEAD!