Bacon's Rebellion

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More Assistance for Veterans

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by

Dick Hall-Sizemore
in

Sen. Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) speaking at opening of new community center for veterans Photo credit: Virginian Pilot

by Dick Hall-Sizemore

A new community center for veterans in Virginia Beach just opened.

If you are thinking the new Jones & Cabacoy Veterans Care Center, built and operated by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, will provide nursing home care to veterans, you would be mistaken. Or, perhaps you were thinking of the Virginia Beach Vet Center, operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, to offer counseling for needs such as depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the psychological effects of military sexual trauma (MST). Again, you would be mistaken.

No, this is the RNC Veterans Community Center, operated by the Republican National Committee. Savannah Viar, the committee’s regional communications director, told The Virginian Pilot that the purpose of the center is to train veterans who want to campaign for Republican candidates. “It basically teaches them the best practices for door knocking, phone banking, poll watching and poll working,” she said. “They come in and go through that training class and then they can use what they learn to go out and participate in GOTV (get out the vote) efforts.”

Viar was unsure of what other services the facility might offer. “In other community centers that we’ve had, we had resumé workshops or canned food drives,” she said. “It’s rarely just (get out the vote) efforts.”  She said that any such other services would be open to all veterans, regardless of political affiliation.

Rich Anderson, chair of the Virginia Republican Party, was not so anxious for veterans of any political affiliation to come in. “We will reach out to those who have worn the cloth of the country and who share our conservative values and love of country,” he declared.

Sen. Jen Kiggans of Virginia Beach, who is the Republican nominee for Congress for that district, also was not so welcoming of veterans of other political affiliation. The center “will serve as a place for veterans and military families to join together as a community, learn more about our incredible Republican candidates, and work to elect candidates to public office who share our values,” she said in a statement to The Virginian Pilot.

In response to criticism that the Republicans were politicizing veterans, Viar said, ““We invite the Democrats to reach out to veterans in a similar fashion.”

Sounds like a divisive idea to me.

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53 responses to “More Assistance for Veterans”

  1. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    I’m assuming they’re not a IRS 501(c)(3) group but I can see them arguing that they are…. like other partisan groups have.. lately…which has led to claims that “The IRS is out to get us”.

    1. James McCarthy Avatar
      James McCarthy

      It will, at a minimum, qualify for income tax exemption as a c.4 organization. Bet your nippy on that.

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        yep… that’s why they call it a “veterans community center”. Really dishonest and hypocritical.

    2. Stephen Haner Avatar
      Stephen Haner

      Political parties are organized and tax exempt under 501(c)(4) and under Obama the IRS was very much out to get them.

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        Not supposed to do anything of a partisan political nature for tax-exempt and the GOP has totally gamed that aspect and when the IRS enforced the rule they cried foul.

        Using the phrase “community center” to represent a GOTV operation is an example.

        1. Stephen Haner Avatar
          Stephen Haner

          Among the most nonsensical statements you’ve ever made. 501(c)(4) are very much partisan and political and still tax exempt.

          1. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            then how about telling me the difference between c3 and c4?

            The intent is to grant tax-exempt status to groups that are not partisan political.

          2. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/bc6559ddc6bd82558043b08e247b62b9eadf50d7566aaec1e95b715485164c0c.jpg

          3. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            You sure ’bout dat? https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/other-non-profits/types-of-organizations-exempt-under-section-501c4. Those are social good services organizations, and may engage in ” limited” lobbying activities.
            https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/eotopicl03.pdf

            I believe you will find that the IRS “went after” organizations of a political nature that attempted to use the codes that made donations tax deductible under 501(c)(3)…

            To be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3), and none of its earnings may inure to any private shareholder or individual. In addition, it may not be an action organization, i.e., it may not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities and it may not participate in any campaign activity for or against political candidates.

          4. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            You can see where this is headed when the chosen name is “RNC Veterans Community Center. “

  2. Stephen Haner Avatar
    Stephen Haner

    Political appeals aimed at veterans started with the years after the American Revolution (Society of Cincinnati, heavily Federalist). What was the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) but a post Civil War Unionist/Republican political group? And then there is this year’s tax bill here in Virginia creating a special income tax break for military retiree pay (very bipartisan — took real courage to vote no on that.) Not sure what your problem is here, Dick, given all the other political appeals aimed at subgroups of citizens.

    1. James Wyatt Whitehead Avatar
      James Wyatt Whitehead

      There is a reason why Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Harrison, McKinley were members of the GAR. A Republican had no chance of winning without the votes of the GAR. The carrot was Civil War Pensions. Last living GAR veteran died in 1956.

    2. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
      Dick Hall-Sizemore

      I can envision a veteran, seeing the sign Veterans Community Center, walking in, looking for help in filling out the paperwork needed for his application for VA disability benefits, assistance provided by the Virginia Dept. of Veterans Services in Virginia Beach in another location. Instead of such assistance, he gets guided into a training session for Republican campaign workers, or, at the very least, gets his name and address added to a Republican mailing list.

      1. vicnicholls Avatar
        vicnicholls

        and Biden’s HIGHLY ILLEGAL transfer of wealth (communism) from regular taxpaying people who possibly couldn’t afford college, to pay for college debt for people who knew what they were getting into, isn’t an issue?

        1. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
          Dick Hall-Sizemore

          I agree that the move is bad policy and unfair, to boot. “Illegal” I will leave to the courts. However, I do not see how it is pertinent to my post.

          1. vicnicholls Avatar
            vicnicholls

            Where in the constitution does the POTUS have the right to do anything with money? Or is that left to Congress, the legislative branch?

        2. DJRippert Avatar
          DJRippert

          No kidding. Senile Joe Biden was apparently told by his handlers that gifting $10,000 in debt relief would help the Democrats’ prospects in the mid-terms. The fact that the country is experiencing “once in a generation” level inflation was less important than buying votes. I hear that the freebie will not even generate a federal tax liability. Must be nice to be among the mollycoddled chosen class of the Democrats. Hopefully, Virginia will apply state taxes to this disgraceful windfall.

          Democrats – the party for those who already have.

          Joe Biden is a lifelong political ass-clown.

          1. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            I am so angry about this loan-forgiveness nonsense that I am have been refraining from discussing it out of concern I may inadvertently say something I will later be made to regret.

            After college, I did without a lot of things I wanted/needed so I could pay off my student loans 2 years early. It is positively criminal to require me to now pay off other people’s student loans.

          2. Matt Adams Avatar
            Matt Adams

            My personal favorite talking point to come out of it was:

            “Is it fair to people who, in fact, do not own multibillion-dollar businesses to see one of these guys getting all the tax breaks?”

            I enjoy equating keeping more of what was earned to not having to pay back what was barrowed.

          3. James McCarthy Avatar
            James McCarthy

            In its heyday, student loans, especially the Pell grants, were prey to unscrupulous education mills promising a great deal but delivering little. Hundreds of thousands of well-intentioned youth were scammed. Like some COVID relief programs, Uncle Sam got taken. To make matters worse, student loan repayment companies further exacerbated the debt repayment burden. Uncle Sam contributed to creating the problem and has sought a remedy. There may be other public policy solutions but those are not likely to be offered on this page.

          4. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            add veterans with GI benefits also

          5. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            I know exactly how student loans work – I took out student loans myself, obviously. That is why I was obligated to pay them back.

            I have no problem extending repayment periods and/or reducing interest rates for struggling individuals with outstanding student loan balances, but simply forgiving part or all of a loan which a person agreed to pay back, is not acceptable to me.

            Anyone making over 75 or 80 thousand dollars a year has absolutely no excuse whatsoever for refusing to pay back their student loans in full. Yet, our esteemed president and congress have seen fit to to give $10,000 to student loan “victims” who make as much as $125,000 per year.

            Far too many people expect/demand that ‘the government’ protect them from the consequences of their own decisions and actions. We are becoming nation of perpetual infants, and it makes me sick.

          6. James McCarthy Avatar
            James McCarthy

            The student’s decision to borrow involved US and the institutions, more than an individual determination. I, too, repaid my loans and those of a child. They were made in good faith by all parties with reputable educational institutions. When consumers are defrauded by commercial entities, government may step in levying penalties and compensating the victims as with those Virginians who borrowed from store front operations charging exorbitant interest.

          7. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            Did any of these “storefront” operations hide or lie about their “exorbitant” interest rates? If so, they should be prosecute and required to compensate those they defrauded.

            If not, then whomever borrowed the money did so with their eyes open.

            Either way it is not up to ‘the government’ (read: taxpayers) to bail the borrowers out.

            By the way, I cannot figure out what you mean by The student’s decision to borrow involved US and the institutions, more than an individual determination even means. Are you saying each student or family did not take an individual decision to borrow money for college? Were they forced to sign on the dotted line? Were mass loan signing events organized?

            Of course borrowing the money was an individual determination by each student and/or his families.

          8. James McCarthy Avatar
            James McCarthy

            Such government actions have been undertaken for many years. See AG Miyares press release of 02/22/2022 regarding Argosy. College loan transactions involve Fed and state governments as well as the institutions and student. The decision involved multiple parties. Both students and the governments were defrauded. No party, including the fraudsters, was forced to sign. The issue is to allocate liability. Most of the student borrowers have made some payments and a number of the institutions like ITT have been run out of business. A sizable portion of the outstanding debt was purchased by servicing agencies for collection.

          9. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            And?

            How does any of that justify the United States government using my tax dollars to forgive student loans?

            Look, if you want to use your money to help a person ort people repay the debt they incurred then there is nothing stopping you from doing so. Just leave ‘the government’ out of it.

          10. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            On a means-tested basis but I tend to agree that this is not a good thing to do as it essentially incentivizes the schools to continue to charge an arm and a leg for tuition and related.

            I can see something like “match” grants on a limited basis where people have to put some of their own money on the table to get some relief.

            But this is by far small potatoes compared to carried interest and stepped-up basis and other tax breaks for folks who are way up from middle class.

            And Joe Biden compared to Trump?

            No contest. I’ll take Joe ANY DAY over that idiot who provided tax breaks out the wazoo without paying for any of it and send the deficit and debt into la la land. What kind of idiot does stuff like that?

      2. Tom B Avatar
        Tom B

        Encapsulating the left in one phrase: “I can envision a veteran”.
        What ever the left can envision (fantasize) we are supposed to accept as wise policy.
        If only they could envision reality.

        1. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
          Dick Hall-Sizemore

          You left off the rest of the sentence.

      3. DJRippert Avatar
        DJRippert

        Your disrespect for the intelligence of veterans is obvious. You talk about veterans like they are gullible children. Shame on you.

      4. Stephen Haner Avatar
        Stephen Haner

        Dick: 1) Seems to me the word “Republican” is clearly included in the title and perhaps signage and 2) If there already is an effective state agency somebody can be referred to for services, again, what’s your problem if that is not the role this group is seeking to fill? Every campaign these days has a “Veteran’s For….” group and now it’s big enough to have an office, especially in that region.

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          Here’s the Problem:

          “RNC Veterans Community Center. ”

          what is a Republican “community center”

    3. James McCarthy Avatar
      James McCarthy

      Apples, oranges, and kiwi mixed. The valued respect due vets need not be trolled by either political party. The more recent “come to Jesus” revelation by the GOP is smarmy.

  3. WayneS Avatar
    WayneS

    If you are thinking the new Jones & Cabacoy Veterans Care Center, built and operated by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, will provide nursing home care to veterans, you would be mistaken.

    I don’t understand this statement. The Jones & Cabacoy Veterans Care Center will provide nursing home care to veterans.

    Did you mean to say: “If you are thinking of the new Jones & Cabacoy Veterans Care Center, built and operated by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, which will provide nursing home care to veterans, you would be mistaken?

    1. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
      Dick Hall-Sizemore

      Yep. Writing too fast and not proof reading enough.

      1. WayneS Avatar
        WayneS

        No worries. I just wanted to make sure you were saying what you mean, even if I ultimately disagree with you.

        😉

  4. WayneS Avatar
    WayneS

    Question: Are you genuinely concerned about this or are you just disappointed that the democrats didn’t think of it first?

    🙂

    1. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
      Dick Hall-Sizemore

      I don’t think “concerned” is the right word. I just find it disingenuous to open a campaign recruiting and training center and call it a “community center”. And, calling it a “community center for veterans” adds a veneer of philanthropy for veterans, which is always a crowd pleaser.

      And adding “RNC” to the title does not help the cause. I doubt the general public automatically thinks “Republican” when they see “RNC”. I would have been disappointed in Democrats if they had done the same thing.

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        Dick has it right. It’s really disingenuous to open a GOP GOTV “center” for “veterans” and give it a “community center” name.

        It seems that if the Dems want to “match” it, they would have to do something similarly disingenuous and
        I’m betting, to their credit, they won’t.

      2. JayCee Avatar
        JayCee

        https://www.facebook.com/democratcommunitycenter/

        1. James McCarthy Avatar
          James McCarthy

          Read the full page. The “Democrat” is the name of the Texas city where the community center is located.

          1. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            Will you please post a map showing the location of the City of Democrat Texas? I cannot find any listing for it. Seriously, I’ve done several iterations of web searches and nothing comes up for Democrat, Texas.

            Or is ‘Zephyr’ a synonym for democrat?

  5. James A. Bacon Avatar
    James A. Bacon

    Sorry, I can’t get worked up about this. Yeah, maybe it’s somewhat misleading to call the facility a “community center,” which implies that it’s open to all. But the name does add the qualifier RNC, so you’d have to be pretty stupid to not realize it’s oriented toward Republicans. On a one-to-ten scale of the outrage meter (with 10 being blowing a fuse), this ranks about a 1.5.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      and it would be an 8 if it were DNC Community Center? 😉

      1. JayCee Avatar
        JayCee

        Democrats have their own church. https://www.facebook.com/democratcommunitycenter/

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          looks like a REAL community center!

          https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2ebf538065bfd808ce2c5b6d0bae82ed8b85e4b0ef7c4496309d18f91d53905c.jpg

          1. James McCarthy Avatar
            James McCarthy

            In Democrat, Texas.

        2. James McCarthy Avatar
          James McCarthy

          Not correct. “Democrat” is the name of the Texas city where the center is located.

          1. WayneS Avatar
            WayneS

            Zephyr, Texas is the town where the Democrat Community Center is located. I looked up their address.

  6. CJBova Avatar
    CJBova

    Dick, how did you miss the fact this is one of 36 RNC community centers nationally whose purpose is to bring together people in an area who share Republican values and goals who may not have been involved in the party before and show them how to get candidates they support elected? If you look at the definition of community: a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals, what’s so strange or misleading about calling it an RNC community center for veterans?

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      Pretty simple Carol. A “community center” is virtually always intended for ALL members of A community – not just some “shared values” and especially not partisan political values.

      Most “community centers” are put up with taxpayers money – regardless of their political affiliation.

      What you seem to be advocating is having YMCAs just for Republicans or even more narrow like a MAGA “community center” that restricts membership only to MAGA folk.

      If the RNC Veterans Community Center, actually did make clear who they wanted to “serve” instead of pretending to be a legitimate community center to serve the actual community, then it would be honest and truthful.

      Instead, they’re doing what the GOP and Conservatives seem to be doing more and more these days – purposely spewing disinformation and seeking to misinform people – like that referenda in Kansas where they sought to purposely deceive voters.

      Not exactly what Conservatives used to be – folks of principle and character who value honestly and truth, transparency, good government.

      My, how they have changed since the Tea Party has infested them.

      1. CJBova Avatar
        CJBova

        Nonsense. Just as the Black Panthers, NAACP and BLM are not aimed at White community members, and Democrat Meet Ups are not aimed at Republicans in the community, RNC centers are aimed at those sharing Republican ideals, values and goals. You’ve become Dick’s #1 fan for spreading leftist/uber-liberal disinformation and distortion.

  7. Rich Anderson Avatar
    Rich Anderson

    Steve Haner and Jim Bacon: A tardy comment from me because I’ve been on the road and in the field with our candidates who are going to make electoral headway on Nov. 8th. You guys are right and this thread is a lot of buzz about nothing. I’m proud to have worked at the side of RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and her staff to bring the first RNC Veterans Outreach Center to Virginia Beach. Read the title: It’s a Republican operation, it’s about outreach, and it’s about veterans. No rocket science or misleading info here. It’s the 39th such RNC center, the others focusing on Hispanics, African-Americans, and other groups. They have been highly successful in communities across America and it will do the same in Virginia, which greatly concerns Left-Liberal Democrats across the country. Coupled with activation of RPV’s Veterans Voices for Virginia coalition, I expect to increase veteran turnout for our congressional candidates as we did in the tremendous election of Governor Glenn Youngkin last year. As a 30-year career military officer, I take great satisfaction in harnessing the vision, hard work, and aspirations of military colleagues who join our ranks and work to elect Republicans who will make life better for all Virginians and their fellow vets.

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