Last week I told you about a press conference in which leading Republicans and Democrats got together to call for a new GI Bill. And I said we'd have to wait to see if action was going to follow up those words. Tomorrow, we find out.
Congress has a historic choice to make. The House of Representatives is set to vote on a World War II-style GI Bill for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans as an amendment to emergency supplemental war funding bill. And lawmakers will have to go on record as to whether they truly support our nation's newest generation of veterans.
The 21st Century GI Bill (S.22/H.R.5740) was originally introduced in Congress by some of the Senate's own combat veterans, including Senators Jim Webb and Chuck Hagel. This bill has the extraordinary bipartisan support of 57 Senators and 278 Representatives and the endorsement of every major Veterans Service Organization from the American Legion to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). About ten pieces of legislation in Congress today have that kind of bipartisan support -- and half of those bills authorize new stamps and coins. That a bill of this magnitude has such overwhelming support is almost unheard of.
This legislation would substantially increase the educational benefits available to service members who have served since September 11, 2001. It would cover the cost of tuition of up to the most expensive in-state public school and provide a living and book stipend, so new veterans can focus on their educations and readjusting to civilian life. The new GI Bill would also provide more equitable benefits to National Guardsman and Reservists, who have made up about a quarter of our fighting force in Iraq. And educational benefits would be linked to the cost of college, so they would keep their value over time. It is, in short, the right thing to do for the men and women who have made such a tremendous commitment to our country.
The momentum for a 21st Century GI Bill has been incredible. But it's time to finish the job. Tomorrow, we urge every member of Congress to vote "yes" on GI Bill funding and show unanimous support for our troops.
UPDATE: Typical gridlock in Washington has pushed the vote to early next week. And there will probably be more delays in the future as this bill goes through the Senate and to the President. The important thing is that in all this political wrangling, we don't lose sight of what this bill is supposed to be about: support for our troops. The GI Bill belongs in the emergency supplemental because it is a cost of war, and it's part of our promise to care for our troops. It's no different from bullets, body armor or bandages for the wounded. This bill has the support of more than half the House and half the Senate, and we expect to get past these procedural hurdles. At the end of the day, no patriotic American would understand if a member of Congress votes for a $100-plus billion dollar war bill and then nickel-and-dimes the troops who are fighting that war.
Help us get the word out. IAVA is encouraging its national membership to call their lawmakers and tell them to vote "yes" on the GI Bill. For more information on this critical issue, please visit www.GIBill2008.org.
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I posted a link at Daily Kos for you.
Stage One (1) Patriotic frenzy.
Stage Two (2) Mindless conformity, and intolerance of alternative opinions.
Stage Three (3) Death, loss, and destruction.
Stage Four (4) Collective re-evaluation.
Stage Five (5) Regret and remorse.
Advise to civilized society? Go directly to stage five (5) before contemplating future wars.
I am a post 9-11 vet and am currently receiving the GI Bill. Do you know if they are going to backdate vets like me who have been collecting the GI Bill for over a year and accumulated debt because the benefits are insufficient?
The best part is I am almost done with my school, so if I don't get backdated, I will be SOL with thousands of dollars in student loan debt. I have read the proposed legislation, but I do not see anything in there about backdating so I will probably just be one of the lucky ones that falls through the cracks and not get the benefit that I could have if I waited to go to school.
Again, as a Veteran, I commend you for your service and we, as Veterans have been very pissed at this administration and their fear mongering and their inability to take care of the soldiers...who performed valiantly in their duties. Our soldiers deserve more than CEOs in their high positions. Our soldiers deserve all the schooling they need to adjust to civilian life. Our soldiers deserve a home and a family like others. Our soldiers deserve all the medical needs that they have to have through their WHOLE life. Our soldiers should not be used as pawns in FEAR TACTICS. If you praise the military, take care of them. I am sickened to see this administration talk about us Democrats being non-patriotic and chickens....I've been a Democrat all of my life (62 years) and I sure am not a pussy. I may not wear a FLAG PIN, but I have my patriotism in my heart and mind. I don't have health care and I don't have benefits, so I sure am NOT FIGHTING THIS FOR MY OWN BENEFIT. I am fighting for my fellow warriors that put their lives on the line every single day for our freedom-------and sometimes for useless wars. God bless our soldiers and God bless our country. Anything that helps our men and women of the service needs to be PASSED IN GOOD ORDER without anyone bitching about it.
Thanks,
Jim McCoy
Franklin, N.C.
I think this is also why, in the very recent past so many Republicans (including John McCain), have been reluctant to support these bills.
These men and women are now deployed for (up to) 15 months. As stressed as the average American's life is today, nothing compares with the idea of being killed or maimed on a daily basis.
Our troops deserve all of the benefits that the GI bill provided in the past. It's the LEAST we can do!
Personally, I would much rather spend money on supporting our troops who have served, than on the war itself. I don't support the Iraq war (the Afghanistan war is another matter).
But I DO support our troops and would gladly pay for their education.
It's clear that Bush won't end the war, Congress won't end the war and, until they're threatened with paying for it with their own blood, the American people as a whole won't take to the streets to end it themselves. So who's left? I maintain that it's those who might consider volunteering for the military.
for almost 8 years..
Number Of Iraqis Slaughtered In US War And Occupation Of Iraq "1,206,950"
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Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In U.S. War And Occupation Of Iraq 4,073
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Cost of U.S. War and Occupation of Iraq
$517,684,814,259
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"Family values" only Caligula or David Koresh would recognize.
Leland R. Erickson
Citizen