When the US House voted to approve the GI Bill of Rights last week, giving veterans full tuition benefits at any public school in their home state, 32 Republicans joined 224 Democrats in approving the measure… but Dave Reichert was not among them, despite having publicly boasted about supporting similar legislation.
Why did Reichert vote no? Because unlike most of the Republican agenda these past eight years, this bill actually includes provisions to pay for itself now ($52 billion over ten years) instead of shoving the costs off to future generations, levying a tax surcharge of 0.47 percent on income in excess of $1 million a year per family. When it came to asking the wealthiest one percent of Americans to help pay to give Iraq War veterans the same educational benefits given veterans of World War II, Reichert sided with the wealthiest one percent of Americans.
Let’s put this in perspective. While over half of American families save less than $600 a year from the Bush tax cuts, the wealthiest one percent have saved an average of $92,000 annually. That’s about $550,000 each since the tax cuts were enacted. The new GI Bill of Rights would add back an average of only $9,000 a year to the tax bill of these wealthiest of Americans. And that’s just an average—a household making a cushy $1.5 million a year would pay only $2,350.
In return, every veteran—the Americans who have sacrificed the most for our country—would be given the opportunity to earn a college degree and the economic benefits that come with it. And Dave Reichert voted no.
Reichert supported the bill when it included no funding mechanism, calling into question his fiscal responsibility; he rejected the bill when it taxed those who have benefited most from the Bush regime, calling into question his priorities. If this is what the Seattle Times had in mind when it lauded Reichert for his “conscience-driven independent streak,” I wonder how they define “conscience” and “independence”…?
So if you make over $1 million a year, this bill asks you to pay $4,700 additional taxes for each additional $1 million you make to show your appreciation to our troops.
I guess patriotism is just too expensive for some folks.
Actually, some of those 1%, like Bill Gates Jr and Sr, & Warren Buffett are for higher taxes on rich folks to help pay for things like higher ed. So, hairspray was taking a ideological stance totally devoid of reality.
It all boils down to cheap labor. Republicans borrow money from China to pay Blackwater mercenaries $150,000 a year. (And you can bet they have no intention of making the future payments of principal and interest themselves.) But they pay our soldiers only $15,000 for doing identical work.
And, to make sure the soldiers know their place, they’ve decided the job of being an American soldier should come with “no benefits.”
But what do you expect from a crowd that bills the families of National Guardsmen and Reservists for their Army medical treatment for combat wounds?
Gee whiz, golly gosh all fishhooks….I sure wish I was in a position to be all worried about having to pay such a tax. I’ll bet even Sheriff Dave would like to be, too.
I think we’re rapidly reaching the point where most Americans will finally see through rightwing rhetoric about “supporting the troops” as nothing more than eyewash.
I think Darcy just won the election…..
Goldy,
Need you really ask? The answer, he doesn’t give a hoot! Empty suit!
If there were a law requiring truth in political sloganeering, Republicans would require those cute little yellow ribbons on their cars and trucks to say, “EXPLOIT OUR TROOPS!”
Rubbing Salt Into Dutch’s Throbbing Wounds
A couple weeks ago, one of our resident trolls — “Dutch” — called me a liar for saying Reichert voted against this bill.
My post on the subject linked a Seattle Times article about how Washington’s congressional delegation voted on two bills. The article clearly stated Reichert voted against the veterans’ benefits bill, and voted for the other bill, which had nothing to do with veterans.
“Dutch” evidently clicked on the link, glanced at the article, and in his careless haste erroneously concluded that Reichert voted for the veterans’ benefits. Then he came back into the comment thread and smugly called me a liar.
Of course, I immediately called bullshit on it. As I recall, I said something to the effect that I wouldn’t dignify his lack of intelligence by calling him a liar when it’s painfully obvious that “Dutch” is too stupid to formulate the conscious intent that lying requires.
Now, it’s time to rub more salt into Dutch’s wounds. As I’ve always maintained, the best time to kick a wingnut is when he’s already down — never give these pigfuckers a break! Remember HA Ad Hoc Posting Rule #5: No mercy for wingnuts!
“Dutch” is too stupid to be a liar. He’s even too stupid to be an idiot. Every idiot I’ve ever met is smarter than him. “Dutch” is an insentient glob of useless protoplasm that you wish would become extinct because it has no socially redeeming value whatsoever to the rest of the planetary biomass. To summarize, he didn’t know what he was talking about when he posted his tripe (he never does) because he’s too fucking stupid to read a short newspaper and comprehend what it says.
This is just my shorthand way of saying that Reichert against veterans’ benefits.
Goldy may have stated it more succinctly than I did, but my way of stating it is more fun. You may now resume licking my throbbing rabbit dick, “Dutch.” Don’t rush it, sweetie! Ahhhhhhhh …
It’s 109 degrees in Phoenix today. Why would anyone want to live there?
I doubt Reichart has an articulable reason for voting against the bill. He voted against the bill because he was told to do so by his Republican handlers (he already admitted to such a policy during the 2006 election cycle).
His Republican handlers prefer McCain’s plan, which only gives full educational benefits to G.I.s who have 18 years of full-time service under their belt. Why don’t they want four-year G.I.s to have the same benefits their fathers and grandfathers had (WWII, Korea, & Vietnam veterans)? Because they are concerned about “retention rates” (to use their terms). To explain it more simply, they figure the only way they can get them to re-enlist is to make sure they don’t have any other options available. They want to keep holding out the carrot of education benefits, but they don’t want to actually provide them to any significant degree.
Another aspect, which Republicans don’t want to admit, is that they simply don’t want their tax dollars to support the “great unwashed” plebian G.I.s to compete with their sons and daughters for admissions in U.S. colleges and universities. To them, four years in the armed forces hasn’t “earned” them an education. After all, they already got paid $15,000 a year plus room and board, didn’t they? (Actual phone calls I heard on a right-wing AM radio show). They don’t deserve those seats in a college classroom nearly as much as their children, who are destined to become leaders in American politics and industry by virtue of being born to wealthy parents, do they????
My father was pretty conservative, even voted for Goldwater in ’64. But he went through college the first time on the G.I. Bill (first member of his family to get a degree). He said he enjoyed college the first time around, when everyone was there on the G.I. Bill and nobody had any spending money, but everyone was determined to work hard & take advantage of the opportunity. His college career was interrupted by the Korean War, where he served his second tour, but when he returned to college afterwards he said the college was full of spoiled rich kids, and he couldn’t wait to get his degree and get out. They looked down their noses at the poor G.I.s which were still in school, and he was suprised at how quickly they were given the best jobs by the recruiters, over G.I.s with lots of experience. My Dad got lucky – one of the recruiters for Pratt & Whitney was a former army Lt. Col. from WWII, and after talking with my Dad about what he did in Korea, he decided that an engineer who knew how to construct roads, bridges, & bunkers was probably more valuable than someone who only knew how to plan fraternity parties.
from: “Fortunate Son” by John Fogerty
‘Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,
Lord, dont they help themselves, oh.
But when the taxman comes to the door,
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes,
……….
Some folks inherit star spangled eyes,
Ooh, they send you down to war, lord,
And when you ask them, how much should we give?
Ooh, they only answer more! more! more! yoh,’
Some things never change.
@11 What it boils down to is Republicans are fucking elitists who want to create a hereditary class of nobles in this country who own everything, run everything, take everything, and contribute nothing. The notion that America is a meritocracy is a joke! If you want to know why American business is devoid of ethics and competence, look no farther than the generations of drunken frat boys who were promoted to front offices. Merit, my ass! It’s all about who your parents are. And that’s why America is going down the tubes even faster than Rome did.
Oh, Duuuuuutch–wherefore art thou, sonny?
Incidentally, John Fogerty served in the military, unlike most of the chickenhawks in the present administration.
I don’t know what you can say about GW Bush’s service.
WW II combat veteran Norman Mailer said something to the effect (in reference to GW Bush’s military service) that we have all done things in our past that we are not proud of, but he’d never heard of anyone else but GWB who attempted to get some public benefit out of his shameful behavior.
@14 He’s busy right now. Aaaaaahhhhhh …
It sounds like his concience-driven independent streak is dictated from a strip of land along the eastern shore of Lake Washington called Medina. The big question is, how the hell do Rethugs hold a straight face and claim they’re the party of fiscal responsibility?
And BTW, fuck you Dutch, and the unicorn you rode in on.
Again crickets from the right wing nuts on this. They’re afraid of these threads lately because what can they say? Their guy is a looooser.
OPEC’s leader delivered another “fuck you” to Bush today when he said OPEC wouldn’t increase production before September at the earliest. Crude prices brushed close to $130/bbl. on the news. The Dow is down almost 200 points today as the Bush Economy continues to implode. Despite the tough market conditions, I’ve made about $325 while typing insults to Republicans on HA this morning. I’m doing important work — God’s work, America’s work — and the capitalist system pays me well for it! I like that Republican capital gains tax, too! Yeah it’s unfair to the working class, it’s downright immoral, I admit that, but hey I didn’t create this ripoff and I’m not gonna give it back — why should I when the wingnuts don’t? When they donate their tax breaks to the IRS, I will too. Until then, fuck ’em! They can pay the same gas prices as everyone else!! I’m sure glad I bought a trainload of oil stocks when the Big Oil Lobby staged a coup d’etat and seized control of our government in 2000. No reason for the wingnuts to get all of the money.
I smell revolution in the air. After November, the GOP will be lucky if it still exists.
I made another $125 while typing the last two posts … and I get a 2/3rds discount on my taxes!!! Somehow I get the feeling that Bush didn’t intend for me to benefit from his policies. Funny how these things work out sometimes. The Great Mother Rabbit Spirit is more powerful than him! That’s why Republicanism will fail. You can’t buck the GMRS! The GMRS is compassionate, and is a Democrat. That’s why Darcy will win in November. The GMRS has no use for posers who refuse to hug rabbits. Reichert made a big mistake when he pissed off Big Ma Rabbit.
HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR
11 “My father was pretty conservative, even voted for Goldwater in ‘64.”
Good on him! By current standards that would make him a moderate, even a liberal. It’s of some note at this juncture that John Dean is now squarely in the crosshairs of the swiftboaters–there’s a new book out by a Fox News pundit claiming Dean personally ordered the Watergate burglary. One of Dean’s greater offenses has been to go around the country telling audiences that Barry wouldn’t have given the current crop of “conservative” whack jobs the sweat off his balls.
Silly Rabbit @ 1.
Taxes don’t ASK anyone to support anything. They FORCE them to pay…in other words:
Taxes TAKES money away from the citizens.
But since you Marxists are into redistribution of wealth…thats a good thing.
23 Oh, the poooooor rich folks would suffer so much under such a thing as this! The horror! The horror!!!!!
I have to wonder, “Sam”, whether you’re anywhere near the level of income where this would be a personal bother to you. If not, what makes you think the people who are give a rat’s ass for your well-being?
The way “free market capitalism” has been working lately, old Karl’s ideas are looking better all the time.
Mr. Adams:
You are correct. We don’t ask you to support roads, fire protection, police, schools, armed forces, etc… We “Marxists” got together and insisted, and even if you don’t like the police or the military, you either pay for them or you go to jail.
Don’t like paying for your share of the services that we, as the voting public, have decided are needed? Tough.
Sounds like ‘Sam’ is nobody’s conservative, and more like a nihilst-anarchist to me.
In other words, a typical Bushevik.
@27: Useful idiots (to borrow a phrase) like Sam are under the sway of an ideological hallucination. Case in point:
(1.) They claim to worship “free markets”.
(2.)Real wages in the US have been flat for a quarter century despite huge gains in productivity.
(3.) Market economic theory posits real wage growth under conditions outlined in (2.) above.
(4.) How do we explain this? Simple. The rules have been rigged to redistribute income UPWARD. We have socialism in this country…it is for the rich.
The Sams of the world go to bed each night cursing those who would use the power of the state to correct this condition, a condition, by the way, that was created by the selfish use of the power of the state by the few.
Moral of this tale: It’s OK if you’re a republican (IOKIYAR). Using the power of the state to reward the already rich is OK. The poor? Not so much.
Conclusion: All republicans should be thrown out of office.
I donno, a old school fiscal conservative, who believed that we should live within our means would be great.
A social conservative who actually wanted to help, not only his family, but every one’s family, you know, like Jesus wanted, without being a homophobe would be nice to.
I don’t have a problem with a defense conservative who wants to protect the borders and the ports, but isn’t for needless occupations.
Too bad they are few and far between in the current environment.
A progressive conservative?
About the only conservative I do not like right now is a corporate conservative, who would destroy American and American jobs and the American social safety net to make a few more bucks.
Republicans do NOT support the troops with their vote, only their rhetoric as they use them as pawns for their own financial and politcal gains.
Here’s a link the IAVA (Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America) a non-partisan, non-profit group that monitors issues in Washington DC that effect our veterans and their families.
The link takes you to a list where each congressional representative is given a letter grade depending on how often they side with America’s veterans.
Dave Reichert gets a D+. No Democrat on the ENTIRE list gets less than a C. All D’s and F’s are Repubicans.
Interesting side note:
Sen. Barak Obama gets a B+
Sen. George W. McCain’t gets a D.
Everyone rated on the same scale, Democrats support the troops consistently, Republicans vote against our troops consistently.
Period.
http://www.iava.org/full-ratings-list
Darcy Burner, Democrat, Washington State 8th Congressional District.
I LIKE the way that looks!
Way to drop the ball Sheriff Hairspray.
@ 28: Well, it IS possible to accept Adam Smith Free-Market Capitalism, and reject the current crop of Republican toads and their policies.
Because they have never really been in favor of free-market policies. They don’t want anything that looks like a fair fight in the marketplace. They want the rules rigged in advance to give them an inherent advantage. When all else fails, they give a lot of contributions to Republican politicians in return for “no-bid contracts” from the Federal Government.
In short, the Bush & Co. economic and fiscal policy looks more like the British Mercantile System which Smith railed against – where favored companies received charters (monopolies), forced trading rules for their benefit, etc.
Hey Reichert – way to protect the yacht club memebers from a miniscule tax (to them) in order to make sure the brave soldiers who have actually served our country and possibly lost buddies or limbs have to pay their way through college to get an education…
this really shows the true priorities of the republicans – support the rich at all costs and who cares about those soldiers. Body armor? too expensive. Armored Humvees? Nope
We go to war with the army we have and we support the troops with the republican party we have….
A rehash of the history lesson from the other day for today’s Sam Adams. The real Sam Adams was a silver spoon, rich boy who went to the finest schools at the time (Harvard). Of course he turned out to be just another virulent anti-tax, douche bag fanatic. After blowing his inheritance, and losing his father’s estate through ineptitude- he became a, get this, tax collector. He also held public office in Boston and was busted for stealing from the city coffers. John Hancock paid off his debt, but was never repaid from Adams. So today’s Sam Adams has picked a very fitting identy to enlighten us here on HA.
Stone the son-of-a-bitch into oblivion.
That is what he deserves.
@23 The rich started this war. So why not take money from them to provide education benefits to the soldiers they sent to fight it. Do you have a better idea?
@27 A prime candidate to be airdropped onto a desert island where there’s no taxes, no government, no services, nothing at all except plenty of coconuts to eat.
@28 How about throwing them off a cliff too? Hey, just making funny! Anyway, it’s only a question, not a suggestion.