Always Money for War Profiteers Like KBR; But Webb GI Bill Too Expensive
McCain, the Pentagon and Dubya refuse to support Senator Jim Webb's GI Bill.
According to ThinkProgress: "On NBC’s “Meet the Press” this morning, Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) discussed his 21st Century GI Bill, which would dramatically expand educational benefits for returning veterans. President Bush, however, has vowed to veto the bill. Webb blasted Bush for this unprecedented action:
How stupid does the Pentagon think the American people are?
Soldiers enlist for four years, not two, so they all serve a minimum of four years. The exception: those who, short of their four years, have been wounded, etc. preventing them from serving out their term.
The Bushite politicized Pentagon, and the wealthy, multimiliionaire elite McCain and Bush, and their cohorts would deny these soldiers the benefit of Webb's GI bill? So much for supporting out troops.
Bush's political Pentagon continues giving Bushite war profiteering, criminal companies like KBR billions in contracts but Webb's bill is too generous for soldiers spilling their blood in Iraq based on Bushite lies! All the Bush Pentagon flunkies need to be gone as of January, 2009.
As far as those Congressional chickenhawks who claim it's too expensive, Economic Policy Institute (EPI) has some news for them.
"Recent legislation introduced to allow veterans' educational benefits to keep pace with the rising cost of higher education (the 21st Century G.I. Bill) has recently been opposed by lawmakers citing concerns about the federal budget deficit.
"This is a classic example of Beltway budget myopia. Higher education benefits for veterans have generally been found to provide huge returns, making them an excellent investment in strictly economic terms, even if they have to be financed through borrowing.
"Furthermore, the proposed benefit expansion would have an imperceptible effect on the federal budget deficit. The chart below shows the share of the federal budget devoted to veterans' benefits and services, including projections from the Office of Management and Budget, through 2013. It also shows the effects of the enhanced educational benefits, using a cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office. Essentially, the proposed increase would push up veterans' benefits as a share of total federal outlays by 0.15%.
"The federal government spent roughly $8,560 on each member of the U.S. population in 2007. If the enhanced veterans' benefits currently under debate had been in effect, this would have added only about $12 to this total. Blocking these hugely valuable benefits on the grounds of deficit hawkishness makes no economic sense."
Webb said McCain was "full of it" regarding his refusal to support the Webb-Hagel GI Bill and McCain's flawed, stingy bill. However, Webb's statement can apply to Bush and his politicized Pentagon as well.
According to ThinkProgress: "On NBC’s “Meet the Press” this morning, Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) discussed his 21st Century GI Bill, which would dramatically expand educational benefits for returning veterans. President Bush, however, has vowed to veto the bill. Webb blasted Bush for this unprecedented action:
No president in history has vetoed a benefits bill for those who served. … The Republican party is on the block here, to clearly demonstrate that they value military service or suffer the consequences of losing the support of people who’ve served. … The president has a choice here to show how much he values military service.
"The Pentagon has suggested that Webb’s bill is too generous in conferring benefits to soldiers after “only” two years of service. However, as Webb pointed out, soldiers would still have to finish their enlistment term. What’s more, as a recent CBO report showed, any loss in reenlistment rates is entirely made up for by increased military recruits.
How stupid does the Pentagon think the American people are?
Soldiers enlist for four years, not two, so they all serve a minimum of four years. The exception: those who, short of their four years, have been wounded, etc. preventing them from serving out their term.
The Bushite politicized Pentagon, and the wealthy, multimiliionaire elite McCain and Bush, and their cohorts would deny these soldiers the benefit of Webb's GI bill? So much for supporting out troops.
Bush's political Pentagon continues giving Bushite war profiteering, criminal companies like KBR billions in contracts but Webb's bill is too generous for soldiers spilling their blood in Iraq based on Bushite lies! All the Bush Pentagon flunkies need to be gone as of January, 2009.
As far as those Congressional chickenhawks who claim it's too expensive, Economic Policy Institute (EPI) has some news for them.
"Recent legislation introduced to allow veterans' educational benefits to keep pace with the rising cost of higher education (the 21st Century G.I. Bill) has recently been opposed by lawmakers citing concerns about the federal budget deficit.
"This is a classic example of Beltway budget myopia. Higher education benefits for veterans have generally been found to provide huge returns, making them an excellent investment in strictly economic terms, even if they have to be financed through borrowing.
"Furthermore, the proposed benefit expansion would have an imperceptible effect on the federal budget deficit. The chart below shows the share of the federal budget devoted to veterans' benefits and services, including projections from the Office of Management and Budget, through 2013. It also shows the effects of the enhanced educational benefits, using a cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office. Essentially, the proposed increase would push up veterans' benefits as a share of total federal outlays by 0.15%.
"The federal government spent roughly $8,560 on each member of the U.S. population in 2007. If the enhanced veterans' benefits currently under debate had been in effect, this would have added only about $12 to this total. Blocking these hugely valuable benefits on the grounds of deficit hawkishness makes no economic sense."
Webb said McCain was "full of it" regarding his refusal to support the Webb-Hagel GI Bill and McCain's flawed, stingy bill. However, Webb's statement can apply to Bush and his politicized Pentagon as well.
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