McCain Defends Opposition to GI Bill

Why don’t the republicans want Americans — especially our military men and women — to have an education?????
Obama ’08!

OK…lets look at McSame’s WATERED DOWN GI BILL:
stay with me here:
1) The McCain-Graham-Burr legislation creates a flat education benefit, not taking into account the cost of state colleges where veterans live. This would mean veterans in states where the cost of education is higher than the benefit would have go to into debt to get an education, or uproot themselves and their families to move to a place where the benefit would cover college. The Webb-Hagel Bill determines the education benefit based on the highest state college tuition in a veterans’ home state, allowing veterans to come home and attend college, without upheaval in their lives.
2) The McCain-Graham-Burr legislation creates second-class veterans, by offering those who serve in the military for 12 years the chance to transfer their education benefits to their children. This says to a veteran who serves for two years and loses both of his legs in combat that his service isn’t as valuable as someone who has served for longer.
3) The McCain-Graham-Burr legislation leaves the National Guard and Reserve out in the cold. In the current conflicts, the National Guard and Reserve have served faithfully alongside their active duty compatriots, and deserve equal benefits. Yet, the McCain bill does nothing to reward our Guard and Reservists for their cumulative service. Under the McCain bill, over 160,000 members of the Guard and Reserves who have done more than one tour in Iraq or Afghanistan would get no credit towards an education for their additional sacrifice.
ummm yeeeehhh…I think the Webb-Hagel bill pretty much BLOWS this one out the water…
Obama/Webb 08

McCain is right. There has to be someway to tie the benefits to encouraging members to stay. Otherwise, who is going to stay in the military. Plus, currently, milary members already have GI bills.

No Jane, it’s the decision to give the military more money without more service is stupid. Again, you already have GI bills. If there are more money to be given to you then you should commit longer. We are having a 2 wars. If most of members attend schools, then who is going serve?? With all due respects, people in general want to give the military members more benefits but then we don’t want them to go fight the wars. Then what is the point of giving the benefits and having the military.

>>Again, you already have GI bills.<<
Have you read the current GI Bill? It has been decimated over the years. This new version RESTORES what has been taken away from our veterans.

Seems like we’re spread pretty thin these days with our military. Where would we have been without the horrible Stop Loss program? So what are our choices? Make it more lucrative to enlist or institute the draft. As the mother of a 21-year-old son and three potentially draft-eligible daughters, I’d prefer to make enlistment more appealing!

hannah,
we could cut back on fighting wars to keep the costs down. time to let some other people fight their own wars, too.
Obama ’08!

McCain should have supported the Webb GI Bill.
I hope that an Obama-Webb ticket happens and they BLAST McCain to high heaven.

If you serve in a combat zone, you should get all of the benefits being a vet offers. If you put time in grade, you deserve more. But regardless of time in grade or duty location, the fact is education benefits everyone.
The GI bill (old one that is) helped educate millions of Americans, bringing them a better standard of living, better health care, better housing. The single-most beneficial thing you can do to a human being is educate them – and at only $50,000 per person (the cost of two years base pay), the benefits in greater tax revenues from higher incomes for better educated citizens far outweigh the costs.
Add to this the stimulation for recruitment and retention, getting REAL, tangible reward for serving (above the patriotic stuff which many don’t buy into anyhow), and the knowledge that the government actually WILL do as much for you as you do for it makes a HUGE amount of sense given the lack of interest the government has shown in meeting the needs of the most needy returning vets – the walking wounded, TBI cases and even healthy ones going to facilities that couldn’t legally house animals, let alone human beings.
If the government wants to stimulate recruitment, this is an excellent way to do it. In the long run, it will more than pay for itself. It remains to be seen if the government cares enough about the quality of its armed forces to do it.

We cannot give away the bank. When all the money has been paid back that the US owes we will be a poor nation ourselves. Rev Wright has a 10 million dollar mansion and big expense account and he is Obama’s spiritual advisor and is like an uncle. Obama doesn’t understand about the budget.

Voters should not give money to Obama’s campaign..this money should go to help veterans. Obama seems not to care about the veterans more than himself.

McCain’s bill is better it allows vets to transfer benefits to their families.
Webb’s bill is a disaster it doesn’t allow vets who are killed in action to transfer benefits to their families.
Obama is against allowing benefits for vets who are killed in action to be transferred to their family members.

John McCain is a hero and Obama should respect him and not say or do any thing that is in any way disrespectful toward him. Obama is not a hero but some might say he is kinda shady.

Barak Obama opposed military construction for new bases in the u.s
The dems last year blackmailed our soldiers. They said if the republicans didn’t allow a hate crime bill against gays they would block funding for construction of bases in the u.s.
Nancy Boyda voted against new funding for a base in kansas. Obama supported blocking funding for these new bases.
These were soldiers who just came back from iraq and the dems were against them sleeping in a better facility.
The dems are against the troops.

The best thing McCain can do for retention of the troops is to end this war of Choice.
All veterans who served deserve equal treatment when comes to the GI Bill.
The last thing that is needed is a division among the Military

Obama is against allowing veterans to have their benefits transferred to other family members if they are killed in action.
The NY Times is silent on this.
This is a major reason why McCain is against the Webb Bill.
The Webb Bill doesn’t allow you to transfer benefits to family members.

For those of you who feels so compassionate for the veterans but turn around and called McCain a Fraud. You must have forgotten that McCain is a veteran himself and suffered for this country. His son, father and grandfather also fought and died for this country. How is that make him a Fraud and not make you feel compassionate about him as you claim you are for other veterans. No one disagree, including mccain, to give veterans the best they deserve, at the same time, however, enlisting encouragement is needed. Our military is volunteered. Would you be more happy if no one wants to enlist and there is a draft?? And how is it efficient to train someone and when that someone quits, you have to spend time again to train others. That in turn makes our army with always inexperienced combats. And the most important of all, McCain’s benefits will transfer to your family should something happens to you. Why do we buy life insurance? so that when we go, our spouse and kids have soemthing to live on. There’s nothing wrong with pay veterans more to encourage longer service and put a life insurance aside for the veterans’ families. What is wrong with that. If you’re not a veteran, then put that in business sense to make you understand better. On the surface, obama thinks he’s doing veterans a favor but in fact, he has absolutely no understanding whatever with the military and foreign policies.

hannah, your post is correct. Obama could or could not be Muslim. There is no way to know until it’s too late.

If handguns are banned how will citizens defend themselves. Everyone has a right to defend themselves and thier family. Obama is an eletist and depends on someone else to defend him and his family. He is a friend of Rezco and Rezco will not attack him anyway.

Threr was a time when someone was promised free medical care for life when they retired from the military. It was determined that recruiters had no authority to make such statements but it was determined that anyone who entered the service prior to 1956 was qualified for this entitlement. It didn’t happen. During Clinton’s administration those who retired and signed on to the Survivor’s Benefits Program which provided a portion of their retired pay to their spouse if they predeceased their spouse were to be able to have a paid up plan if they had paid in for 30 years and had reached the age of 70. Sounded good but that was 1998 and it was deferred until 2008. When we are burying 100+ a day how many do you think lasted until 80?

By opposing that bill, McInsane demonstrated again just how visionless, stubborn and mean spirited he is.
If military people aren’t now going to desert the military early for the sake of their family, do we expect that they would exit the military on account of a silly scholarship? Jeeeeeesh!
How freaking dumb is this man?
Moreover, when America goes to war for ‘legitimate’ causes, are there EVER any shortage of volunteers? NO!
If Americans stop filling recruitment offices around the country now, it is ONLY because of the incompetence and LACK OF LEADERSHIP of the so-called ‘commander-in-chief’; it is because of the LIES about the illegal and worthless war in Iraq!
Every good American leader WILL NEVER have problems recruiting Americans for just and wise causes.
McCain’t is an old visionless fool.
More reason for Americans to ignore his mindless bid for the Presidency.
America deserves a leader with visions of possibilities!
Americans don’t need another warmongering leader!

John McCain wants to keep the college benefit of the GI Bill crummy enough so that soldiers will stay put rather than try and get an education. The gall of the man is revolting.

I would vote for McCain in a heartbeat if he…had a plan for the economy, a plan for Iraq besides the same old, same old, a plan to help Americans in the health care crisis, a plan to move this country forward with jobs and prosperity, a plan to help our seniors, families, and everybody getting ripped off by big oil, a plan to bring back trust in government besides hiring all the lobbyest he surrounds himself with, a plan that is not the last guy’s plan, a plan to really help out working families, not the wealthy ones, a plan just for the sake of having a plan. Yeah, if he had all this, I would vote for him.

All Mccain talks about is Iraq, Iraq, Iraq! What about the economy? What about domestic policy? Anyone who don’t believe that there is a connect between the billions of dollars spent each month to keep the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and the weak economy got to have their head checked or is drinking some spiked koolaid. The Republican party is one of war, war, war. If you like war then vote for McCain..If you don’t mind seeing some more of our wonderful young people die in Iraq and more in addition to the 25,000 who have been incapacitated by the stupid war then vote McCain. All he talks about is war..I am sick of it! People are losing jobs, many forclosures, the economy is in tatters..gas is expensive and McCain is talking about Iraq. wake up America! Vote Dems 08

Reading these comments was quite interesting until it turned from a discussion to bashing McCain and Obama. The topic is the GI Bill. It seems to me neither bill is a good bill. A combination of both is needed. Take some out of each and make a reasonable bill. Some really good education benefits no matter how long you are in the military, coupled with some added education benefits for longer service, and/or injury. Add in the benefits being transferrable in event of death or disability. Give these people the best of both. They deserve it. I have three brothers that served in Viet Nam. (It doesn’t matter now if you agree with that war or not, these men and others served their country.) The GI bill was a great thing for them, but one of them suffers terribly from effects of Agent Orange. Medical care for these men falls far short of what is deserved by all veterans. Lets quit bashing the people running for president and make the needs known instead. Contact your senators and representatives to get what the veterans deserve. Encourage some bipartisan creativity.

Valjean, adding a differential based on whether the person served in a hostile, combat venue makes a lot of sense,too. Good idea.

Plus, what’s a hostile zone? Is everywhere in Iraq the same? One could sigh up for the benefit and get shipped to a supportive assignment, where there’s no hostile action.

I am a republican and I recently served in the military and for some people one term is enough. I support McCain, but I disagree here. To inspire people to serve one term and get worthwhile compensation is good. Four years of war is enough to effect a person for life. I think that our soldiers deserve more. No one fights war because it’s fun, we all want better lives and I think if more people served one term it would make for a healthier military and a more respectful community in America.

McSame is a slave to the bankers, corporations, war profiteers and mercenaries. He will scrimp and cut anything that does not contriblute directly to the offshore bank accounts of his masters. Forget health care and veterans, hospitals and education- we need many many more bombs to make and many many more lives to snuff in Iran. That’s where your tax dollars will go.
Think of our soldiers being sent into yet another bloody quagmire in Iran and the power of your vote.

Republicans have a better GI bill, one which does what GIs actually WANT, which is to provide portability of the education benefits.
So the question is, why are all the Democrats voting against portability, and for maximum benefits for GIs who quit after their first term?
The answer is clear — the Democrats want to encourage people to quit the military, so that we don’t have enough troops to continue the fight in Iraq and elsewhere.
The Webb GI bill will encourage experienced troops to abandon their units and leave the service in order to qualify for the new benefits, which in the end will mostly line the pockets of liberal professers and universities, who will raise their tuitions since so many veterans won’t be paying their own way.

John McCain,Bush and all the other Neocons certainly don’t want educated soldiers,then the troops will be wiser to all the Neocons lies to start more wars and extend the ones we already have. The only military related people John McCain wants to help are his military contractor friends. Republicans want our troops to fight their wars,but never support them once they are injured.These are the people who vote against benefits for our proud warriors. Being a former vet,this make me sick!

Charles … I wasn’t going to post to this discussion until I read your post, and got violently ill! I happen to be one of those “free loading family members” you refer to, who isn’t contributing anything and is only living off what the government gives me.
Let me start off by saying obviously you have never served your country, otherwise you wouldn’t sound so ignorant about what military families mean to this country.
My husband has been in the US Army for 12 years, and he’s served that long not because he’s afraid of trying to make it in the civilian world, not because he has no drive to make something of himself in the civilian world, and not because he’s afraid of college, but because he feels that it’s not only his right, but his HONOR to serve the country he lives in and loves.
During my husbands last deployment, I earned my Associates Degree while working full time and raising our two children by myself. Yet, according to you, I contribute nothing to this country. What about the blood, sweat, and tears shed during my husbands deployment? What about the nights of worry and wonder if he’s alive? What about the nights I’ve set up with my oldest calming his fears about his father’s deployment? What about the 40+ hours I worked outside the home and the 100+ hours I worked inside the home every week my husband was deployed taking care of our family? Do they really count for nothing in your eyes? Or perhaps it’s your lack of knowledge about how real military families work that has caused you to make such broad false statements. I pay taxes, just like you do, as does my husband. His pay is NOT tax free, unless he is deployed, and quite honestly, I’d rather pay the taxes year round and have him home safe at my side, than get the barely more than $600 extra a month we get when he’s deployed. Is $600 extra a month really worth his life? I think not.
My husband is a 2 time combat veteran who has been injured in the line of duty, has received a Purple Heart, and who has made national news. My husband gets up every morning and puts on the uniform of a solider so you can sit behind your computer screen and spout off at the mouth bashing men and women like him for doing a job that they LOVE. My husband has had one career goal in his entire life, to retire from the United States Army. Why? Not because he is afraid as you suggested, but because he loves his country, and feels that the best way to show it is to serve. If it weren’t for men and women like my husband, you might have had to be drafted and sent to Iraq where you could have been hurt, or worse maimed, or even worse, killed. Perhaps a “thank you” wouldn’t be too much for you to utter the next time you see a man or woman in uniform.
As far as your comment that the only time the military is appreciated is during Memorial Day and the 4th of July, again, you are wrong. My husband can not walk down the streets of our hometown without people stopping to shake his hand and tell him how much they appreciate the sacrifices he’s made to defend their freedoms. My husband can not walk into a dining establishment without men and women jumping at the opportunity to pay for his meal. My family can not shop in a store without someone coming up to us to thank ME and MY CHILDREN for standing behind OUR soldier while he goes off to fight for their freedoms. Soldiers are appreciated every day of the year, by those individuals that have respect for other human beings. It is individuals like yourself, who have nothing better to do than to bash the military because you don’t agree with the war, that give us TRUE Americans a bad name.
Do the benefits that the military receive suck? Yes, but so do the benefits that civilians who have worked for the same company for 30 years and then get down sized because they are within a few years of retirement. How about the benefits of single parents who don’t have the opportunity to go to college and are working in a fast food joint because they aren’t qualified to be a white collar worker? Do their benefits suck? Well, if they had benefits, yeah, they probably would suck.
My husband is a SOLDIER and as such, he deserves more respect than you apparently can muster. Perhaps you should take a moment and think about the reason you’re able to sit behind your computer and spew forth hate and misery. It’s because a SOLDIER who serves in a military you obviously don’t think is worth a darn died to provide you with that freedom.
As for the educational benefits, I think the more benefits we can give our men and women in uniform the better. Yes, the pay sucks, yes, the benefits are lacking, yes, they technically work for less than minimum wage when you add up all the hours worked and divide it by the amount they are paid every month. But, it shouldn’t matter if they serve 1 year or 100 years, they are soldiers, and they deserve the best that this country has to offer them.
And that, as they say, is all I have to say on that matter.

“Attention McCain” I guess you dont support are Soldiers as much as you say you do! The news has even aired Soldiers story’s about some of them with serveral tours in Iraq who want out but the Military wont let them.Iraq wont even step up and take over,and why woudl they when it is our Soldiers who are dieing for them.And yet you want to stay in Iraq for years to come.Sorry McCain but you are out of touch with the American Soldier!

Anyone thought that improving the GI Bill may help bring more recruits into the military to GET the benefits? Or does McCain just WANT an endless an war? Oh wait, I just answered my questioned.

After serving 26 years and using every ounce of my VA benifits I am trilled to see another of Sen. McCain’s plans! He is the whole person concept and the President we all need. So, you anti-americans posting your mock comments on this site should realize the rest of us Americans don’t buy your psuedo-intelligence.

Let’s give our veterans what they deserve. McCain can wrap it up any way he wants to – but our volunteer forces sacrifice DEEPLY and get paid barely anything and their housing is horrible. The least we can do is offer them an education – just like we did with our WWII vets.
Semper Fi Sen. Webb.

I CANT BELIEVE ALL THE LIES COMING FROM MCCAIN!!!
SEN AGREED TO AMEND THE WEBB BILL TO PROVIDE TRANSFERABILITY TO DEPENDENTS
STOP LYING SENATOR!!!

The amendment Warner is offering, which has the support of transferability skeptics such as Sen. Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman, is not at all what the Pentagon has been seeking.
The Pentagon plan calls for all service members who are eligible for GI Bill benefits to be able to transfer half of their entitlement to a spouse or children after six years of service and to be able to transfer all of their benefits after 12 years of service, which defense officials said would be strong encouragement to remain in the military.

reinstate the draft and see how many right wingers support the occupaion of Iraqi as well as the negligence in not increasing benefits to soldiers………….

The REAL point has nothing to do with the GI Bill but has more to do with the lower living conditions I had to accept while serving in the Army.
We need someone to take a LONG HARD look at what our soldiers have to deal with while serving our country.
Also, most of you may be unaware that these “benefits” are perishable. In other words if a soldier waits to use the educational benefits to be able to better afford what they do not cover, like me they may find they evaporate to NOTHING..
I was very disapointed to discover I had none of the benefits I had earned after having been shot at in defense of my country..
Give them better housing, better Medical care, and make those educational benefits good for the life of the soldier, or transferable to spouses, or children. Only then will you be rewarding thier service, which is what they are inteded to do.
McCain has turned his back on his fellow veterans with his suggestion to anything less than this.
But voting for Obama is not an acceptable option for many, many, many, reasons. The least of which is his obvious inexperiance, and the poor policy his campaign is based on.
McCain should reward those that serve thier country the same way he serves. He should push for further benefits for soldiers, and other people that make this a better country. Rewarding people that start businesses that put Americans to work, as well as those who support, and defend those citizens is the only way to go.