It's about time.

A week ago, we honored veterans with ceremony and words. Now the Senate has passed a bill to do a bit more.

The measure creatively combines several advances in health care for veterans. An emphasis is placed on assistance for families who wind up providing lifelong home nursing to severely disabled veterans. But it also provides for women veterans who suffered sexual trauma on duty, focuses on veterans’ care in rural areas. It makes sure that severely disabled vets can't be charged for emergency services in community hospitals.

Senator Daniel Akaka is the bill's main sponsor. His argument centers on family values of a substantive nature. The families of returning vets are devoting resources, often sacrificing their careers, to finance an obligation "that ultimately belongs to the government." It is just plain wrong, when wounded veterans and their families have already sacrificed so much.

There is a price tag. The cost will be a little less than 800 million a year.

So Senator Tom Coburn, Republican from Obtuseness, is blocking the measure. He says it is an example of spending, when our priority should be balancing the books. When Senator Harry Reid, majority leader, pointed out that Coburn had supported a trillion dollar war in Iraq that was unfinanced, Coborn's staff wasn't about to let Reid get away with it.

John Hart, Coburn’s spokesman, shot back, saying that Reid thinks Congress doesn’t have to make tough choices while the rest of America does.

Sacrificing wounded veterans, in order to bring us a micro-fraction closer to balancing the books, is a "tough choice" I would rather not have our politicians so eager to make, especially when we have financed wars costing over a thousand times as much as helping those who fight for us.

Polls go back and forth, but recently show Republicans overtaking Democrats in generic choices for Congress. We can hope that this is in reaction to the economy and a lack of attention to specifics. The loyalty of Republicans to values estranged from most Americans should be the focus of Democrats next year.

Editor's note: Readers are encouraged to drop by Dora's chatroom tonight, Wednesday, anytime after 8PM Eastern, 7PM Central. Burr will be in after worship activities, around 10 EST, 9 Central. Visit for a minute or more and voice an opinion.