A real way to Support the Troops

Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) deserves our thanks for what he is trying to do for our troops who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan - getting a modern-day G.I. Bill passed that will give our troops a free education. After all, whether you agree with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan or not, I would hope we would all agree that it's the very least we can do for those serving in combat and putting their lives on the line.

As Webb and Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) recently wrote in an Op-Ed piece in the New York Times:

In terms of providing true opportunity, the World War II G.I. Bill was one of the most important pieces of legislation in our history. It paid college tuition and fees, bought textbooks and provided a monthly stipend for eight million of the 16 million who served. Many of our colleagues in the Senate who before the war could never have dreamed of college found themselves at some of the nation’s finest educational institutions.

[...]

Veterans today have only the Montgomery G.I. Bill, which requires a service member to
pay $100 a month for the first year of his or her enlistment in order to receive a flat payment for college that averages $800 a month. This was a reasonable enlistment
incentive for peacetime service, but it is an insufficient reward for wartime service today.

It is hardly enough to allow a veteran to attend many community colleges.
It would cover only about 13 percent of the cost of attending Columbia, 42 percent at the University of Hawaii, 14 percent at Washington and Lee, 26 percent at U.C.L.A. and 11 percent at Harvard Law School.

College costs have skyrocketed, and a full G.I. Bill for those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan would be expensive. But Congress has recently appropriated $19 billion next year for federal education grants purely on the basis of financial need. A G.I. Bill for those who have given so much to our country, often including repeated combat tours, should be viewed as an obligation.

Absolutely, 100 percent right, without equivocation. Yes, it probably will be expensive, but what money could be better spent? We are spending between $12-16 billion a month in Iraq, and for what?

Hagel and Webb are absolutely right - the G.I. Bill is one of the most important pieces of legislation in American history, educating over eight million people who served in World War II. This new G.I. Bill would have a dramatic impact on America's educational and technological competitiveness in the global economy.

However, McCain and Bush are against it, and their reasons are patently absurd, even for them. Both think it's "too expensive," which I find just stunning - really I don't even have the words to express how patently absurd I find that line of reasoning. McCain's logic? It will make leaving the military "too attractive," causing a personnel drain on the military. Incredible. Webb and his cosponsors are working with the various branches of the military to make sure the bill doesn't harm the military - they merely want to help vets get the benefits they deserve.

I certainly hope voters remember who is for and who is against this bill in November - I'm sure that members of the military won't forget.

What I really admire about Webb, as he discussed on Meet the Press yesterday (above), is that he really is trying to keep the politics out of it, and this bill has lots of bipartisan support. It really is good to see that members of Congress can actually come together on some things and get meaningful legislation passed. Here's hoping the votes are there to override Bush's expected veto. My attitude is this - let Bush veto it. If he (along with Senator McCain) wants to go on the record against giving our troops what they deserve, it will be there for all voters to see.

I urge you to please contact your Senators and House Representative and let them know you are paying attention to this bill, and that it must be passed. Call the Congressional Switchboard at (202) 225-3121 to be connected to any member of Congress (and an operator can find out who yours is, if you don't know), or click Here to find out your legislators' contact information.