Our campaign is picking up steam and plowing right along at Ryan for Kentucky. It has been a great couple of weeks. The best part is that Exxon Ed Whitfield has noticed he has a little competition too. Although he didn’t have a website during the whole 2006 election, this time he feels the need for one!! Well, welcome to the race Eddie, Now lets look at some of your site:
http://www.whitfieldforcongres…
While we welcome Exxon Eddie to the information age, we would like to remind him that in the information age you just can’t say things that aren’t true and not get called on it. Exxon Eddie’s website seems to be one part spin, and two parts fantasy.
Take his statement in his “On the Issues” section on “Taking Care of Veterans”. Lets look at Exxon Eddie’s take on that essential issue:
Veterans fulfilled a commitment to our country and now we must honor our commitment to them. Congressman Whitfield has worked to ensure that our veterans have access to complete healthcare including three Veterans’ Administration Out Patient Clinics in the First District of Kentucky and a full service veterans nursing home in Hanson, KY. Congressman Whitfield has helped hundreds of veterans received the military medals they earned but were never awarded. He has also made sure that our veterans have a final resting place of honor with the creation of the veterans cemetery in Hopkinsville, KY.
Now, the last I heard Veterans here in Paducah have to drive 60 miles to Marion, IL to go to a VA hospital. I guess all those trips look good for Eddie’s Exxon and Chevron stock. While it is commendable that he helped veterans recieve the medals for their service, and that he helped in a getting a cemetary for their final resting place, Exxon Eddie hasn’t been quite as kind to our living veterans who are trying to get the benefits they earned from our country. From an email from Ryan for Kentucky:
Whitfield voted for budget that cut veteran’s programs. Voted for final passage of the $2.6 trillion budget conference report for 2006. The report cut Medicaid spending by $10 Billion, every penny of the Social Security surplus, increased the national deficit by $167.5 Billion over 5 years and paved the way for drilling in ANWR. Furthermore, the conference report cut fudning for veterans’ healthcare by $13.5 Billion over 5 years. Yet the budget still found room for $106 BILLION in tax breaks for those who need it least. [HRC 95, Vote #149, 4/28/2005; Passed Republicans; 214-15: Democrats; 0-195; Independent; 0-1]
As you can see, Eddie cast a partisan vote, a rubber-stamp to President Bush and voted AGAINST respecting our veterans. I wonder how many of $106 billion in tax breaks went to Exxon and Chevron, in which he owns stock? Only in the delusional world of Mitch McConnell and Ed Whitfield does “Taking Care of Veterans” entail cutting their healthcare by 13.5 billion dollars while doling out 106 billion in Corporate Welfare. Not to mention voting his stock options to allow the Oil Companies to rape ANWR.
However, the hypocrisy of Exxon Eddie does not end there. Just look at this bill which failed by one single vote. Again from an email from Ryan for Kentucky:
Whitfield voted against a $53 Million boost for Veteran’s Health Care and Benefits on MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND 2005 (FAILED BY 1 VOTE – WHITFIELD’S VOTE). The bill would have aded $8 million for combat-related trauma care, $6 million for poly-trauma centersto support wounded trops once they return to their homes, $9 million for VA medical and prosthetic research and $7 million for 100 additional staff to process claims for compenstation and pension benefits. Finally, the amendment would provide $23 million to help approximately 4100 spouses of service members with children whose spouse died during the War on Terrorism between September 11, 2001 and November 30, 2004 by making them eligible for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. The amendment failed, 213-214 [HR 2528, Vote #224, 5/26/2005; Failed; Republicans; 19-210; Democrats; 193-4; Independent; 1-0]
Now, how can Exxon Eddie claim to “Take Care of Veterans” if he casts the deciding vote that defeats respecting them with the benefits they have earned? To add insult to injury, Whitfield cast this deciding vote on MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, while the rest of America was celebrating the sacrifice of these brave men and women!! What total hypocrisy, especially when you consider that Whitfield rubber-stamped the failed policy of President Bush which sent them to war in the wrong country without the proper training, equipment, and without adequate plans for the occupation or exit in Iraq!!!!
Ed Whitfield is so out of touch with the values of Western Kentucky it is embarrassing!!!! Here, we believe that our veterans should be respected and honored for their service with all the benefits they were promised, and earned. Here at Ryan for Kentucky, we fight for that!!! Perhaps Eddie should buy a house in the district and live among us and he would know that!!!
We have a great Democrat in Kentucky’s First named Heather Ryan who is running to truly represent the people and veterans of this district. She is a veteran herself, so “Taking Care of Veterans” is personal to her. Here is her take on the current service man and woman enlisted and fighting, and our veterans:
As a veteran of the United States Navy, and an active member of the American Legion, my dedication to the men and women in uniform is unyielding. The current service member is highly skilled, highly trained and highly ignored by this administration. The American people
were duped into an ill-conceived war under false pretenses and the administration continues to over utilize a national guard system which was never intended to be used for sustained combat missions. Congress must insist that an exit strategy be planned and implemented immediately. By the Bush Administration’s own account, the nation will be forced to reinstate the draft system again should we continue to over-tax our National Guard with sustained combat. I am not a supporter of reinstating the draft for as history clearly shows us, the draft is merely for those of us who are not wealthy enough to buy our way out of
active duty. We must not allow this ill planned and ill executed war to continue to destroy the brave men and women in our armed forces while simultaneously placing our nation at a heightened risk with a limited national guard.
Every day we see reports about how our veterans services have fallen into severe disrepair. The men and women who served this country deserve better. Our VA system needs a complete overhaul; from the GI Bill to health care to disability benefits, without a modernized system, we do those who served our country a grave disservice. Veterans deserve better.
http://www.ryanforkentucky.com…
It is time for Exxon Eddie to go. His list of accomplishments mostly include rubber-stamping all the failed policies of Mitch McConnell and President Bush, all the while sacrificing the interests of real citizens of Kentucky’s First District to blind partisanship.
Heather Ryan brings youth, intelligence and passion to serve the veterans and working families of our district. When Western Kentucky Democrats see adn hear her, they love her!!! We just need the resources to get our message to them to win!!!
Please help us reach the 63% of registered Democrats in this district, and invest in expanding our Congressional majority here:
http://www.actblue.com/page/am…
Every cent will be put to work immediately to defeat a sitting Republican and to advance the values of our party in a region we have long ignored. Please support fellow grassroots Democrats in their efforts to rebuild our party where it is needed most, on the ground!!
Best wishes fellow Democrats!!