Senator Michael Knapik informs us that he is expecting a large contingent of Massachusetts veterans to arrive on Beacon Hill this week to participate in a “Save Our Services” rally protesting Governor Patrick’s decision to cut funding for the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke. The rally is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 13 in front of the State House.Senator Knapik has been leading the charge to restore the funding that pays for outpatient services provided to the state’s aging veterans at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. Governor Patrick slashed this funding not once, but twice: first as part of his October 9C cuts, and then through a veto after the Legislature partially restored the funding in a November supplemental budget. That's on top of a previous cut in FY09 that eliminated dental services at the Home.
Knapik and Representative Michael Kane are scheduled to deliver a letter to the governor today urging him to restore the funding. If not, Patrick will have to answer to the state’s veterans, who deserve an explanation about why his administration has so callously turned its back on them after all the sacrifices they have made for our state and our nation.
