http://www.gibill2008.org

Please just fill this petition out. It improves a service members benefits while attending college once completing their military service. I plan on going to college so it means a lot to me. Send it your friends as well... The bill passed Congress and Senate but Bush has said he will veto so thats what the petition is asking him not to do. The reason Bush wants to veto the bill is because he thinks it will hurt the retention rate of the military and be too good of option for those who would consider remaining in the military but would get out for these benefits ALONE. The bill is the equivalent of what World War 2 veterans got when they finished their service. I know it might take 5 minutes but I would greatly appreciate it. I may not be the most favorite member here but this means more then you or I.

i'm in the UK, so can't really sign, but you should have added some non-caps to the title... thread will probably get closed unless there is a nice admin who will change it.

umm... there's already a GI Bill in place. What would make this one soo much better?

this

Right message, wrong person.

The message should be changed to "OVERRIDE THE VETO!" and in that you should write to your congressman/woman and your senators. I can think of nothing more damning to this administration than to be overridden by Congress on a military matter. Reason I say damning is because to override a bill, it takes 2/3 vote of both Houses of Congress. That means Democrats and Republicans both coming together and giving a big "**** You" to W. Not to mention this will give quite a bit support for the Democrats on military matters where they are not as strong.

Furthermore, Bush is not going to listen. He's a lame duck president. He really has nothing to lose politically. So he's going to go on and veto the bill.

On the website you can see what the current statistics are of who voted for it and who against it.

The Senate’s vote last week (75-22)

I'm not drawing to create a political debate. Just sign it if you care about veterans and whether or not they get good assistance when going to college.

1100 dollars a month for 36 months while going to college (current GI Bill)

vs.

Full Tuition up front for 4 years and 700 dollars a month while in school

Jesus...I did not see one "D" on the against side for Senate. Not. One. Democrats can run wild with this.

As much as they all deserve it, I can see why the government may be inclined to shoot this thing down. With the Economy in the toilet, shelling out extra money for their educations will be hard, somehow (not sure how, but im sure it'll seem that way) I imagine they will make it seem harder to fund a soldiers education than they would to buy a fleet of tanks, humvees and the equipment to outfit them with.

By the government.. you mean 1 person...

I just think this is a very very odd time for this bill. With the Democrats having a mega chance at winning the election, most likely some sort of end would come to the Iraq war. Now of course, we will be stationed there for the next 100 years probably, but it seems odd to try and gain army #s by giving more of an incentive to join the army. Seems like it would just be stockpiling soldiers. Then again, I might not understand the intent of the bill, but from what I can tell, it is "we are giving you greater incentive to join the army". Just seems odd to me :/. Not that I disagree with it, but with our economy tanking, and soon (hopefully) a withdrawl from Iraq, doesn't quite add up

And regarding the site, when i checked it, I highly doubt that they can't pay for college. Don't you get income from being in the army? Even if it's small, that's more than a lot of kids paying for college who have absolutly nothing and are taking massive loans. As perhaps the person in charge of a loan, I'd even much rather give a loan to a soldier who has proven he can work and has some sort of income than some kid

It's ridiculous that Bush (and McCain) don't support the GI Bill. The yearly cost of the new GI Bill will be about $2.5 billion--which is a lot of money. However, we spend that much in Iraq EVERY WEEK. Their priorities seem a little twisted.

Veterans deserve this benefit for their service. In Florida a student can get a full scholarship for doing well in high school. Surely veterans serving in Iraq deserve a reward that's at least as generous as what we give good high school students. I mean, high school sucks, but compare that to the sacrifices soldiers make in Iraq.

This bill well help veterans transfer into civilian life as well. Veterans with all of their military training and experience plus[/u] university degrees

[quote=Jedi Legend]Furthermore, Bush is not going to listen. He's a lame duck president. He really has nothing to lose politically. So he's going to go on and veto the bill.[/quote]True, but McCain opposes the new GI Bill and he still has a lot to lose politically. If he were to throw his support behind the bill, I think he could sway a lot of Republicans and get enough to override the veto. However, he refuses to support it--something to keep in mind the next time he talks about supporting the troops.

No, by the government, I mean every person that runs the process. The President can't control what money is spent on the war by himself alone... there are others to blame they just arent sitting in his hot seat so they miss the spotlight.

BTW, it's not as if McCain totally opposes this bill. He proposed a counter-bill that increases benefits on a growing scale. Longer you serve, more benefits you have. He just believes that with such big benefits after short enlistments, people will leave the army too quickly.

And Wuss, I highly doubt that this somehow implies that McCain doesn't support the soldiers. You may not like him, you may not believe him at all times, but I think his support for the army/troops is one of the most genuine things about him

He's wrong. Analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has shown that the bill increase enlistment, thus compensating for the drop in re-enlistment. Defense contractors like Blackwater pose a greater challenge to reenlistment rates, yet the Bush administration has embraced such contractors, so I don't think those argues hold much water.

McCain's bill falls short. If a soldier serves in Iraq for two years, loses his legs in an attack and is no longer able to serve... he doesn't deserve the benefits? He hasn't sacrificed enough? Isn't the typical enlistment contract four years anyway? Four years of service isn't enough to earn this benefit?

I don't doubt his support of the troops, but on this particular issue, actions speak much louder than words.

I would imagine Blackwater is used to do things we as a country cannot do... you know, wars 'have rules' too. Granted Bush admin is probably doing a lot of things through them that we shouldnt be.

Also, I agree with the terms of longer tours of duty regard larger rewards, but there should be specific keynotes to the injured and disabled as well. What he means is why would someone who's served more than the standard term get the same amount as someone who has not? There should also be differences to those who are in active (combat situations) duty and those who sit in a cubicle somewhere sorting papers.

I signed the petition, Snoop. My senators already support the bill, but I'm going to write my representative in the House. I know you said you didn't want to start a political debate in the thread, but I think it's something worth debating over and fighting for.

The Washington Times:

Why are they finding it difficult?

A new-enlist (2 years or less) private in the US army makes around $15,288 a year (salary). I'm not sure what the duty rotations are like but I'm pretty sure it works out to be lower than the minimum hourly wage in most states.

If you're an officer in a specialized field you can make quite a good amount of money in the armed forces, but that usually requires a college degree before enlisting.

You need to account for the services that don't show up in the pay check like room and board that the military provides.

The point is, when I get back from Iraq, the chances of me staying in vs. getting a job with a private contractor where I can wear flip flops and a baseball cap is just ridiculous. Add that to the fact that you make hundreds of dollars a day, and few people who are offered a job with PMCs stay in. I know that this would be more of an incentive for me to get out and actually go to school instead of play the guitar and waste away. If it even applies to Reserves.



Why should someone who spent two years in an air conditioned hut and never heard the sound of gunfire, make more than grunts like me after a seven month tour of combat patrols two times a day every other day? You've already mentioned this problem, but the Mythical DoD Officer of all things retarded is sitting behind his hypothetical desk right now, coming up with new ways to make me want to stab another Marine. He will **** me over as an infantryman and make me want to leave. The least they could do is pay for all of my school if they want to treat me like ****.

I am a single soldier.

Back at Ft. Campbell I recieve 8 dollars for housing pay.

I also recieve 250 dollar for food.

The 250 is taken out of my allotments so I can get a meal card for the chow hall.

If I were married or lived off post I would earn around 600 dollars more (single) or 750 (married with dependent).

In Iraq with my combat pay, 2 years in service and e-4 rank I make 2200 a month.

You also need to account for the fact that almost no student loans give you full coverage, and virtually none of them will pay for your living expenses while you're attending school.

What's the typical tuition at a decent American university these days? An arm plus a leg plus sexual favors?

Oooh, e-4, congratulations on your promotion.

thanks man, i've had it since jan 1 actually

in-iraq.org the latest post and the Sgt. Taylor individual is my first line supervisor for my personal update

Mine do.

Like kill innocent civilians without having to be held accountable? Or cover up sexual assualt/rape?

Oh wait, our military already does the second one.

Maybe it's because they're doing hard work like playing solitaire while all of you grunts are out playing point and click adventure games