More Bush Budgetary Legerdemain
Okay. So GWB had to appease the mouth breathers and include more money for abstinence-only sex education in his new budget, even though nobody's arguing it does a lick of good. I guess we all saw that one coming. But at least we can all take comfort in the fact that he's increasing the death gratuity of $12,420 that the military pays to the families of soldiers who die in Iraq. You know, the one they announced last week:
The plan, which includes retroactive payments to the spouses or surviving relatives of the more than 1,500 people who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since October 2001, will be part of the 2006 budget proposal submitted to Congress next week, the Pentagon's personnel chief said.It was touching indeed that the bunch of middle aged men who had successfully avoided any sort of military service themselves, who were so intent on rushing to send Americans to their death over a bunch of weapons that never existed, could sympathize with the loss and suffering of these families and realize that something needed to be done, dammit.
A tax-free "death gratuity," now $12,420, would grow to $100,000. The government would also pay for $150,000 in life insurance for troops. Veterans groups and many in Congress have been pushing for such increases....
"We can never in any program give someone back their loved one. There is nothing we can do about the hurt, to make it go away. But we can make your circumstances reasonable, in terms of finances."
And they certainly got a lot of play out of it. Why, you couldn't turn on the television without seeing CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, et. al. lapping up the story like a bunch of starving feral cats.
So at least we can feel better about THAT. Because after making so much noise about it last week, BushCo. couldn't POSSIBLY go back on their word and leave it out of the budget and hope nobody would notice.
...or...wait...no, you're kidding...
Never mind.
(thanks to GM for the pic)
posted by Jane Hamsher @ 2/08/2005 03:29:00 PM
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