Raising Costs, But Not Allotments

By Broadside Columnist Michael Gryboski

Let’s be honest: our military is the big reason why our system has lasted this long.

The merits of constitutionalism are great, and the system effective, but what good would that have done without an armed force to protect that government and guarantee the viability of our sovereignty?

Save the small population of extremists who view the United States as a force of evil in the world, we as a society have been grateful for the service of others.

On George Mason University’s campus alone, we have a Student Veterans Association, faculty and student government participate in a program called Mason Military Outreach, and last week, College Republicans had a “Support the Troops” week.

Within the Commonwealth of Virginia, there are other things that can be done, especially regarding the G.I. Bill of Rights.

As the population that has served our country, veterans–and in the case of our academic community, student veterans–should receive increased benefits in light of changing economic times.

The major focus is education. Many veterans returning from duty go into upper education, which is evident in the fact that Mason has approximately 700 student veterans.

The original 1944 G.I. Bill provided amazing educational benefits during its time. As World War II veteran Jerome Kohlberg noted, “the old saying was that if you got into Harvard, the G.I. Bill would pay for Harvard,” and indeed, the opportunity offered by the bill resulted in what Kohlberg observed, “a whole generation of blue collar workers became engineers, doctors, lawyers, teachers and entrepreneurs. The economy boomed as we entered the workforce with new skills and training that increased productivity and stimulated innovation.”

Things have changed.

It is not that the G.I. Bill does not provide money–it’s that it does not provide enough money.

According to Boston Globe staff writer Charles M. Sennott, trouble began in the 1980s when “the program was scaled back to a peacetime program that pays a flat sum. Today, the most a veteran can receive is approximately $9,600 a year for four years–no matter what college costs.”

To appreciate our situation, tuition for the typical commuter would gobble that amount up in three semesters.
People are addressing this problem.

Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, himself a Vietnam veteran, has proposed legislation to reform the endeavor.

Widely co-sponsored, Webb’s bill would cap monetary benefits at the rate of tuition for the most expensive universities in any state.

Although the price tag for this measure is $2.5 billion, Iraq veteran Paul Rieckhoff, who also heads the New York-based Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, reminds us all how minute that is in comparison to other federal government efforts.

“Funding the G.I. Bill as Sen. Webb proposes it for one year would cost this country what it spends in Iraq in 36 hours,” Rieckhoff said.

One of the great things about Mason is that we have venues for our veteran population.

On the social level, there is the Student Veterans Association. The SVA was recently formed, and a couple weeks ago held a 5 kilometer run around Patriot Circle The president, Peter Nguyen, is constantly trying to reach out to the many student veterans on campus that may not be aware of the SVA’s existence.

If you would like to contact them, visit their website.

Politics will always debate whether we should fund this program or that program, and campaigns on every level will most certainly promise to fully fund everything, even though only a few measures can get adequate monetary attention.

Providing a new G.I. Bill, with its benefits in education, is an excellent and most deserved gift for our veterans.

It is the least we can do for service that guaranteed the continuation of the 18th century American Experiment.