I found out just how little then Governor Romney cared for Veterans today.
SOURCE DOCUMENT: I found a 200 page document Dirt On Mitt Click on Dirt On Mitt to read the entire Romney Expose'.
So much dirt, so little time. I have an iMac, so I use the Edit/Find feature to quickly search the document for specific words. I was surprised about what I found when I chose to search for the word VETERANS.
AS GOVERNOR, MITT ROMNEY DID NOT SUPPORT VETERANS. As a matter of fact, Team Romney went right to work attacking Veterans' programs.
Here are the VETERANS ISSUES (which include source documentation) listed in the 200 page document beginning on Page 131:
1. Shortly After Taking Office, Romney Proposed Cutting State Hiring Preferences For Veterans And Merging Veterans Care Facilities Into Jurisdiction Of Social Welfare Administrators
In One Of His Earliest Moves In Office, Romney Proposed Cutting State Hiring Preferences For Veterans And Aligning Veterans Services With State Welfare Programs. “Proposals by Gov. Mitt Romney to reduce hiring preferences for veterans and align veterans services with state welfare programs have triggered a harsh reaction among veterans groups and their supporters. ‘A veteran should not have to sit in a welfare line waiting for help,’ said Paul G. Keough, chairman of the Unified Veterans of Massachusetts.
State AARP President Called Romney Plan To Combine Veterans Affairs With Elder Affairs “Incomprehensible.” “Gov. Mitt Romney’s plan to restructure the Executive Office of Elder Affairs was expected to draw pointed criticism today at a state forum in Worcester. ... The move to combine elder affairs with veterans affairs is ‘incomprehensible,’ said Walt Sanders, president of AARP Massachusetts.” (Sue Scheible, “Elder Affairs Advocates Oppose Romney Plan,” The Patriot Ledger [Quincy, MA], 3/14/03)
2. Romney Proposed Increasing Fees On Hospitalized Veterans
State Sought To Increase User Fees For Long-Term Care At The Chelsea Soldiers’ Home. “Gov. Mitt Romney is vehemently opposed to raising taxes. Yet new fees proposed in his budget would hit a broad spectrum of people ... The changes include ... increasing user fees for long-term care at the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home.” (Jennifer Fenn, “Romney Budget Raises Fees, Which Democrats Say Are Taxes In Disguise,” Lowell Sun, 2/28/03)
3. Romney Tax On Being Blind Was Opposed By Veterans Groups.
Romney Tax On Being Blind Was Opposed By Veterans Groups. “It now costs to be blind in Massachusetts. The state’s approximately 35,000 blind and legally blind residents must now pay $10 annually for a certificate of blindness and $15 every four years for a blind identification card. ... The fees originated in February, in Gov. Mitt Romney’s budget proposal for fiscal 2004. ... ‘It’s just another form of taxation,’ said Stephen Matthews, a national service officer for the Blinded Veterans Association, who has lobbied against the fees. ‘They’re burdening the people who can least afford it.’” (Shaun Sutner, “Advocates Fight Fees For The Blind,” Telegram & Gazette [Worcester, MA], 8/5/03)
4. 2003: Legislators Overturned Romney Veto Of Tens Of Thousands In Funding For Veterans Cemetery.
“[T]he Legislature last night restored more than $150 million of the $201 million cut by Gov. Mitt Romney. ... Among the vetoes the Legislature overrode yesterday, on what was the final day of formal deliberations before lawmakers broke for a summer recess, were: ... $86,018 for the Agawam-Winchendon Veterans Cemetery.” (John Monahan, “Most Romney Vetoes Restored,” Telegram & Gazette [Worcester, MA], 7/18/
03)
5. Romney Tried To Cut $165,000 From Veterans Outreach In 2003.
(Massachusetts Budget And Policy Center, “A Review Of The FY 2004 Vetoes And Overrides,” www.massbudget.org, 7/28/03)
Romney Spokesman: “There were line-item reductions in the veterans’ budget, as there were in all areas of state government, but these reductions did not directly impact veterans’ services ...” (Yvonne Abraham, “Democrats Slam Romney On Tunnel Name,” The Boston Globe, 10/16/03)
6. Under Romney, State Sought To Increase User Fees For Long-Term Care At The Chelsea Soldiers’ Home.
“Gov. Mitt Romney is vehemently opposed to raising taxes. Yet new fees proposed in his budget would hit a broad spectrum of people ... The changes include ... increasing user fees for long-term care at the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home.” (Jennifer Fenn, “Romney Budget Raises Fees, Which Democrats Say Are Taxes In Disguise,” Lowell Sun, 2/28/03)
7. Romney Staff Spent Tens Of Thousands On New Televisions And Cross-Country Travel While “Making Funding Cuts To Programs Including Ones Serving Veterans...”
“Governor Mitt Romney’s staff spent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on cross-country travel and new televisions, VCRs and furniture for their offices in their first six months in office, according to a published report. ... Romney’s aides spent almost $40,000 on new office equipment and more than $22,000 on travel ... The spending came as Romney was making funding cuts to programs including ones serving veterans, the mentally disabled and the elderly.” (“Romney’s Staff Spent Thousands Of Tax Dollars On New Office Equipment, Travel,” The Associated Press, 11/16/03)
8. 1994 Romney Remark On Homeless Veterans “Not One Of The Brighter Moments Of His Campaign.”
“From all accounts, Mitt Romney’s visit to that veterans shelter just behind Boston’s City Hall Plaza was not one of the brighter moments of his campaign for US senator. When director Ken Smith told him that one of the things the shelter needed was fresh milk, Romney replied jokingly that maybe the veterans should be taught how to milk cows.” (Michael Kenney, “Romney Comment Leads To Milk Run,” The Boston Globe, 11/27/94)
The 200 page Dirt on Mitt document is stunning.
Apparently, there is also fear that Mitt Romney has his eye on PRIVATIZING VETERAN'S HEALTH CARE.
No surprise to me. I'm sure Bain and their PE Colluders already have plans on how to divvy up the Veteran's Medical Market. Shameless, greedy profiteers.
But neither Governor Romney's abysmal record on Veterans' Issues, nor his family's lack of military service thwarts the hopeful Liar-in-Chief from standing before a room full of Veterans and giving this speech:
Just when we think we know how bad for America Mitt Romney could be, we learn
JUST HOW BAD MITT ROMNEY WILL BE FOR VETERANS!