MITT ROMNEY’S
STRATEGY FOR
RESTORING FAITH
WITH OUR
VETERANS
Boston, MA –
Mitt Romney
addressed the
VFW National
Convention today
at the
Reno-Sparks
Convention
Center in Reno,
Nevada. Below is
his strategy to
reform the
Department of
Veterans Affairs
and restore
faith with our
veterans.
Restore Faith
With Our
Veterans
As president,
Mitt Romney will
implement
reforms to the
Department of
Veterans Affairs
to restore faith
with our
veterans. The
system has
struggled to
keep up with the
needs of our
returning
warriors. Since
2008, the
backlog for
disability
benefit claims
has doubled,
veteran suicide
rates have
sharply
increased, and
the unemployment
rate for
returning
veterans remains
high above the
national
average.
Get Veterans
Working Again
Mitt Romney will
unleash the
American economy
to grow again
and create
well-paying
jobs. He will
cut taxes, lift
job-killing
regulations, and
slash debt to
encourage job
creators to
invest and grow
their
businesses. He
will reverse
President
Obama’s defense
cuts that could
force 200,000
troops out of
the service.
With the
unemployment
rate for
returning
veterans at
unacceptable
levels, it is
vital that
veterans aren’t
sent from the
front lines to
the unemployment
lines.
Make the System
Work
Governor Romney
will not allow
an entire
generation of
veterans to lose
faith with the
VA. Because
veterans
strongly prefer
to receive care
within the VA
system, focus
will be directed
toward improving
and
strengthening
that system.
Modernize the VA
· Mitt Romney
will reduce the
backlog of
benefits claims
by eliminating
unnecessary
bureaucracy,
implementing a
reliable
electronic
claims
processing
system, and
ensuring that
the VA is able
to handle the
more complex
claims arising
from the
post-9/11 wars.
Simplify Claims
for Common
Injuries
· For disability
claims that
require less
documentation to
prove injuries,
an expedited
application
process for
disabilities
commonly
incurred or
aggravated by
military
personnel should
be created.
Make World-Class
Health Care
Available To All
Veterans Who
Need It
· Mitt Romney
will expand the
footprint of the
VA health system
to reach more of
the 41 percent
of veterans that
live in rural
areas and speed
the availability
of
Internet-based
consultations,
tele-homecare,
and tele-monitoring.
He will ensure
that the VA
health system
can meet the
unique needs of
veterans
returning from
Iraq and
Afghanistan with
debilitating
injuries.
Reverse
Obama-Era
Defense Cuts
President Obama
signed
legislation that
cut half a
trillion from
the military,
while submitting
a budget request
that grew nearly
every other
federal agency.
Mitt Romney will
prioritize
restoring,
preserving, and
protecting the
proud Armed
Forces that our
veterans built.
That means
reversing cuts
that could:
· Force
thousands of
troops out of
uniform and onto
an overburdened
Department of
Veteran Affairs.
· Degrade
training,
equipment, and
leadership
needed by our
deployed forces
in Afghanistan.
· Shrink the
military to the
smallest Navy
since 1916, the
smallest Army
since 1940, and
the smallest Air
Force in our
history.
Make National
Defense and
Veterans A Top
Priority
President
Obama’s first
term was marked
by significant
cuts to our
wartime
military, but
expansive growth
to the rest of
the government.
Mitt Romney
believes that
keeping the
American people
safe from harm
is our
Republic’s most
sacred
responsibility.
Defense and
veteran spending
is less than 20%
of the federal
spending, but
has absorbed
over 50% of
deficit
reduction
efforts to date.
Governor Romney
will rebuild,
revitalize, and
restore a
military that
has been worn
ragged by ten
years of war and
systemic budget
cuts. Mitt
Romney will:
· Put our Navy
on the path to
increase its
shipbuilding
rate from nine
per year to
approximately
fifteen per year
and maintain a
fleet of 11
aircraft
carriers.
· Modernize and
replace the
aging
inventories of
the Air Force,
Army, and
Marines, and
selectively
strengthen our
force structure.
· Add 100,000
active duty
troops.
· In the first
100 days, begin
reversing
Obama-era cuts
to missile
defense and
commit to a
robust
multi-layered
national
ballistic-missile
defense system
to deter and
defend against
nuclear attacks
on our homeland
and our allies.
MITT ROMNEY
DELIVERS REMARKS
AT THE VFW
NATIONAL
CONVENTION
Boston, MA –
Mitt Romney
today delivered
remarks at the
Veterans of
Foreign Wars
National
Convention in
Reno, Nevada.
The following
remarks were
prepared for
delivery:
Thank you.
Commander
Richard DeNoyer,
I appreciate the
introduction,
and I’m proud to
see a combat
veteran from
Massachusetts
serving as
National
Commander of the
VFW.
Ladies Auxiliary
President Gwen
Rankin, incoming
National
Commander John
Hamilton,
incoming Ladies
Auxiliary
President Leanne
Lemley, Adjutant
General Allen
“Gunner” Kent,
Executive
Director Bob
Wallace,
distinguished
guests and
members of the
VFW: Thank you
for your
generous
welcome.
I want to start
today with a few
words about the
unimaginable
tragedy in
Colorado last
week. We’ve
since learned
that among the
victims were
four people who
had served – or
were serving –
our country in
uniform. Today,
our hearts go
out to the
families of John
Larimer of the
U.S. Navy;
Rebecca Wingo,
an Air Force
veteran; Jesse
Childress, an
Army veteran and
member of the
Air Force
reserve; and
Jonathan Blunk,
a Navy veteran
who died
shielding his
girlfriend from
the spray of
bullets. The
loss of four
Americans who
served our
country only
adds to the
profound tragedy
of that day. All
Americans are
grateful for
their service
and deeply
saddened by
their deaths. We
mourn them and
we will remember
them.
The VFW is now
over two million
strong. It has a
special place in
America’s heart.
Some of you
fought recently,
in Iraq or
Afghanistan.
Others are old
enough to have
marched, flown,
or sailed by
orders of
Franklin D.
Roosevelt.
Whatever your
age, whether you
are a Republican
or a Democrat,
whenever you
served – there’s
one thing you
have in common:
You answered the
call of your
country in a
time of war.
From December
7th, 1941 to
September 11,
2001, whenever
America has been
tested, you
stepped forward.
You come from
our farms, our
great cities,
our small towns
and quiet
neighborhoods.
Many of you have
known violence
so that your
neighbors could
only know peace.
You have done
more than
protect America;
your courage and
service defines
America. You are
America at our
best and it is
an honor to
address you.
Our veterans are
part of a proud
tradition that
stretches back
to the
battlefields at
Lexington and
Concord – and
now to places
like Fallujah
and Kandahar.
Year after year,
our men and
women in uniform
have added proud
achievements to
their record of
service. And
President Obama
pointed to some
of them
yesterday in his
speech.
Any time our
military
accomplishes a
vital mission it
is a proud
moment for our
nation. But we
owe our veterans
and our military
more than just
an accounting of
our successes.
They deserve a
fair and frank
assessment of
the whole
picture – of
where we are and
where we want to
be. And when it
comes to
national
security and
foreign policy,
as with our
economy, the
last few years
have been a time
of declining
influence and
missed
opportunity.
Just consider
some of the
challenges I
discussed at
your last
national
convention:
Since then, has
the American
economy
recovered?
Has our ability
to shape world
events been
enhanced, or
diminished?
Have we gained
greater
confidence among
our allies, and
greater respect
from our
adversaries?
And, perhaps
most
importantly, has
the most severe
security threat
facing America
and our friends,
a nuclear-armed
Iran, become
more or less
likely?
These clear
measures are the
ultimate tests
of American
leadership. And,
by these
standards, we
haven’t seen
much in the
President’s
first term that
inspires
confidence in a
second.
The President’s
policies have
made it harder
to recover from
the deepest
recession in
seventy years …
exposed the
military to cuts
that no one can
justify …
compromised our
national-security
secrets … and in
dealings with
other nations,
given trust
where it is not
earned, insult
where it is not
deserved, and
apology where it
is not due.
From Berlin to
Cairo to the
United Nations,
President Obama
has shared his
view of America
and its place
among nations. I
have come here
today to share
mine.
I am an
unapologetic
believer in the
greatness of
this country. I
am not ashamed
of American
power. I take
pride that
throughout
history our
power has
brought justice
where there was
tyranny, peace
where there was
conflict, and
hope where there
was affliction
and despair. I
do not view
America as just
one more point
on the strategic
map, one more
power to be
balanced. I
believe our
country is the
greatest force
for good the
world has ever
known, and that
our influence is
needed as much
now as ever. And
I am guided by
one overwhelming
conviction and
passion: This
century must be
an American
Century.
In 1941, Henry
Luce called on
his countrymen –
just then
realizing their
strength – “to
create the first
great American
century.” And
they succeeded:
together with
their allies,
they won World
War II, they
rescued Europe,
they defeated
Communism, and
America took its
place as leader
of the free
world. Across
the globe, they
fought, they
bled, they led.
They showed the
world the
extraordinary
courage of the
American heart
and the
generosity of
the American
spirit.
That courage and
generosity
remains
unchanged today.
But sadly, this
president has
diminished
American
leadership, and
we are reaping
the
consequences.
The world is
dangerous,
destructive,
chaotic. And the
two men running
to be your
commander-in-chief
must offer their
answers to the
challenges we
face.
Like a watchman
in the night, we
must remain at
our post – and
keep guard of
the freedom that
defines and
ennobles us, and
our friends. In
an American
Century, we have
the strongest
economy and the
strongest
military in the
world. In an
American
Century, we
secure peace
through our
strength. And if
by absolute
necessity we
must employ it,
we must wield
our strength
with resolve. In
an American
Century, we lead
the free world
and the free
world leads the
entire world.
If we do not
have the
strength or
vision to lead,
then other
powers will take
our place,
pulling history
in a very
different
direction. A
just and
peaceful world
depends on a
strong and
confident
America. I
pledge to you
that if I become
commander-in-chief,
the United
States of
America will
fulfill its
duty, and its
destiny.
American
leadership
depends, as it
always has, on
our economic
strength, on our
military
strength, and on
our moral
strength. If any
of these falter,
no skill of
diplomacy or
presidential
oratory can
compensate.
Today, the
strength of our
economy is in
jeopardy.
A healthy
American economy
is what
underwrites
American power.
When growth is
missing,
government
revenue falls,
social spending
rises, and many
in Washington
look to cut
defense spending
as an easy out.
That includes
our current
President.
Today, we are
just months away
from an
arbitrary,
across-the-board
budget reduction
that would
saddle the
military with a
trillion dollars
in cuts,
severely shrink
our force
structure, and
impair our
ability to meet
and deter
threats. Don’t
bother trying to
find a serious
military
rationale behind
any of this,
unless that
rationale is
wishful
thinking.
Strategy is not
driving
President
Obama’s massive
defense cuts. In
fact, his own
Secretary of
Defense warned
that these
reductions would
be
“devastating.”
And he is right.
That devastation
starts at home.
These cuts would
only weaken an
already
stretched VA
system and
impair our
solemn
commitment that
every veteran
receives care
second to none.
I will not allow
that to happen.
This is not the
time for the
President’s
radical cuts in
the military.
Look around the
globe. Other
major powers are
rapidly adding
to their
military
capabilities,
some with
intentions very
different from
ours. The regime
in Tehran is
drawing closer
to developing a
nuclear weapon.
The threat of
radical Islamic
terrorism
persists. The
threat of
weapons of mass
destruction
proliferation is
ever-present.
And we are still
at war and still
have uniformed
men and women in
conflict.
All this and
more is ongoing
in the world.
And yet the
President has
chosen this
moment for
wholesale
reductions in
the nation’s
military
capacity. When
the biggest
announcement in
his last State
of the Union
address on
improving our
military was
that the
Pentagon will
start using more
clean energy –
then you know
it’s time for a
change.
We’re not the
first people to
observe this. It
is reported that
Bob Gates, the
President’s
first secretary
of defense,
bluntly
addressed
another security
problem within
this
administration.
After secret
operational
details of the
bin Laden raid
were given to
reporters,
Secretary Gates
walked into the
West Wing and
told the Obama
team to “shut
up.” He added a
colorful word
for emphasis.
Lives of
American
servicemen and
women are at
stake. But
astonishingly,
the
administration
failed to change
its ways. More
top-secret
operations were
leaked, even
some involving
covert action in
Iran.
This isn’t a
partisan issue;
it’s a national
security crisis.
And yesterday,
Democrat Senator
Dianne
Feinstein,
Chairman of the
Senate
Intelligence
Committee, said,
quote, “I think
the White House
has to
understand that
some of this is
coming from
their ranks.”
This conduct is
contemptible. It
betrays our
national
interest. It
compromises our
men and women in
the field. And
it demands a
full and prompt
investigation by
a special
counsel, with
explanation and
consequence.
Obama
appointees, who
are accountable
to President
Obama's Attorney
General, should
not be
responsible for
investigating
the leaks coming
from the Obama
White House.
Whoever provided
classified
information to
the media,
seeking
political
advantage for
the
administration,
must be exposed,
dismissed, and
punished. The
time for
stonewalling is
over.
It is not enough
to say the
matter is being
looked into, and
leave it at
that. When the
issue is the
political use of
highly sensitive
national
security
information, it
is unacceptable
to say, “We’ll
report our
findings after
Election Day.”
Exactly who in
the White House
betrayed these
secrets? Did a
superior
authorize it?
These are things
that Americans
are entitled to
know – and they
are entitled to
know right now.
If the President
believes – as he
said last week –
that the buck
stops with him,
then he owes all
Americans a full
and prompt
accounting of
the facts.
And let me make
this very clear:
These events
make the
decision we face
in November all
the more
important. What
kind of White
House would
reveal
classified
material for
political gain?
I’ll tell you
right now: Mine
won’t.
The harm done
when national
security secrets
are betrayed
extends, of
course, to the
trust that
allies place in
the United
States.
The operating
principle of
American foreign
policy has been
to work with our
allies so that
we can deter
aggression
before it breaks
out into open
conflict. That
policy depends
on nurturing our
alliances and
standing up for
our common
values.
Yet the
President has
moved in the
opposite
direction.
It began with
the sudden
abandonment of
friends in
Poland and the
Czech Republic.
They had
courageously
agreed to
provide sites
for our
anti-missile
systems, only to
be told, at the
last hour, that
the agreement
was off. As part
of the so-called
reset in policy,
missile defenses
were sacrificed
as a unilateral
concession to
the Russian
government.
If that gesture
was designed to
inspire good
will from
Russia, it
clearly missed
the mark. The
Russian
government
defended the
dictator in
Damascus, arming
him as he
slaughtered the
Syrian people.
We can only
guess what
Vladimir Putin
makes of the
Obama
administration.
He regained the
Russian
presidency in a
corrupt
election, and
for that, he got
a congratulatory
call from the
Oval Office. And
then there was
that exchange
picked up by a
microphone that
President Obama
didn’t know was
on. We heard him
asking Dmitry
Medvedev to tell
Mr. Putin to
give him
“space.” “This
is my last
election,”
President Obama
said, and “After
my election I’ll
have more
flexibility.”
Why is
flexibility with
Russian leaders
more important
than
transparency to
the American
people?
President Obama
had a moment of
candor, however,
just the other
day. He said
that the actions
of the
Venezuelan
dictator Hugo
Chavez have not
had a serious
national
security impact
on us. In my
view, inviting
Hezbollah into
our hemisphere
is severe,
serious, and a
threat.
But at least he
was consistent.
After all, this
is the president
who faltered
when the Iranian
people were
looking for
support in their
struggle against
the ayatollahs.
That uprising
was treated as
an inconvenient
problem for the
President’s
policy of
engagement,
instead of as a
moral and
strategic
opportunity.
That terrible
misjudgment
should never be
repeated. When
unarmed women
and men in
Tehran find the
courage to
confront their
oppressors, at
risk of torture
and death, they
should hear the
unequivocal
voice of an
American
president
affirming their
right to be
free.
I will leave
Reno this
evening on a
trip abroad that
will take me to
England, Poland,
and Israel. And
since I wouldn’t
venture into
another country
to question
American foreign
policy, I will
tell you right
here – before I
leave – what I
think of this
administration’s
shabby treatment
of one of our
finest friends.
President Obama
is fond of
lecturing
Israel’s
leaders. He was
even caught by a
microphone
deriding them.
He has
undermined their
position, which
was tough enough
as it was. And
even at the
United Nations,
to the
enthusiastic
applause of
Israel’s
enemies, he
spoke as if our
closest ally in
the Middle East
was the problem.
The people of
Israel deserve
better than what
they have
received from
the leader of
the free world.
And the chorus
of accusations,
threats, and
insults at the
United Nations
should never
again include
the voice of the
President of the
United States.
There are
values, causes,
and nations that
depend on
American
strength, on the
clarity of our
purpose, and on
the reliability
of our
commitments.
There is work in
this world that
only America and
our allies can
do, hostile
powers that only
we can deter,
and challenges
that only we can
overcome.
For the past
decade, among
those challenges
has been the war
in Afghanistan.
As
commander-in-chief,
I will have a
solemn duty to
our men and
women in
uniform. A
president owes
our troops,
their families,
and the American
people a clear
explanation of
our mission, and
a commitment not
to play politics
with the
decisions of
war.
I have been
critical of the
President’s
decision to
withdraw the
surge troops
during the
fighting season,
against the
advice of the
commanders on
the ground.
President Obama
would have you
believe that
anyone who
disagrees with
his decisions is
arguing for
endless war. But
the route to
more war – and
to potential
attacks here at
home – is a
politically
timed retreat.
As president, my
goal in
Afghanistan will
be to complete a
successful
transition to
Afghan security
forces by the
end of 2014. I
will evaluate
conditions on
the ground and
solicit the best
advice of our
military
commanders. And
I will affirm
that my duty is
not to my
political
prospects, but
to the security
of the nation.
We face another
continuing
challenge in a
rising China.
China is
attentive to the
interests of its
government – but
it too often
disregards the
rights of its
people. It is
selective in the
freedoms it
allows; and, as
with its
one-child
policy, it can
be ruthless in
crushing the
freedoms it
denies. In
conducting trade
with America, it
permits flagrant
patent and
copyright
violations …
forestalls
American
businesses from
competing in its
market … and
manipulates its
currency to
obtain unfair
advantage. It is
in our mutual
interest for
China to be a
partner for a
stable and
secure world,
and we welcome
its
participation in
trade. But the
cheating must
finally be
brought to a
stop. President
Obama hasn’t
done it and
won’t do it. I
will.
We’ll need that
same clarity of
purpose and
resolve in the
Middle East.
America cannot
be neutral in
the outcome
there. We must
clearly stand
for the values
of
representative
government,
economic
opportunity, and
human rights.
And we must
stand against
the extension of
Iranian or
jihadist
influence.
Egypt is at the
center of this
historical
drama. In many
ways, it has the
power to tip the
balance in the
Arab world
toward freedom
and modernity.
As president, I
will not only
direct the
billions in
assistance we
give to Egypt
toward that
goal, but I will
also work with
partner nations
to place
conditions on
their assistance
as well.
Unifying our
collective
influence behind
a common purpose
will foster the
development of a
government that
represents all
Egyptians,
maintains peace
with Israel, and
promotes peace
throughout the
region. The
United States is
willing to help
Egypt support
peace and
prosperity, but
we will not be
complicit in
oppression and
instability.
There is no
greater danger
in the world
today than the
prospect of the
ayatollahs in
Tehran
possessing
nuclear weapons
capability. Yet
for all the
talks and
conferences, all
of the
extensions and
assurances, can
anyone say we
are farther from
this danger now
than four years
ago?
The same
ayatollahs who
each year mark a
holiday by
leading chants
of “Death to
America” are not
going to be
talked out of
their pursuit of
nuclear weapons.
What’s needed is
all the
firmness,
clarity, and
moral courage
that we and our
allies can
gather.
Sanctions must
be enforced
without
exception,
cutting off the
regime’s sources
of wealth.
Negotiations
must secure full
and unhindered
access for
inspections. As
it is, the
Iranian regime
claims the right
to enrich
nuclear material
for supposedly
peaceful
purposes. This
claim is
discredited by
years of
deception. A
clear line must
be drawn: There
must be a full
suspension of
any enrichment,
period.
And at every
turn, Iran must
know that the
United States
and our allies
stand as one in
these critical
objectives. Only
in this way can
we successfully
counter the
catastrophic
threat that Iran
presents. I
pledge to you
and to all
Americans that
if I become
commander-in-chief,
I will use every
means necessary
to protect
ourselves and
the region, and
to prevent the
worst from
happening while
there is still
time.
It is a mistake
– and sometimes
a tragic one –
to think that
firmness in
American foreign
policy can bring
only tension or
conflict. The
surest path to
danger is always
weakness and
indecision. In
the end, it is
resolve that
moves events in
our direction,
and strength
that keeps the
peace.
I will not
surrender
America’s
leadership in
the world. We
must have
confidence in
our cause,
clarity in our
purpose, and
resolve in our
might.
This is very
simple: if you
do not want
America to be
the strongest
nation on earth,
I am not your
President. You
have that
President today.
The 21st century
can and must be
an American
Century. It
began with
terror, war, and
economic
calamity. It is
our duty to
steer it onto
the path of
freedom, peace,
and prosperity.
Fewer members of
the Greatest
Generation are
with us today –
and they can’t
hold the torch
as high as they
have in the
past. We must
now seize the
torch they
carried so
gallantly and at
such sacrifice.
It is an eternal
torch of
decency, freedom
and hope. It is
not America’s
torch alone. But
it is America’s
duty – and honor
– to hold it
high enough so
that all the
world can see
its light.
Believe in
America.
Thank you and
God Bless the
United States of
America.
Source:
Mitt Romney For
President
Website |