by David Lerman
On the campaign trail last fall, Virginia Sen. Jim Webb offered voters a tantalizing prize: A free college education for most military veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
The proposal, which married Webb’s themes of military service and economic fairness, would give veterans with at least two years of active-duty service full tuition, room and board and a monthly $1,000 stipend.
As promised, Webb made the measure the first piece of legislation he introduced as a freshman Democratic senator in January.
But five months later, prospects for passage this year of the ``Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act’’ appear to be fading fast.
The Bush administration declared its opposition to the bill, warning it would cost tens of billions of dollars and prove cumbersome to administer.
And while the measure wins praise from veterans groups, it has failed to attract the broad bipartisan support that typically would be required to push costly and ambitious programs through Congress on the eve of a presidential election year.
Of the measure’s 17 co-sponsors in the Senate, none are Republican.
David Lerman reports for The Daily Press of Hampton Roads, Va., a Tribune Co. newspaper.
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Comments
Of the measure’s 17 co-sponsors in the Senate, none are Republican.
Boy those republicans sure do support the troops.
Posted by: bill r. | June 16, 2007 8:18 AM
Good morning fellow Swamp dwellers.
"The Bush administration declared its opposition to the bill..."
And this is a surprise, how? The Republic party, where 'supporting the troops' means using them as photo ops. If you're a Republic, you should be ashamed (again).
Posted by: weinerdog43 | June 16, 2007 8:41 AM
This is one more act that shows that the republicans believe in the "make the taskmasters happy" theory. Just as their economics idea the "trickle down". It's more who gets trickled on.
Posted by: bill r. | June 16, 2007 8:47 AM
OK, Ding Dong Libs: Democrats control the Senate and according to this piece there are 17 cosponsors of this bill, then why in six months hasn't it gone anywhere? There have been no votes on it. Dick Durbin as Assistant Senate Majority Leader decides when things come up for a vote. So if more than one-third of the Senate Democrats are cosponsors of this bill, why no action?? Republicans haven't blocked it for a vote, so what is the problem?
Posted by: John D | June 16, 2007 9:25 AM
What the Deserter-in-Chief and Vice-Deferment Darth have done to our military is absolutely immoral.
The backdoor draft by requiring multiple deployment of units. The lack of protective equipment.
I met a young Marine who told me that when he was in Iraq (2005) he and other members of his unit would scrounge through dumps looking for plate steel, to weld to their Humvees for the extra protection. He said they called it "hillbilly armor." He was very bitter, but who can blame him.?
Tax cuts for the rich and middle finger salutes to the troops.
The dumbest part of this is that most of the money that these G.I.s would get would go right back into the economy and thus the government would recoup the expenditure in the form of taxes at all levels of government.
Upon graduation these veterans would help us be more competetive in the world's economy.
January 20, 2009 can't get here quickly enough!
Posted by: Doug Zook | June 16, 2007 9:39 AM
Does anyone remember the burst if energy and economic activity that followed World War Two. The returning G.I.s transformed the country and the next twenty five years were the greatest ever. As a college education becomes more expensive every year, many are deprived of the oportunity or saddled with huge debts at high rates. We are destroying America by limiting opportunity.
Posted by: c. perry | June 16, 2007 11:16 AM
after watching and listening to all the rhetoric,(bull) from ALL the canditates for every office. I can't believe any of them are worthy of my vote!
Posted by: Ray Stovall | June 16, 2007 12:22 PM
More of the same from the Republicans in Congress and their defenders. While the men and women who are REALLY sacrificing in this "War on Terror" lose ground.
I don't know how Republicans can sleep at night.
Posted by: athena | June 16, 2007 1:14 PM
This is a no-brainer for the democrats to champion loudly and clearly. They need to put an end to the Republican's drumbeat that the Democrats are not for the troops. If the Democrats sit on their hands and do not actively pursue this they will loose a lot more of their supporters.
Posted by: GW | June 17, 2007 9:56 AM