BUSH THREATENS VETO ON MILITARY PAY AND DEATH BENEFITS
Here is today's Daily News editorial. Remember there are resources for actually supporting the troops in our Support and Defend section.
A MEMORIAL DAY during wartime is an especially rich opportunity to honor - and reflect on - the people in the military whom we ask to sacrifice so much.
But President Bush's veto threat on a new House military-spending bill does neither.
In a veto threat issued just over a week ago to the National Defense Authorization Act (a fancy name for defense spending legislation), the White House cited two issues that would bring out the president's veto stamp.
The first is a 3.5 percent increase in military pay that Democrats in Congress inserted into the bill - the president had requested 3 percent.
The Democrats also inserted an increase in death benefits paid out to survivors of the fallen, by $40 a month.
There may be good reasons to veto the bill, but those two issues shouldn't be among them.
The word "offensive" doesn't even begin to describe the notion from the White House that more money for troops and their families is so objectionable as to poison an entire spending bill. If anything, we should be increasing military pay and benefits more.
In case the White House hasn't noticed, the military is already having a hard time recruiting people, and keeping people in beyond their contract.
And while the Department of Defense has lowered recruiting and retention goals so it can meet them, that hasn't kept the department from lowering standards so it can meet those low goals.
According to an Associated Press report last year, thousands of new recruits were let in with disturbingly low aptitude test scores - many more than the military previously accepted. Additionally, the military has ordered battalion commanders to retain new recruits who are alcoholics, drug abusers, not physically fit, or pregnant.
Not wanting to go to war may be a strong reason that many of our best and brightest aren't signing up, but pay also may be an issue. Most enlisted personnel who are fairly new to the military are looking at pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $30,000.
The $40 a month that the president thinks is too steep to pay widows and widowers who lose their spouse in war may seem like nothing to the country-club set that the president hangs out with, but it means a lot to those who lose a loved one in war. That money adds up to $480 a year, which can help pay expenses for kids, food bills and even for medicine.
WE HOPE THAT THE veto message was written by bureaucrats and somehow got by the president.
Surely George W. Bush doesn't want to be remembered, on future Memorial Days, as the leader who had no problem sending men and women off to war, and possibly to their death, but refused to take care of them and their families.
Comments (9)
I hear ya, brother!
Posted by: TheBoss on May 27, 2007 20:40
Assuming one $40 survivor benefit per dead soldier, Memorial Day alone would cost the government an astounding $400 per month under the Dem's bill. I can see the President's point, those death benefits really add up. Time to get out.
Posted by: JSM on May 29, 2007 14:04
Every American troup in combat is supported by 10 American troups not in combat.
Soldiers have no bills to pay. They can spend half of their pay and invest the other half. Do you have $15K to spend every year and another $15K to save? Include free rent, food, clothing, and benefits and their pay is $80K per year.
What is wrong with the death benefits that are currently in place and the annual 3% raise in pay.
Perspective soldiers decide not to join because they do not want to go to war? They wanted to train and clean barracks and do nothing else?They are professional soldiers. What do professional soldiers want to do?
I suspect that alcohol and drug abuse run more rampant amongst journalists than soldiers. Most journalism and political science majors I knew chose their major because they did not have to study. More time for booze and dope. And I am certain that journalists are not physically fit. Ever see some of them?
Care to join me in one of my boxing classes Miss Flavia. You look somewhat fit. We just hit bags. Never each other. At least not on-purpose.
President Bush has no time to concern himself with how you may choose to remember him.
Posted by: Todd Levari on May 29, 2007 17:51
With whom and why are you so angry, Todd? "Soldiers have no bills to pay. They can spend half of their pay and invest the other half. Do you have $15K to spend every year and another $15K to save? Include free rent, food, clothing, and benefits and their pay is $80K per year." You, sir, are an idiot and should be ashamed. Perhaps today you've imbibed and smoked too much. May I repost your commentary to my friends at Camp Pendleton and Luke Air Force Base? I'm sure they'd have some comments for you.
Posted by: Marc Fredrick on May 31, 2007 03:02
Todd, I don't agree with you painting those in the military with such a broad stroke that ALSO happened to be poli sci majors. That would be me.
Posted by: JD on May 31, 2007 18:36
This is no way to remember the troops. I'm with you JSM!
Posted by: MSG on June 5, 2007 13:50
Not angry. I smoke cigarettes. Nothing else. How does one imbibe?
Please do repost my comments to your friends. I would like to hear from them. Then perhaps they will tell me why I am an idiot and why I should be ashamed to state that soldiers who use a military base for residence do not have much in the way of bills.
Being a soldier is not only honorable but also can be quite profitable. That is a fact and hardly offensive.
Soldiers do not have much in the way of bills. That still stands.
Thanks for your service JD. That said, political science majors do not study much. That still stands, regardless of how much it may piss you off.
BTW, I am sometimes a fool but never an idiot.
Posted by: Todd Levari on June 13, 2007 17:35
it doesnt piss me off...just a little disappointed in that comment. no biggie though...this planet takes all types..studiers and non, and all types of opinions, its all good
Posted by: on June 14, 2007 22:08
I'm really happy by the patriotism shown by Philadelphia's own Todd Levari. It's people like him that make me wish for the draft, so that maybe his grandchildren or other loved ones could possibly end up serving their country like he obviously hasn't. Thank you Todd for being such a supporting American.
Posted by: US Navy Proud on July 28, 2007 13:23