White House Pushes GI Bill Compromise on Iraq Bill

[unhappycamper]

White House Pushes GI Bill Compromise on Iraq Bill
June 04, 2008
Associated Press

WASHINGTON — After promising to veto a huge Iraq war-funding bill because it contains unrelated domestic spending, the White House now wants to boost the costs even higher by letting troops transfer ramped up GI Bill education benefits to their spouses or children.

The White House is signaling that President Bush could sign the hotly contested and long overdue war funding bill if the benefit transferability provision is added to the 10-year, $52 billion improvement to GI Bill college benefits proposed by Democrats and many Republicans.

"It's like the Yogi Berra story: 'I don't like that restaurant. Besides, the portions aren't large enough,'" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in an interview. "They don't like it, but they want more."

"It's not a bad idea," Pelosi added. "It just costs money."

A Democratic leadership aide, who was granted anonymity in order to speak freely, said Democrats were unlikely to yield to the White House demands.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/white-house-pushes-gi-bill-compromise-on-iraq-bill.html

[BrklynLib at work]

1. Congress should not yield to ANY White House demands from now until the election.

If there had not been so much "yeilding" to the White House from the getgo, we would not have half the problems in this country...and the world...that we have today.


EDIT: Correcting the yielding time-table to "thru January 20, 2009"

[acmavm]

2. This is absolute bullshit. I'm amazed by how enthralled this country

is with the military. And fuck it, why should I pay for the education for someone who voluntarily signed up for the military so that in the end I (and every other taxpayer) get stuck for the tab for his college education? Now they want to include the wife and kiddies? Screw that shit. That uniform is not blanket permission to pick the pockets of the rest of us.

And don't anyone start that rah-rah-rah go Army/Navy/Marines shit with me. I've got immediate family members who served in each of 'em. My dad was in the Navy, my brother John the Air Force, Bobby the Army, and Tom was in the Marines. Does that mean that since Dad didn't go to college, I can and the taxpayer will foot the bill?