“If You Try to Send the Troops to College, They Just Might Go”
Interesting observations on the proposed new GI Bill and why certain politicians refuse to support our troops by giving them the resources they’ve earned in order to be successful in college.
If You Try to Send the Troops to College, They Just Might Go
Presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., solidified his position in a paper statement last night, along with the Pentagon and the White House, concerned that the measure could hurt retention in a time of war. In short, if you try to send the troops college, they might just go.
When senators consider the House version of the President’s $108 billion war funding request in the coming weeks, look for Democrats to attach a proposal authored by Webb that would drastically upgrade the Montgomery GI Bill. Instead of receiving a fraction of college tuition (a max of about $3,000 per year), Webb and 54 other Senators from both parties want to make the GI Bill more like it was after WWII, when it paid for all of college, even private schools. They won’t go quite that far, but would offer most veterans who serve in the war on terror — even reserve and national guard who deploy — compensation for the most expensive public school in their state as well as a living stipend.
McCain, along with Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., introduced his own, less generous plan that would encourage troops to stay in the military, increasing benefits more for troops who serve 12 years or more. McCain’s bill would also encourage troops to transfer their GI Bill benefits to family members. There’s more…
