By Matt McLaughlin

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

“… the members of the armed forces have been compelled to make greater economic sacrifice and every other kind of sacrifice than the rest of us, and they are entitled to definite action to help take care of their special problems.”

– Franklin Roosevelt at the signing of the original G.I. Bill, June 22, 1944.

Roosevelt must be grateful he didn’t live to see one of his greatest contributions to American society torn apart by the very people who now claim to hold a monopoly on patriotism.

The Bush administration recently endorsed a House bill that will increase the Montgomery G.I. Bill education benefits in several ways, including with a 31 percent jump in monthly benefits and a new $500-a-month stipend to help cover college living expenses.

I would feel appreciative for the increases if the proposal wasn’t a scheme to derail a true G.I. Bill bonus proposed by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va).  Webb, a Vietnam veteran with a son also in service, wants to bring education benefits for veterans back to the Roosevelt era, which paid for tuition, textbooks and provided a monthly stipend to eight million World War II veterans.

The G.I. Bill was significantly scaled back in the mid 1980s and today the most a veteran can receive is approximately $9,600 a year for four years.  Whereas in post-World War II America a veteran could attend Harvard for free, now benefits would hardly pay for one year. A Boston Globe article entitled ‚ÄúGI Bill falling short of college tuition costs,‚Äù revealed that education benefits often don’t even pay enough to finish four years at U-Mass. This article was published February 10, the day after I left the Army.

The current GI bill also expects service-members to contribute $100 a month for the first year of enlistment just to receive a fraction of the benefits previous veterans received. I personally contributed an additional $600 before leaving the Army so my education benefits could be increased to $150 a month. At the time I thought the deal was a steal, now I realize I was the one being robbed. 

Webb is facing fierce resistance from people who claim to “support the troops,” rendering such a cliché phrase meaningless. The most ludicrous excuse for not giving troopswhat they deserve comes from the Pentagon, who are afraid veterans might actually use the GI Bill to get an education!

“The incentive to serve and leave,” Robert Clarke, assistant director of accessions policy at the Department of Defense said to the Globe, may “outweigh the incentive to have them stay.”

The idea of denying troops benefits on the grounds that it will weaken the military is ludicrous. Most soldiers, like myself, already thought their education would be taken care of. A re-vamped GI Bill would only give them what they already thought they had coming. Maybe the problem with retaining troops has less to do with education and more to do with multiple deployments for a war with no end in sight.  If they are so concerned with retention, the Pentagon should focus on creating incentives to stay in the military, not oppose programs that may entice them to leave.

Bush, along with several Republican supporters and the Pentagon, also say Webb’s plan, which amounts to around three to six billion dollars a year, is too costly.  This coming from the very people who gave out government contracts in Iraq like they were paid for with Monopoly money. After all is said and done, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will cost America around $1.8 trillion.  Webb’s bill will cost the American people less than one month in Iraq, and will reap far greater benefits to this country. 

This administration’s sudden concern for spending, after eight years of destroying a surplus is even more insulting when considering the number of Americans serving in the military. Sixteen million Americans served in the military in World War II in one capacity or another. Over 8 million capitalized on the GI bill. Today, only 1.4 million Americans serve in the military. That is less than 1 percent of this nation’s population.  Roosevelt somehow managed to pass a massive piece of legislation that was available for nearly a third of the population.

The Republican’s lack of support for troops is a reflection of their true feelings towards soldiers and the working class in general. They have no problem putting a gun in our hands, but are hesitant to hand us a book. Webb understands the importance of both service and education. I just hope the false patriots get behind him.