My god... I think I just aggreed with Rush.

[wheresthemind]

Got this in an e-mail so I think its public domain...


"By Rush Limbaugh


I think the vast differences in compensation between victims of the September 11 casualty and those who die serving the country in Uniform are profound. No one is really talking about it either, because you just don't criticize anything having to do with September 11.


Well, I just can't let the numbers pass by because it says something really disturbing about the entitlement mentality of this country.


If you lost a family member in the September 11 attack, you're going to get an average of $1,185,000. The range is a minimum guarantee of $250,000, all the way up to $4.7 million.


If you are a surviving family member of an American soldier killed in action, the first check you get is a $6,000 direct death benefit, half of which is taxable. Next, you get $1,750 for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse, you get $833 a month until you remarry. And there's a payment of $211 per month for each child under 18. When the child hits 18, those payments come to a screeching halt. Keep in mind that some of the people who are getting an average of $1.185 million up to $4.7 million are complaining that it's not enough.


We also learned over the weekend that some of the victims from the Oklahoma City bombing have started an organization asking for the same deal that the September 11 families are getting. In addition to that, some of the families of those bombed in the embassies are now asking for compensation as well.


You see where this is going, don't you? Folks, this is part and Parcel of over 50 years of entitlement politics in this country. It's just really sad.


Every time a pay raise comes up for the military, they usually receive next to nothing of a raise. Now the green machine is in combat in the Middle East while their families have to survive on food stamps and live in low-rent housing.


However, our own U.S.Congress just voted themselves a raise, and Many of you don't know that they only have to be in Congress one time to receive a pension that is more than $15,000 per month, and most are now equal to being millionaires plus. They also do not receive Social Security on retirement because they didn't have to pay into the system.


If some of the military people stay in for 20 years and get out as An E-7, you may receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who placed you in harm's way receive a pension of $15,000 per month. I would like to see our elected officials pick up a weapon and join ranks before they start cutting out benefits and lowering pay for our sons and daughters who are now fighting.


"When do we finally do something about this?"


If this doesn't seem fair to you, it is time to forward this to as many people as you can.


Have a Wonderful Day


If you’re interested there is more. Read on....



SOCIAL SECURITY: (This is worth the read. It's short and to the point.)


Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years. Our Senators and Congressmen do not pay into Social Security. Many years ago they voted in their own benefit plan... In more recent years, no congressperson has felt the need to change it. For all practical purposes their plan works like this:


When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay until they die, except it may increase from time to time for cost of living adjustments. For example, former Senator Byrd and Congressman White and their wives may expect to draw $7,800,000 - that's Seven Million, Eight Hundred Thousand), with their wives drawing $275,000.00 during the last years of their lives. This is calculated on an average life span for each.


Their cost for this excellent plan is $00.00. These little perk they voted for themselves is free to them. You and I pick up the tab for this plan. The funds for this fine retirement plan come directly from the General Fund--our tax dollars at work! >From our own Social Security Plan, which you and I pay (or have paid) into --every payday until we retire (which amount is matched by our employer) --we can expect to get an average $1,000 per month after retirement. Or, in other words, we would have to collect our average of $1,000 monthly benefits for 68 years and one month to equal Senator Bill Bradley's benefits!


Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made.


And that change would be to jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from Under the Senators and Congressmen. Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us and then watch how fast they would fix it. If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and maybe good changes will evolve.


WE, each one of us... can make a difference.


This must be a campaign issue in 2004. Keep it going."

[Isome]

1. Neither is true...

If you heard it from Rush, or it was credibly attributed to Rush, you should know better. I'll try to find some links for you, unless someone beats me to it.

[Isome]

3. Here's one link

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/military.htm

[SodoffBush]

2. Rush has, once again, been debunked at Urban Legends

Somebody else here will be able to provide the link. I'm not at my own computer at the moment. Otherwise, do a search here.

http://urbanlegends.about.com/

Your anonymous e-mail has been going around for months. I first saw it at work, as it had been sent around to 250 people. I responded to it in a kind way for everyone's "benefit," :) , though not to everybody's satisfaction ie the dittohead lovers. However, such anonymous junk has ceased going around my work e-mail channels, which is what matters.

Be careful of taking the anonymous stuff to heart.

[wheresthemind]

4. ::sigh::

shame on those who forwarded it to me... probally knew I was checking my e-mail this late in a tired and vunrable state!!


Thank you DU, you have saved me again!

[SodoffBush]

6. Do make the effort to debunk

and send it to everyone on your cc:

I think the debunk was at scopes.com, but I don't come up with anything at the moment. Wish I had my own computer!

Another e-mail that got sent around at work was the one about Cindy Williams not supporting the troops, which was complete mythology (and the wrong "Cindy Williams." A friend of mine debunked that one harshly for everyone's "benefit," and that has put an end to the crap at work.

[Isome]

5. Another snopes link about congress' pensions

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/pensions.htm


It's standard operating procedure for the right wing nuts to take a kernel of truth (9.11.01 victims' compensation] and corrupt it entirely with malicious embellishments.

With regard to the pensions of congress, the truth is they still get more benefits at the taxpayers expense than they believe the taxpayers themselves (ourselves) are entitled to receive. However, the figures in the email are so high you have to know there's been some exaggeration.

[silverweb]

7. Thank you!

I'm definitely bookmarking and saving this thread. I'm currently embroiled in a family feud over a similar email that I responded to, so it's only a matter of time before someone tosses this one my way, too. I'll be ready.

Typically, the rightwingers in my family (as anywhere else) won't respond at all to any factual rebuttal but immediately lapse into name calling and changing the subject.

I'm so sick of them all, but I will not sit down and shut up the way they want me to!

[anamandujano]

8. he forgot to mention that Bush is cutting vet programs

If people here say this isn't a real Rush email, then they are probably right but after reading it, I would have been fooled.

While I've heard about a total of 10 minutes or less of his garbage, the writer of the email does act like they are fighting for the soldiers and the vets but they never cite Bush as the villian he is for cutting benefits (or sending them off to a bogus war). It shifts the focus to make the 911 survivors out to be mercenaries and helps to weaken their arguments for a comprehensive and truthful investigation.

In addition, the survivors of these terrorism attacks aren't really like survivors of people killed in auto accidents or cancer victims. They are people who have taken the hit for the policies of our government, who have taken the hit for all of us. This email tries to make us choose between them and the military when it's our government policies that have failed both groups.