War hero critical of Lowden on veterans’ issues; GOP for character assassination
Lahontan Valley News, 5/5/10 - Former Georgia Senator Max Cleland said Wednesday Sue Lowden is no friend of veterans.
Cleland, who was head of the U.S. Veterans Administration under Jimmy Carter, criticized Lowden for a bill that would have charged some veterans for burial plots in VA cemeteries.
“It's off the wall,” he said. “I never knew anybody who wanted to tax veterans' burials, for God's sakes. And she was the only vote against the special license plate program to fund veterans' cemeteries.”
Lowden cast those votes while a member of the Nevada Senate in the 1990s.
Cleland's comments were in response to a Lowden TV ad referring to her USO service touring Vietnam with Bob Hope.
Cleland also had some harsh words for the Republican attacks on Sen. Harry Reid which he referred to as character assassination. But he said he doesn't think it will ultimately sell well with Nevada voters...
“Since he's been Majority Leader,” the VA budget has been increased 45 percent,” Cleland said. “Without his support, the 21st Century GI Bill would never have come to the floor. Now every Iraq and Afghanistan veteran has a shot at an affordable (college) education.”
He said not only did Reid get funding for a veterans' hospital in southern Nevada, he got $5 million for improvements at the Reno VA Hospital.
He said every dollar invested in the original World War II GI Bill returned up to $5 to the economy and that the new bill will do the same.
Cleland said comparing Lowden's record on veterans' issued to Reid's is “laughable...”
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War hero critical of Lowden on veterans’ issues; GOP for character assassination
Lahontan Valley News, 5/5/10 - Former Georgia Senator Max Cleland said Wednesday Sue Lowden is no friend of veterans.
Cleland, who was head of the U.S. Veterans Administration under Jimmy Carter, criticized Lowden for a bill that would have charged some veterans for burial plots in VA cemeteries.
“It's off the wall,” he said. “I never knew anybody who wanted to tax veterans' burials, for God's sakes. And she was the only vote against the special license plate program to fund veterans' cemeteries.”
Lowden cast those votes while a member of the Nevada Senate in the 1990s.
Cleland's comments were in response to a Lowden TV ad referring to her USO service touring Vietnam with Bob Hope.
Cleland also had some harsh words for the Republican attacks on Sen. Harry Reid which he referred to as character assassination. But he said he doesn't think it will ultimately sell well with Nevada voters...
“Since he's been Majority Leader,” the VA budget has been increased 45 percent,” Cleland said. “Without his support, the 21st Century GI Bill would never have come to the floor. Now every Iraq and Afghanistan veteran has a shot at an affordable (college) education.”
He said not only did Reid get funding for a veterans' hospital in southern Nevada, he got $5 million for improvements at the Reno VA Hospital.
He said every dollar invested in the original World War II GI Bill returned up to $5 to the economy and that the new bill will do the same.
Cleland said comparing Lowden's record on veterans' issued to Reid's is “laughable...”
Read the whole article
