FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Idaho Statesman, August 20, 1999, Friday

August 20, 1999, Friday

SECTION: Editorial ; Pg. 6b Robert Vasquez

LENGTH: 702 words

HEADLINE: Representatives fail to defend veteran
benefits;Government;United
States; Armed Forces; Veteran

BODY:
The news reported that American forces came under fire in Kosovo on
Aug. 6.
That was an eventuality, given the number of armed organizations lurking
around

every corner. Here at home, Congress and the president are fighting over

nonexistent money and how they're going to spend it. That, too, is an
eventuality, given the politics played along the Potomac.

In Idaho, though, we think we've elected representatives to Congress
who
will
fight for Idaho in the milieu of appropriations, budget cuts, taxes,
regulations
and a myriad of other governmental functions. We think that, but is it
true?

At least for veterans it is not. While news agencies across the
country
report that Veterans Administration hospitals are facing funding short

The Idaho Statesman, August 20, 1999, Friday



falls, backlogs of several months for treatment, competition for limited

dollars, and rhetoric from representatives and senators that they're
looking
into it and doing everything they can, veterans know better.

Why, then, do those veterans keep electing candidates who look them
in the

eye and tell them what they want to hear without any intention of doing
anything
about it?

For example, in Idaho the VA hospital has a backlog of between 600
and 900
veterans awaiting treatment. Some veterans are told that surgery or
services
are four to nine months out. Staff nurses are overworked and stressed to
the
limit. There is not enough room in this column to list all the problems
currently manifesting themselves at the VA. And this hospital is no
different
than others across the country, except to the degree of severity of the
problems.

In April of 1998, Rep. Helen Chenoweth held a public hearing to air
the
terrible circumstances facing veterans in Idaho, and has accomplished
absolutely nothing since then. Again, the spectre of limited funding
raises its

head. There are only so many tax dollars available, and they are
appropriated
as
best as possible, is what veterans are repeatedly told.

The Idaho Statesman, August 20, 1999, Friday



Well, as Idaho veterans ponder whom to elect in the year 2000,
consider
this: They will be sending to Congress one person seeking the seat of
retiring
Congressman Helen Chenoweth, who claimed to champion veterans issues.

As a staunch supporter of Chenoweth, this veteran would not again
support
a
candidate that had no military experience. Without first-hand experience
with
the VA system, no candidate can understand the issues no matter how
succinctly
presented to them, and they will compromise those issues at the first
opportunity.

Here are some examples of our elected veterans' advocates at work:
Idaho,
$
18.25 million dollars were appropriated from VA/HUD funds. This money
went for
such projects as the one-year demonstration of project SEARCH, a $ 1.3
million
EPA project. The Treasure Valley Hydrologic project, $ 500,000, an EPA
project;

$ 1.2 million for development of the River Bend Research and Training
Park in
Post Falls; $ 5.5 million for the Idaho Water Initiative EPA programs
and
management; $ 2.5 million for restoration of Milo Creek in Kellogg and
Wardner;

$ 2.5 million for the City of McCall's water infrastructure improvement,
an EPA

project; and $ 4.75 million for improvements to St. Maries' drinking
water.

These amounts were not appropriated in committee, and they are not
budget
requests, but added by either the Senate as an attachment or in
conference
The Idaho Statesman, August 20, 1999, Friday



between the House and Senate. That is $ 18.25 million that should have
gone to
serve Idaho veterans but didn't. These are projects that are intended
to make

Idaho's senators and congressmen look good back home. And these amounts
are
just
from Idaho. Washington and Oregon, which both serve Idaho veterans,
also were

raided for pork barrel projects.

Washington had $ 10.9 million pulled out of VA/HUD funding and Oregon
spent
$
24.2 million on congressional pork. That's a total of $ 53.35 million
for just
these three states, and yet there is no funding for veterans. Sens.
Larry
Craig and Mike Crapo and Reps. Chenoweth and Mike Simpson could have
done
something about it, but apparently chose not to. These are funds that
will be
spent to regulate our lives, if we survive the VA health care system.

Robert Vasquez lives in Caldwell.

Mug: ROBERT VASQUEZ

LOAD-DATE: August 21, 1999