How Rick Santorum Ripped Off American Veterans

[Lakhota]

By Andy Kroll

A controversial land deal by the presidential candidate robbed a vets' home of tens of millions of dollars.

Like any good presidential candidate, Rick Santorum heaps praise on America's soldiers and veterans. He's pledged to "make veterans a high priority" if elected president, adding, "This is not a Republican issue, this is not a Democratic issue, it is an American issue." But as a US senator, Santorum engineered a controversial land deal that robbed the military's top veterans' home of tens of millions of dollars and worsened the deteriorating conditions at the facility.

The Armed Forces Retirement Home, which is run by the Department of Defense, bills itself as the "premier home for military retirees and veterans." The facility sprawls across 272 acres high on a hill in northern Washington, DC, near the Petworth neighborhood. The nearly 600 veterans who now live there enjoy panoramic views of the city—the Washington monument and US Capitol to the south, the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to the east. At its peak, more than 2,000 veterans of World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War lived at the Home.

But with the rise of the smaller all-volunteer military, the Home began to run into serious financial problems. It was clear that one of its primary sources of revenue—a 50-cent deduction from the paychecks of active-duty servicemembers—wasn't enough to keep the Home operating fully. In the 1990s, the Home scrambled to find ways to avoid insolvency, trimming its staff by 24 percent and reducing its vet population by 800. Still, the money problems began to show, with its older historic facilities slipping into disrepair and decay. To grapple with its worsening shortfall, officials running the Home eyed a valuable, 49-acre piece of land worth $49 million as a potential financial lifeline.

Under one scenario, by leasing the parcel of land and letting it be developed, the Home could pocket $105 million in income over 35 years for its trust fund, David Lacy, then-chairman of the Home's board of directors, told Congress in 1999. Lacy stressed that the Home wanted to keep the property, and not offload it to a buyer. "Once land is sold," he said, "it is lost forever as an asset."

Enter Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Penn.). At the behest of the Roman Catholic Church, and unbeknownst to the Home, Santorum slipped an amendment into the 1999 National Defense Authorization Act handcuffing how the home could cash in on those 49 acres. The amendment forced the Home to sell—and not lease—the land to its next-door neighbor, the Catholic University of America. Ultimately, the Catholic Church bought 46 acres of the tract for $22 million. The Home lost the land for good, and by its own estimates, pocketed $27 million less than the land's value and $83 million less than what it could've made under the lease plan. Santorum's amendment sparked an outcry from veterans' groups and fellow US senators, who barraged his office with complaints.

More: How Rick Santorum Ripped Off American Veterans | Mother Jones

 

[Maple]

By Andy Kroll

A controversial land deal by the presidential candidate robbed a vets' home of tens of millions of dollars.

Like any good presidential candidate, Rick Santorum heaps praise on America's soldiers and veterans. He's pledged to "make veterans a high priority" if elected president, adding, "This is not a Republican issue, this is not a Democratic issue, it is an American issue." But as a US senator, Santorum engineered a controversial land deal that robbed the military's top veterans' home of tens of millions of dollars and worsened the deteriorating conditions at the facility.

The Armed Forces Retirement Home, which is run by the Department of Defense, bills itself as the "premier home for military retirees and veterans." The facility sprawls across 272 acres high on a hill in northern Washington, DC, near the Petworth neighborhood. The nearly 600 veterans who now live there enjoy panoramic views of the city—the Washington monument and US Capitol to the south, the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to the east. At its peak, more than 2,000 veterans of World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War lived at the Home.

But with the rise of the smaller all-volunteer military, the Home began to run into serious financial problems. It was clear that one of its primary sources of revenue—a 50-cent deduction from the paychecks of active-duty servicemembers—wasn't enough to keep the Home operating fully. In the 1990s, the Home scrambled to find ways to avoid insolvency, trimming its staff by 24 percent and reducing its vet population by 800. Still, the money problems began to show, with its older historic facilities slipping into disrepair and decay. To grapple with its worsening shortfall, officials running the Home eyed a valuable, 49-acre piece of land worth $49 million as a potential financial lifeline.

Under one scenario, by leasing the parcel of land and letting it be developed, the Home could pocket $105 million in income over 35 years for its trust fund, David Lacy, then-chairman of the Home's board of directors, told Congress in 1999. Lacy stressed that the Home wanted to keep the property, and not offload it to a buyer. "Once land is sold," he said, "it is lost forever as an asset."

Enter Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Penn.). At the behest of the Roman Catholic Church, and unbeknownst to the Home, Santorum slipped an amendment into the 1999 National Defense Authorization Act handcuffing how the home could cash in on those 49 acres. The amendment forced the Home to sell—and not lease—the land to its next-door neighbor, the Catholic University of America. Ultimately, the Catholic Church bought 46 acres of the tract for $22 million. The Home lost the land for good, and by its own estimates, pocketed $27 million less than the land's value and $83 million less than what it could've made under the lease plan. Santorum's amendment sparked an outcry from veterans' groups and fellow US senators, who barraged his office with complaints.

More: How Rick Santorum Ripped Off American Veterans | Mother Jones

Rick Santorum has done more than just rip off veterans, he has ripped off everyone, including a Chiropractor. Watch through the commercial, it's enough to curly your hair.

Flashback: Rick Santorum Caught in Medical Malpractice Doubletalk | Video - ABC News

 

[whitehall]

The US Military? The democrat senate majority leader should be in prison for trying to impact the morale of the Troops when he told them and the rest of the world "the war (in Iraq) is lost" just as the Troop surge was underway. Democrats called the US commander in Iraq "betray-us" in a full page ad in the NY Times. Democrat senator Kerry called US Troops "terrorists" and the late democrat congressman John Murtha called Marines "murderers".

 

[Lakhota]

The US Military? The democrat senate majority leader should be in prison for trying to impact the morale of the Troops when he told them and the rest of the world "the war (in Iraq) is lost" just as the Troop surge was underway. Democrats called the US commander in Iraq "betray-us" in a full page ad in the NY Times. Democrat senator Kerry called US Troops "terrorists" and the late democrat congressman John Murtha called Marines "murderers".

Gee, divert much...? Duh, the thread is about "Santorum" ripping off veterans.

 

[freedombecki]

Twenty-two million dollars is a lot of money for 46 acres. The Catholic Church will put the land to use that will benefit many American people, imho. I'm not of their denomination, but I admire their outreach to people no one else would lift a finger to help.

Their organization feeds the sick, builds hospitals that are open to everyone, provides housing, clothing, and medical care for those in great need, and their church people are found wherever the community has a need for something good to be done.

Thank you for calling this to the board's attention, Lakhota.

What happened to that land will be a blessing to us all.

And you say Rick Santorum is to blame?

I thought you were against Rick Santorum.

 

[GuyPinestra]

The US Military? The democrat senate majority leader should be in prison for trying to impact the morale of the Troops when he told them and the rest of the world "the war (in Iraq) is lost" just as the Troop surge was underway. Democrats called the US commander in Iraq "betray-us" in a full page ad in the NY Times. Democrat senator Kerry called US Troops "terrorists" and the late democrat congressman John Murtha called Marines "murderers".

 

[Maple]

Twenty-two million dollars is a lot of money for 46 acres. The Catholic Church will put the land to use that will benefit many American people, imho. I'm not of their denomination, but I admire their outreach to people no one else would lift a finger to help.

Their organization feeds the sick, builds hospitals that are open to everyone, provides housing, clothing, and medical care for those in great need, and their church people are found wherever the community has a need for something good to be done.

Thank you for calling this to the board's attention, Lakhota.

What happened to that land will be a blessing to us all.

And you say Rick Santorum is to blame?

I thought you were against Rick Santorum.

So I imagine that you will just ignore the below link as well.

Flashback: Rick Santorum Caught in Medical Malpractice Doubletalk | Video - ABC News

 

[Lakhota]

Twenty-two million dollars is a lot of money for 46 acres. The Catholic Church will put the land to use that will benefit many American people, imho. I'm not of their denomination, but I admire their outreach to people no one else would lift a finger to help.

Their organization feeds the sick, builds hospitals that are open to everyone, provides housing, clothing, and medical care for those in great need, and their church people are found wherever the community has a need for something good to be done.

Thank you for calling this to the board's attention, Lakhota.

What happened to that land will be a blessing to us all.

And you say Rick Santorum is to blame?

I thought you were against Rick Santorum.

Wow, that's probably the best spin I've heard this week. You're pretty good. Thank you.

Fox News would probably hire you.

 

[GuyPinestra]

Twenty-two million dollars is a lot of money for 46 acres. The Catholic Church will put the land to use that will benefit many American people, imho. I'm not of their denomination, but I admire their outreach to people no one else would lift a finger to help.

Their organization feeds the sick, builds hospitals that are open to everyone, provides housing, clothing, and medical care for those in great need, and their church people are found wherever the community has a need for something good to be done.

Thank you for calling this to the board's attention, Lakhota.

What happened to that land will be a blessing to us all.

And you say Rick Santorum is to blame?

I thought you were against Rick Santorum.

What the fuck are you talking about? This was a VETERANS HOME, you know, the guys you tie a ribbon around a tree for?? They got FUCKED out of MILLIONS to enrich the Catholic Church. You are a cold, heartless BITCH if you think fucking over US VETERANS is a GOOD thing.

 

[francoHFW]

#3- a few troops, a few marines, while Pub hypocrites rip them all off...

 

[Valox]

If there isn't more to this story, then that is pretty despicable and borders on something the mafia would do.

 

[GuyPinestra]

If there isn't more to this story, then that is pretty despicable and borders on something the mafia would do.

It's true, and there's nothing redeeming in it. I'm conservative, not liberal, and this shit Santorum did makes me SICK!

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Jeezus - The more I see of this scum bag, the more I hate him.

Watch the rw's make excuses though.

 

[IndependntLogic]

Twenty-two million dollars is a lot of money for 46 acres. The Catholic Church will put the land to use that will benefit many American people, imho. I'm not of their denomination, but I admire their outreach to people no one else would lift a finger to help.

Their organization feeds the sick, builds hospitals that are open to everyone, provides housing, clothing, and medical care for those in great need, and their church people are found wherever the community has a need for something good to be done.

Thank you for calling this to the board's attention, Lakhota.

What happened to that land will be a blessing to us all.

And you say Rick Santorum is to blame?

I thought you were against Rick Santorum.

As a veteran and the DOO of The New Terrain Foundation, I'm disappointed that you would let your partisanship blind you to the batrayal of those who have lost limbs and lives on behalf of your country.
Shame on you.

 

[occupied]

Santorum seems to be very comfortable with dirty deals like this, the more I learn of him the more it seems he is a highly unscrupulous backroom deal maker. This guy stinks on ice. Just a matter of time before a big one comes out that will doom his career, never mind his run for the White House. This guy is going to blow up in so many faces, the smart people are already staying away from him.

 

[Lakhota]

Bill Press nails it...

Rick Santorum Has More Baggage Than The Rest Of Them

 

[daveman]

Oh, sure, NOW the left gets all weepy about veterans.

 

[California Girl]

Santorum seems to be very comfortable with dirty deals like this, the more I learn of him the more it seems he is a highly unscrupulous backroom deal maker. This guy stinks on ice. Just a matter of time before a big one comes out that will doom his career, never mind his run for the White House. This guy is going to blow up in so many faces, the smart people are already staying away from him.

Just like Obama, you mean, right?

 

[GuyPinestra]

Oh, sure, NOW the left gets all weepy about veterans.

This is NOT a Left/Right issue, and I'm not on the 'Left' anyway. I wish to God it wasn't Santorum that did this, but he DID!

And his doing it proves to me that the man is not worthy of my vote, or yours, for that matter...

 

[GuyPinestra]

Santorum seems to be very comfortable with dirty deals like this, the more I learn of him the more it seems he is a highly unscrupulous backroom deal maker. This guy stinks on ice. Just a matter of time before a big one comes out that will doom his career, never mind his run for the White House. This guy is going to blow up in so many faces, the smart people are already staying away from him.

Just like Obama, you mean, right?

Yep! Just like Obama, and I'm not voting for him, either!