re: There was a $400 billion blank check for "pork" in the PACT Act AKA Vets bill

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I did. You never even bothered replying to it. Guess you just "missed" that, too.

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No; you didn’t. Below are what you call “explanations.”

Posted 1 Aug 2022 at 1357 CT (on page 4)

Yeah, this right here is your problem. The funding can be used to directly benefit exposed veterans. It can also be used for whatever the frick the VA can claim "improves" their processes.

I don't know how much experience you have with the VA and, more specifically, how they've handled burn pit exposure, but I'm going on 9 years.

I'm out of good faith that they'll not use the funding any way they see fit, which is exactly what the bill allows for.

The rhetoric above is nothing more than speculation, bare assertions, and personal opinions. At no point in time did you actually demonstrate that the bill permits funds to be spent on any matter unrelated to the treatment and compensation of veterans who were rated for being exposed to toxic burn pits, nor did you even address the switch from discretionary to mandatory spending.

Posted 1 Aug 2022 1637 CT (on page 5)

I don't know how anyone looks at the language in this bill and concludes that there's a limitation to only support veterans with burn bit exposure.

Yet again, this is nothing more than your personal opinion and fallacious appeal to an argument from ignorance.

Posted 1 Aug 2022 1734 CT (on page 5)

Incorrect. I've cited one of many sections of the bill that allows for subjective and ambiguous interpretation. You are willing to accept this at face value and in good faith. I am not. That's precisely where knowledge and experience come in. But hell, ignore that if you want. Look what the VA, and most government agencies, have done with ambiguous legislation before this.

No matter how you try to frame it, this is an example of a "blank check."

Yet again, this is not an explanation; it’s bare assertions and speculation. At no point in time did you actually cite a passage and explain how it says what you think it says.

I’ll cite the first section of Title VII below. Please tell me specifically which paragraph allows for the funding of matters unrelated to the treatment and compensation of troops.

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1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a plan for the modernization of the information technology systems of the Veterans Benefits Administration. The plan shall cover the first fiscal year that begins after the date of the enactment of this Act and the subsequent four fiscal years and shall include each of the following:

(A) An identification of any information system to be modernized or retired, if applicable, during the period covered by the plan.

(B) A description of how the Secretary intends to incorporate the following principles into the modernization of such information systems:

(i) The purpose of automation should be to increase the speed and accuracy of claims processing decisions.

(ii) Automation should be conducted in a manner that enhances the productivity of employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

(iii) Automation should be carried out in a manner that achieves greater consistency in the processing and rating of claims by relying on patterns of similar evidence in claim files.

(iv) To the greatest extent possible, automation should be carried out by drawing from information in the possession of the Department, other Government agencies, and applicants for benefits.

(v) Automation of any claims analysis or determination process should not be end-to-end or lack intermediation.

(vi) Employees of the Department should continue to make decisions with respect to the approval of claims and the granting of benefits.

(vii) Automation should not be carried out in a manner that reduces or infringes upon the due process rights of applicants for benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary; or the duties of the Secretary to assist and notify claimants.

(viii) Automation should be carried out while taking all necessary measures to protect the privacy of claimants and their personally identifiable information.

(ix) Automation of claims processing should not eliminate or reduce the workforce of the Veterans Benefits Administration.

(C) An identification of targets, for each fiscal year, by which the Secretary intends to complete the modernization of each information system or major component or functionality of such system identified under subparagraph (A).

(D) Cost estimates for the modernization of each information system identified under paragraph (A) for each fiscal year covered by the plan and in total.

(2) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.—In this section, the term “appropriate congressional committees” means—

(A) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and

(B) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.

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Which passage(s) fund pork? Please be specific and either copy/paste the text or refer to the paragraph’s alphanumerical identifier.

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No, you didn't. Again, the opposite has already been demonstrated.

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Yet again, I’ll note that proclaiming something isn’t a demonstration. If it were, I could simply declare that the Oklahoma Sooners are the greatest college football team on the planet and insist that I demonstrated it.

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You wouldn't be burning through this alter if you were here "in good faith."

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Nice use of affirming the consequent. So anyway, we should now resolve whether I immediately linked to the bill, whether I answered relevant questions, and whether I tried to discuss only matters which were relevant to the topic at hand.

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No; you didn’t.

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Yes, I did. It isn't my job to ensure they're to your satisfaction.

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Yet again, I’ll note that proclaiming something isn’t a demonstration. 

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If that's all I did, you'd have a point.

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Nice use of affirming the consequent.

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You sure are getting a lot of mileage out of that, aren't you.

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So anyway, we should now resolve whether I immediately linked to the bill, whether I answered relevant questions, and whether I tried to discuss only matters which were relevant to the topic at hand.

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OK. You didn't.

Resolved.

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There IS NO pork. You are being lied to and seem to be enjoying it.

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Reagan60
Number of Posts:1
Registered on:8/5/2022

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Are you an Oklahoma "fan," too?