Help for Veterans

The following came in on a google news alert I have on Nadia McCaffery who’s son, Sgt. Patrick McCaffrey, was killed nearly five years ago in Iraq. The reason I use the alert is that Nadia, and her Daughter-in-Law have been slowly growing the dream of helping other Veterans returning from the Theaters of War suffering from PTSD and TBI, her son was a medic. Their dream, in her sons honor, is called Veterans Village

This report doesn’t cover ‘Veterans Village’ but Nadia was asked about her thoughts on this Congressional Bill.

House subcommittee passes amendment to help veterans keep their homes with a larger loan guaranty limit.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs loan guaranty limit was $144,000 – an unrealistic low, Siebold said. With the amendment to the veterans act, that limit may soon match the newly upped Federal Housing Administration loan limit of $729,750.

“It’s basically like the government is your co-signer,” said Siebol, who lives in Stockton. It makes the loan a lot less risky, allowing personal loans for veterans to be easier to access too.

Now what is the response from an insider in the loan industry:

“It’s a lot of hoopla,” said Hinrich, a Tracy lender, “a bunch of window dressing – a chance for politicians to earn bragging rights.”

Well maybe he’s right, than again if he feels like that the question is why isn’t he, and others, helping these legislators tweak the bill to better help out these returning combat vets. many of those in the loan industry are a big part of the problem. They managed to tweak the loans, coming up with very questionable loan packages, in order to enhance the bottom lines for their own wealth but especially for the wealth of those who invested in these packages, not worrying at all about those being sold the loans who possibly couldn’t afford to pay them off, and many of them jumped on board in the questionable selling of these loan packages.

And how does Nadia feel about this legislation:

Before her son left on his fatal mission, he took out a second loan on his Palo Alto home.

“He didn’t want his wife to go through financial troubles,” McCaffrey said of her son.

But when he got killed, McCaffrey and her daughter-in-law were left to foot the bill. After learning of the higher-limit veterans’ loan guaranty, McCaffrey said she hopes she can refinance and lower the monthly payments for her daughter-in-law.

“It would be a great relief to us,” McCaffrey said today. “And I know so many people who can benefit from this.”

In this article they also talked to a disabled Marine corps veteran.

Today, Siebold and his peers face the ugly consequences: default, foreclosure and, in some cases, homelessness.

In another article about this bill they have this to say:

The lower figure is useless in Northern California, especially in the Bay Area where housing prices are among the highest in the nation.

“I’ve heard from reservists who have been deployed multiple times, saw a big loss in pay and they get in trouble with their home loans,” McNerney said. There are a number of home loans that provide loans for homeowners looking to help with everyday expenses, particularly if they find themselves losing their primary income or are low on funds.

Now this is the bill coming out of committee:

Congressional Legislation Veteran Home Loan Guaranty Improvement Act of 2008

Bill # H.R.4884

Cosponsor Total: 21

(last sponsor added 04/23/2008)

21 Democrats

About This Legislation:

To amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements in the home loan guaranty programs administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

Introduced by Representative Bob Filner.

Did anyone notice what I quickly saw? Who the original sponsor was and the 21 co-sponsors, this should make it clearer:

Arizona

Raul Grijalva (D 7th)

04/08/2008

California

Barbara Lee (D 9th)

04/10/2008

Gerald McNerney (D 11th)

03/13/2008

Bob Filner (D 51st)

12/19/2007

Guam

Madeleine Bordallo (D At-Large)

04/08/2008

Illinois

Janice Schakowsky (D 9th)

04/08/2008

Maine

Michael Michaud (D 2nd)

02/07/2008

Minnesota

Tim Walz (D 1st)

04/10/2008

Nevada

Shelley Berkley (D 1st)

04/14/2008

New Hampshire

Carol Shea-Porter (D 1st)

04/08/2008

New Jersey

Robert Andrews (D 1st)

03/10/2008

Donald Payne (D 10th)

03/10/2008

New York

John Hall (D 19th)

04/10/2008

Ohio

Betty Sutton (D 13th)

04/10/2008

Zack Space (D 18th)

04/14/2008

Pennsylvania

Robert Brady (D 1st)

04/08/2008

South Dakota

Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D At-Large)

04/23/2008

Texas

Silvestre Reyes (D 16th)

04/08/2008

Ciro Rodriguez (D 23rd)

04/10/2008

Solomon Ortiz (D 27th)

04/08/2008

Vermont

Peter Welch (D At-Large)

04/08/2008

Now my question is, Where are all those Lapel Flag Pin Wearers with an ‘R’ following their names? You know the ones I mean, the ones who were loudly beating the Drums of War when they had total control over the Washington based Government. The ones, through their mouth pieces and supporters, were calling Any who Opposed the coming Failed Policy Unpatriotic, Traitors, and every name their think tanks could muster. The ones, while having All That Control, never once mentioned nor held Congressional Committee meetings to come up with the monies and legislation needed for the returning Military Personal they were Sending Into Two War Theaters of Occupation. The ones who were blocking any want and need of Congressional committee meetings and hearings that the minority party were trying to hold, the ones that managed to hold hearings were relagated to basement meeting rooms with no ‘R’s’ to be seen.

Instead they were just Rubber Stamping anything that came out of the administration, No Questions Asked, and the Military Personal, and their Families, were Never Even Thought Of, Especially the Reservist and Guard members yanked from civilian life and jobs to fight in Conflicts for the War Profitteers of Wall Street and the Private sector!!

Why isn’t there By-Partison Bills, with Huge Majority Support, to Help these returning Combat Vets in All Their Needs, and Where Is The Public’s Outrage on the Treatment of these returning men and women We Sent Off To Destroy and Occupy Others Countries?