Adding New to Results of Agent Orange

The 'conservative?' mentality and ideologies, 'war hawks', so called 'strong national defense' {huge and ever growing defense budgets}, 'privatized armies and support', creation of hate thus enemies seeking retaliation in the blowback from wars of choice, continued long extended 'war profiteering' are not what make this or any country safe, not to mention prosperous. The Webb's and especially those like Burr are just flat out wrong. They should be Demanding 'Sacrifice' from the rest of the country as to the results of our wars on others as soon as they start beating the drums for and then the years following!

Amid Cost Concerns, Senators Debate Adding New Diseases for Agent Orange Compensation

Sens. Burr, Webb Raise Questions Over Whether Covering Common Conditions Might Raise Costs Too High

9/24/10 - Though the last U.S. troops left Vietnam in 1973, many veterans still live with the war. And at a Senate Veterans Affairs Committee hearing Thursday at the U.S. Capitol, senators expressed concerns for everything from oversight to deficit spending in the discussion over whether to allow three new conditions to the Agent Orange Act. The legislation allows for compensation to veterans for the health effects from herbicide American planes sprayed to root out the Viet Cong.

On August 31, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs approved three new ailments to the list of “presumptive” causes within the Agent Orange Act — ischemic heart disease, Parkinson’s Disease and hairy cell leukemia. The VA will be able to process new claims — as well as compensate earlier ones — at the end of October unless Congress votes to block it. VA officials estimate that this could add 250,000 new disability claims and cost about $42 billion over the next ten years.

Some have balked at the cost of providing more resources to health care given the deficit. President Obama’s Deficit Committee Co-Chairman, and former chair of the Veterans Affairs committee, Alan Simpson told the Associated Press about the Agent Orange Act rule-making authority, “The irony (is) that the veterans who saved this country are now, in a way, not helping us to save the country in this fiscal mess.” The group VoteVets called for his resignation, and Simpson has not apologized for the remarks. (Simpson did not respond to repeated requests for comment to TAI through the Deficit Commission.) {read rest}

Not only for the soldiers sent but compensation for those within the countries invaded and occupied who suffer the longer lasting results generation after generation after generation..............!!