Blind vet’s benefit lowered

State links move to financial crises

By FRITZ MAYER

GLEN SPEY, NY — Michael Mulhern, a blind veteran, opened a letter from the New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs to learn that his monthly benefit had been cut by roughly $5 from $94.06 to $88.42.

Mulhern said it’s a case of the state robbing the blind. At his home in Glen Spey, he railed against Governor David Paterson, who is also legally blind, and said the governor should know better than to insult veterans in this way.

The governor and other officials in Albany have said the “unfortunate” development is linked to the ongoing crisis on Wall Street, which will result in a significant drop in revenues to the state’s coffers. Paterson has called legislators back to Albany for a special session on November 18 and has asked them to look for “creative” ways to fill the state’s projected $2 billion shortfall for the remainder of the 2008 budget year.

Mulhern says those creative ways should include a restoration of the full benefit to vets. He said for himself, it’s not the money, it’s the principal. Cutting money to people who live in darkness is simply the wrong thing to do.

But for some people, the money that’s been lost is important and it is used to bring a couple of loaves of bread into the house each month.

Mulhern was sufficiently perturbed that he’s been contacting elected officials. He’s called county lawmaker Kathy LaBuda, as well as senator John Bonacic and assemblywoman Aileen Gunther. All have agreed that the move is ridiculous and should be reversed.

Senator Hillary Clinton’s office, on the other hand, told Mulhern that it was a state matter and, therefore, the senator could not be of assistance.

In these perilous economic times, some in Albany believe that every penny counts and the reduced money to the vets resulted in a $233,000 savings to the state.

Mulhern said that kind of money is nothing compared to the size of the state budget deficit, and that the governor should look elsewhere for additional funds.

He said that he would like lawmakers to restore the full amount when they return to Albany next month, and that the blind vets deserve a written apology from Albany.