Pres. Obama has signed into law the new GI Bill that would benefit veterans with their educational pursuits. As reported in the WSJ:
Under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, people with at least 90 days of military service on or after Sept. 11, 2001, can receive up to 100% of their tuition paid for. They also will receive a monthly housing allowance and a stipend for books and school supplies.
The Department of Veterans Affairs began distributing tuition payments to participating schools on Aug. 1. The benefit will be available to the children of military men and women, based on their length of service.
Mr. Obama said he hopes the new benefit can be as successful as the original GI Bill, under which nearly 8 million people — including the president’s grandfather — were educated. The new beneficiaries, he said, can help rebuild the economy and become the “the backbone of a growing American middle class.”
President Bush actually signed the new GI Bill last year, but it did not take effect until Saturday. It basically gives college financial assistance to veterans of the war on terrorism, post 9/11, including those who served in Afghanistan and Iraq and their families. The bill also covers reservists and National Guard members.
The GI Bill is designed to give Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans enough of a financial boost to finance four-years at a public college. The plan would cost $51 billion over a 10 year period. The Democrats say the bill “runs afoul of a rule” that is designed to prevent new benefit programs from causing the deficit to spiral, many veterans are shocked that after approving so much war funding under Bush, these same Democrats would turn their backs on education.
Who were these Dems? You have only to think about the question to get the answer.
The Blue Dogs have created the pay-as-you-go rule. It requires the costs of new mandatory spending or tax cuts to be fully offset. The Blue Digs argue that attaching the veterans’ educational benefits to an emergency spending bill violates that pay-as-you-go principle of responsible spending that Democrats have heralded as proof that they are fiscally responsible.
According to CQpolitics.com, the Blue Dogs are troubled that the spending package includes enhanced education benefits for veterans not offset by other spending reductions. They warned mid last week that they may vote against the rule for debate over the measure, something that no Republicans were expected to support. If the rule isn’t adopted, a carefully designed plan from the Democratic leadership for adopting the overall package would ultimately collapse.
That is right…my fav bunch of Repubs in Dem clothing…the Blue Dogs. Someone needs to bring this type of antic up wherever these people are running for re-election….they need to held responsible for their lack of concern for the returning vets…the country asked them to give so much and we OWE them more than we could ever repay.
Where is all the right wing clap trap about the deficit? I mean if there is gonna be money added to the deficit should not it be brought up by those whining puppies on conservative talk radio? Do not fret…they will be silent on this one……audience and all that.