From tonight's Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Coburn is taken to task for cloaking himself in this allusion of "caring for our troops" while refusing to do what is right for them. Even his own party disagrees with him, and its no surprise that Oklahoma Democrats all agree we should do the right thing for our veterans.
The Army Times today announced that Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn is the one responsible for holding up a major veterans benefits bill.
"Coburn has been identified by Senate aides as the lawmaker preventing consideration of S 1963, the Veterans' Caregiver and Omnibus Health Benefits Act of 2009, by using an informal but legal practice of putting a hold on a bill. . .
Earlier this fall, Coburn placed holds on S 252, the Veterans Health Care Authorization Act of 2009, and S 728, the Veterans' Insurance and Benefits Enhancement Act of 2009, which led to the introduction of S 1963, which combines key provisions of the two earlier bills in an effort to get around Coburn's opposition.
In a letter sent Monday night to the Senate majority leader, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the 13 military and veterans groups ask the Senate to get on with it.
"It is essential that Congress act on this comprehensive measure without further delay," the letter reads. "Thousands of disabled veterans with serious medical conditions and the family members who care for them are counting on this additional support."
The letter says passing the bill by Veterans Day would be a "fitting way" to honor veterans."
Oklahoma honors its veterans, and I find it totally unacceptable for a Senator to be holding up legislation that would help take care of our veterans in such an unstable economy when everyone is hurting.
All voters, regardless of partisanship stand up for our troops and our veterans, Oklahomans shouldn't stand for Coburn's hold on this bill.
Please contact his office here:
Washington D.C.:
172 Russell Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
Main: 202-224-5754
Fax: 202-224-6008
Tulsa:
1800 South Baltimore
Suite 800
Tulsa, OK 74119
Main: 918-581-7651
Fax: 918-581-7195
Oklahoma City:
100 North Broadway
Suite 1820
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
Main: 405-231-4941
Fax: 405-231-5051
In a recent townhall with Sen. Tom Coburn a sobbing woman told the all too familiar story of yet another American who can't get help. The wife of a brain-injury victim reached out to Sen. Coburn for help at the event. What was his response?
"I can help you, but government is not the answer."
Does Sen. Coburn not work for the Government? Or was he telling her that he as a doctor will come to her home and provide her with free care and teach her how to put feeding tubes in and ensure that a nurse can come to the house and teach her husband to speak again.
It isn't clear. Sen. Coburn simply believes that rather than the government dispatching doctors and other health professionals, that instead we as neighbors are far more qualified.
by Steven D, originally published at Booman Tribune and reprinted here with permission.
It's a sad fact, but Senator Dodd was unable to stop a very bad FISA bill, that even Bruce Fein, a former Reagan official at the Department of Justice claims is a gross violation of our civil liberties. Majority Leader Senator Harry Reid wouldn't let him. Yet one man, one Senator, has been able to stop dozens of bills simply by saying "no" to Harry Reid. Who is this all powerful Senator? Why a Republican, of course:
. . . Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) has a large framed picture next to his desk that serves as a constant reminder of his political ideology. Inside the black frame and matting is a single word, in large white letters: "No."
Coburn has become best known as the lawmaker who says no -- no to increased funding for unsolved civil rights crimes, no to creation of a national registry for victims of the disease ALS, no to more money for child pornography prosecutions. [...]
Most of the bills, including a child pornography law that passed the House 409 to 0 in November, are so noncontroversial that they would normally sail through on voice votes, with no roll call taken. [...]
Since January 2007, Coburn has used his senatorial "hold" to block more than 80 pieces of legislation, which means Reid knows that Coburn will object to unanimous consent on those bills.
Does anyone wonder anymore why Congress has such a poor approval rating? When Republicans held the majority they passed whatever the hell they wanted (or whatever Bush told them to pass) and Democrats were powerless, or at least they claimed they were. Remember the Terry Schiavo legislation? That passed even though a majority in the country opposed it because the Democrats in the Senate caved. Yet, now, when Republican Senators up for re-election are running scared and willing to back many Democratic proposals, Reid lets one yahoo nutcase like Tom Coburn put the kabosh on any and all legislation regardless of how beneficial it might be. Need you be reminded of just how loonie Coburn is, take a peek at this:
Here is an excellent post at Daily Kos that shows just how much U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn continues to ignore the interests of ordinary, hard-working Oklahomans.
Both Coburn and U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe continue to embarrass the state with their extreme positions on issues, such as the the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act and global warming. This is not good for the state's image.
State voters need to wake up. Inhofe is up for reelection this year. His opponent, state Sen. Andrew Rice, will restore the state's credibility throughout the world and improve its image.
We wanted to post this quickly. This post on New Nebraska Network is a must read. Check it out and click through the links. U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn and his supporters prove their hypocrisy again.
This is a community blog operated since 2006 by people dedicated to promoting and restoring progressive values in Oklahoma. A courageous band of patriots, we fight right-wing tyranny in one of the reddest of red states. Do you want to help by posting here? Do you want traffic back to your blog or site? We welcome posts written by liberals and centrist to conservative Democrats and Independents. Register above and start posting. Crossposting is allowed. Questions? Contact kurt.hochenauer@gmail.com.
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