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IF YOU TRY TO SEND THE TROOPS TO COLLEGE, THEY
JUST MIGHT GO -- The New G.I. Bill is a major
wrap-
yourself-in-the-flag, support-the-troops type
measure.
For more about the G.I. Bill, use the VA Watchdog
search engine...click here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/sessearch.php?q=g.i.+bill&op=ph
Story here...
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/05/if-you-try-to-s.html
Story below:
-------------------------
If You Try to
Send the Troops to College, They Just Might Go
ABC's Z. Byron Wolf reports:
The stage is a major wrap-yourself-in-the-flag,
support-the-troops type measure on the floor of the US Senate in the
coming weeks and it could have repercussions in the 2008 presidential
campaign.
Democrats and some Republicans want to drastically improve college
benefits for veterans through the GI Bill sponsored by Virginia Democrat
Sen. Jim Webb.
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.
It's a particularly interesting issue because it
pits McCain against his strongest ally across the aisle, Connecticut
Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman, and high profile Republicans, like Sen.
John Warner, R-Va., who is a co-sponsor of Webb's bill. It has also
created a rallying point for veterans groups. Both Democratic presidential
candidates are cosponsors of Webb's bill.
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.
They point to
a new report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, requested
by Republicans on the Budget Committee that says improving college
benefits for troops could lead affect military retention rates by as much
as a 16 percent decrease.
Supporters of the Webb bill point to the same study, which says the
improved college benefits would lead to a 16 percent increase in recruits
overall. Plus, they argue the Webb bill would improve the quality of
recruits who come to the military .
Beyond retention, however, Webb and others believe the country owes troops
who sacrifice abroad, a good education when they return home.
Here's an
earlier look at Webb and his bill.
-------------------------
posted by Larry
Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org
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