Politics. On Point.

On yesterday the nation, once again, took a day to remember its veterans who lost their lives serving their country.  Amid the wreath laying, motorcycles roaring, flags waving, and parades, the fact remains that the country's surviving veterans need help, and the institutions put in place to assist them, are shrouded in incompetency and bureaucracy. Last yea r, we spoke to two individuals who are products of the United States armed forces as they told us stories of their families and loved ones who served, and their struggles with the Veterans Administration office to get the services they desperately need. Outside the Department of Veteran Affairs in Washington, DC on a cold February day, our interviewee had this message for the Department of Veteran Affairs, and President Obama . "Help the veterans, because they deserve it more than anybody else in this country." The VA has come under fire (again) for its mismanagement of veterans' cases leaving some...

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama addressed the media, then took questions regarding the government shutdown, healthcare, the debt ceiling and other concerning issues he says the Republicans are being uncooperative about. House Speaker John Boehner took to the podium moments later arguing the case that President Obama is unwilling to negotiate. It's time both parties but an end this war of words and take action to put Americans back to work and on solid footing. Thankfully, good Samaritans have come forward to assist Americans in their time of need where the shutdown has affected everyday Americans.  (See military | See education ). Related On the Affordable Care Act, Republicans have fought the president tooth and nail. Oct 2008 : "You'll never get elected and pass healthcare." Nov 2008: "We'll never let you pass healthcare." Jan 2009: "We're gonna shout you down every time you try to pass healthcare." July 2009: ...

Virginia Commonwealth University has been awarded a $62 million federal grant to oversee a national research consortium of universities, hospitals and clinics that will study what happens to service members and veterans who suffer mild traumatic brain injuries or concussions, the White House announced .   The concussions that will be studied include both combat injuries, such as those from blasts and bullets, and civilian injuries, such as those from car accidents, sports injuries and falls.   [Read Article HERE ]. “This is another significant milestone in VCU’s ascent as a national-caliber public research university,” said VCU President Michael Rao. “We recognize that an award of this magnitude only results from the research excellence that is fostered and encouraged across VCU.”   This is the second particularly large grant that VCU has received in recent years. In 2010, VCU received a $20 million grant – until now, the largest federal award in its hi...

Our Quote of the Day (QOTD) comes from White House press secretary Jay Carney as he speaks to the press about today's visit between President Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki. Said Carney, "This is a momentous visit..." President Obama shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. AP photo. Here's a bit more of Carney at the top of today's briefing in the James Brady briefing room at the White House. As you know, Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki is here to meet with the President.  You will be seeing them both fairly soon.  And if I could just note, this is a momentous visit because, as you know, the Iraq war -- a war that we've been engaged in for 8 and a half years -- is over.  And after eight and a half years of sacrifice, America's war in Iraq is coming to an end.  Since President Obama took office, nearly 150,000 U.S. troops have been removed from Iraq and hundreds of bases have been shut down.  In the next two weeks the ...

Bringing the Boys Home Two major announcements by the White House included the president's plan to deploy 10,000 troops from Afghanistan, beginning this summer. In keeping with his commitment to draw down U.S forces this July, President Obama addressed the nation last evening to explain: "Tonight, I can tell you that we are fulfilling that commitment. Thanks to our extraordinary men and women in uniform, our civilian personnel, and our many coalition partners, we are meeting our goals", the president said. "As a result, starting next month, we will be able to remove 10,000 of our troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year, and we will bring home a total of 33,000 troops by next summer, fully recovering the surge I announced at West Point. After this initial reduction, our troops will continue coming home at a steady pace as Afghan security forces move into the lead. Our mission will change from combat to support. By 2014, this process of transition will be com...

America lost the greatest social and political activist of our time, Gil Scott-Heron, last Friday, May 27.  He was 62. Such an icon is worth mentioning by the current Administration if only for Scott's brilliant poetry, genius, intelligence, insight, and lyrical ability to express through song what America's people have and still are, going through. In this piece, Did You Hear What They Said , Scott speaks to war and the men (in this case) who have died in the U.S. military. The images in the video production portray a very grim, but poignant reminder of the conditions of U.S. veterans returning home from war. "Did you hear what they said", sings Heron.   "They said another brother's dead.  They said he's dead, but he can't be buried.  They said he's dead, but he can't be buried. C'mon, c'mon, c'mon.  This can't be real.  Did you hear about his mother and how she cried?  They said because her only son was dead." ...

Video of yesterday's White House event introducing the First Lady and Dr. Jill Biden's Joining Forces initiative. Related Stanley McChrystal Joins Forces Military Child of the Year

The following op-ed, penned by Dr. Jill Biden, was published today in the Philadelphia Inquirer: Harnessing Community Colleges I have been a teacher for more than 30 years and a community college instructor for the last 18 of them. Every day in my classroom, I see the power of community colleges to change lives and put students on the path to opportunity and success. Community colleges are uniquely American institutions, in which anyone who walks through the door is one step closer to realizing the American dream. And they will play a vital role in the nation's economic recovery. President Obama understands the critical role community colleges will play in getting the economy back on track. They are the key to meeting his goal of making America's workforce the best educated and most competitive in the world by 2020. Last October, the president asked me to convene a summit of community college leaders at the White House, where students, faculty, administrators, and bu...

“Every American benefits from the profound sacrifices made by our military men and women. As a veteran, I was honored to attend the release of the Obama Administration’s report on support for military families. When a service member who has dedicated their life to protecting this country suffers from physical, mental health, or substance abuse problems, they do not suffer alone, and we owe these patriots and their families more than gratitude – we owe them our support. ONDCP is committed to providing that support through expanded access to drug treatment for active duty military and veterans, extending our support for veterans courts and through comprehensive efforts to reduce drug use and its consequences.”· According to a survey conducted by the Department of Defense, one in eight active duty military personnel are current users of illicit drugs . This is largely driven by prescription drug abuse, reported by one in nine service members—more than double the rate compared to the civ...