If providing health care benefits for Reservists that are analogous to those for enlisted troops is important to you, then it would be wise to check this rating sheet [1] of all Representatives and Senators on the ballot next week. Published by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran's Association, the ratings are based on analysis of 169 House votes and 155 Senate votes, since September 2001, on issues of importance to current vets.
The Navy Times [2] reports on the differences in scores of Republican leaders and Democratic leaders:
The group gives an A average to the top four Democratic leaders in the House while giving an average grade of C to the top four Republicans. One of the biggest differences is among the senior party leaders. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., gets an F from the veterans group while House Democratic leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California gets an A.
House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Ind., received a C from the veterans group while Rep. Lane Evans of Illinois, the committee's ranking Democrat who is retiring from Congress at the end of the year, received an A.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., received a C while the committee's ranking Democrat, Rep Ike Skelton of Missouri, received an A minus.
The ratings give a B plus to Sen. Daniel Akaka, ranking Democrat on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and a D minus to the committee chairman, Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho. Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sen. John Warner, R-Va., did slightly better than Craig, with a D plus, while Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, the armed services committee's top Democrat, received a B plus.
Example - Senate
The Senate voted on funding [3] for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Research on 2 August 2006. A vote for the motion was a vote against research funding averaging less than $20 per troop in Iraq and Afghanistan. Brain injury is becoming the "signature wound of the Iraq war," according to IAVA.
Of the 54 Senators voting not to fund research, two were Democrats. Of the 43 voting for research, two were Republican and one, Independent.
Example - House
The House voted on TRICARE [4] for Reservists on 25 May 2005. According to IAVA, TRICARE is a no-cost health insurance plan for active duty soldiers. Reservists and National Guard soldiers who are mobilized receive free TRICARE for a short period of time before and after their deployments. In 2003, a GAO report stated that 20% of these soldiers did not have health care insurance.
The motion would have treated Reserve and National Guard soliders like active duty soldiers: it would have provided TRICARE at no-cost to the soldier. Those voting "yes" were 201 Democrats and nine Republicans. Those voting "no" were 218 Republicans.
Note: The website is showing the strain of popularity. Be patient, try again, if the site "times out." Here is a pdf [5] of the list organized by state.
Click here [6] to see the full article on About.com.
Links:
[1] http://iava.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2089&Itemid=221
[2] http://www.navytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2305503.php
[3] http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00222
[4] http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll221.xml
[5] http://uspolitics.about.com/od/electionissues/l/IAVA_full_ratings_list.pdf
[6] http://uspolitics.about.com/b/a/207911.htm