Enhanced VA Mortgage Options Now Available for Veterans

WASHINGTON (Oct.24) — Veterans with conventional home loans now have new options for refinancing to a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) guaranteed home loan. These new options are available as a result of the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2008, which the President signed into law on October 10, 2008.

The VA’s Difficulty With The New G.I. Bill

The Department of Veterans Affairs is in a pickle. Tasked by Congress to implement the new Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, the VA has failed to discover how it will complete the creation of a working program by the August 1st, 2009 deadline (when the new benefits take effect).

In fact, the program has to be operational long before then so that the appropriate training can be done for VA education workers, and materials can be provided to assist veterans learn how to navigate the news system. However, the VA has run into some problems.

Should America Fear the Word “Socialism”?

Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been accusing presidential candidate Barack Obama of being a socialist, but do Americans even understand what that term means today? I think not: Especially when the terms socialism and communism seemed to be used interchangeably and erroneously thrown about as antonyms to capitalism and democracy.

First—get this straight—capitalism and democracy are not the same thing. Democracy is a system of government and capitalism is a system of economy. You can have a communist and capitalist society (look at China). You can also have a democratic-socialist society, a socialist-capitalist society, etc.

VA Tightens Protections for Veterans Paperwork

Peake: Lapses “Unacceptable,” Procedures and Accountability Tightened WASHINGTON (Oct. 16, 2008) — Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B.

Peake vowed swift action after a handful of documents related to veterans’ applications for financial benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) were found among documents identified for shredding. The documents, which were not duplicated in government files, could have affected veterans’ eligibility for benefits.

“I insist on the highest possible standards for processing and safeguarding information in VA’s custody,” Peake said. “It is unacceptable that documents important to a veteran’s claim for benefits should be misplaced or destroyed.”

Iranians linked to attempt to bribe Iraqi officials

MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ PRESS DESK

BAGHDAD, Iraq http://www.mnf-iraq.com 703.343.8790

Press Release A081015    October 15, 2008
BAGHDAD – Commander, Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I) Gen. Ray Odierno recently stated that current intelligence indicates Iranian officials intend to attempt to bribe Iraqi officials to prevent passage of the SOFA Agreement. MNF-I further clarified that this no way infers that any Iraqi governmental officials accepted bribes.

“The Council of Representative members work hard to represent and serve the Iraqi people performing an honorable, critical role in building the new Iraq,” stated MNF-I Spokesman Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll.

VA Announces ‘In House’ Option to Implement IT Aspects of New GI Bill

WASHINGTON, Oct 10, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ — The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that it will rely upon its own workforce to set up the information technology programs needed to implement the educational benefits of the new Post-9/11 GI Bill.