If Senator Patty Murray, who is a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs committee, won't publicly push to end this debacle in Iraq, she should at least be willing to provide the care needed for those young people who have been damaged in the Iraq Occupation. The last Congress, Republican controlled, ended without providing the Department of Veterans Affairs with adequate funding for medical care and other vital programs. In fact, for most of the past ten years Congress has repeatedly failed to pass the VA's regular funding bill before the start of each fiscal year. The practice of temporarily funding programs and services at the previous years level each year creates a budget mess that inevitably shortchanges the veterans who need care. No organization can run effectively or make any plans for the future if it is always relying on last year's funding.

The VA is to be commended for the service they do provide under these less than optimum conditions. For the seventh straight year, the Department of veterans Affairs has earned higher marks for the medical services provided than the private health care industry. This excellent care, however, must eventually erode with the chronic under-funding.

More than 200,000 veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan have already been treated at VA facilities but the number waiting for appointments has been steadily rising. In July 2004, there were 5,132 patients waiting for an initial visit. In March 2006, the number awaiting their first visit had risen to 29,442 according to the Government Accountability Office. In the proposed 2008 Bush budget the compassionate conservative again falls short of providing adequate appropriations for veteran medical care and proposes higher co-payments for prescriptions.

The Veterans benefits Administration needs more resources to handle the increasing volume of claims and the backlog of an estimated 600,000 pending cases. It now takes an average of six months to process an initial claim and up to two years to decide an appeal. Six months is a long time to wait when you are in pain. Since we clearly cannot rely on Bush to care for those he sent into harm's way we must bring pressure on Congress to do the right thing. Call, fax, write or e-mail Patty Murray. Congress needs to pass legislation which will provide the VA with the funding and other resources it needs to ensure veterans get top-quality health care. The nation owes them that at a minimum.

Larry Kerschner