To The GOP Veterans Care And Benefits Like Retirement Is Welfare. Privatizing The Military.
Because the GOP believes that veterans benefits are welfare. They even criticized the original GI Bill as a give away to veterans after WWII. So their present stance really is no different. They busted the GI training bill with a filibuster in the Senate. Senator Sessions said we cannot afford it and GI's have plenty of training programs already to put them in the job market. They busted the COLA for disabled vets as well. So they will not get a COLA this year.
They won't openly reveal their plans but they want to privatize or profitize the entire veterans pensions, and health care. Right now CEO's who favor the GOP want to convert retirement for new enlistees with a 401K plan. That means that vets will not be able to draw retirement until 59 1/2. It would mean that veterans would have to work a number of years in the private sector after they leave the service.
The other secret plans includes changing tricare and the VA system into a voucher system where veterans can buy coverage on the private market just like Medicare recipients. There are two reason the GOP wants to do this. One is that we cannot afford it because vets care eats up too much of the military budget. The second is that the present system is too socialistic and welfare based in their opinion.
Right now because of Rumsfeld and Bush many noncombat services are contracted with private companies. Under the Rumsfeld plan the only actual jobs in the military are people directly running combat operations. So the only training future soldier would have in the Army and the Marines would be infantry. All supportive services like logistics, intelligence, maintenance and equipment acquisition would be private contracted and controlled.
Welcome to the new privatized Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines. Most American do not understand that the new military is not like the old one. The mess hall is now military contractors paid at 5 times the private. And it is up to the military to protect these civilians.
During the Iraq war during combat our trucks and supply were private contractors who were civilians and not soldiers. So our soldiers had to protect them while fighting the war. Our troops ran out of supplies because these civilians either would not or could not drive through the war zone as the fighting was happening.
What makes matters worse if the private contractors are probably repairing our equipment in theater and not soldiers.
If we had fought WWII the way we are fighting now Hitler and Tojo would have won the war.
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