Rush Limbaugh is a brilliant thinker .. he says things that the political cowards dare not say. No matter what is happening on the political scene, Rush is miles ahead of all of them. He's the antithesis of PC. Mollie
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Rush Limbaugh
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Check the site above.
Love him or loathe him, he nailed this one right on the head.
By Rush Limbaugh:
I think the vast differences in compensation between victims of the September 11 casualty and those who die serving our 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 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 Their deaths were tragic, but for most, they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Soldiers put themselves in harms way FOR ALL OF US, and they and their families know the dangers.
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. Make sense?
However, our own US Congress voted themselves a raise. 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. If some of the military people stay in for 20 years and get out as an E- 7, they may receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who placed them in harm's way receives 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.
I wish every American could read this.


posted by okhela
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posted by ChelseaLad
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posted by icefish
To start with, both houses of congress voted for a larger increase in military pay than the White House approves: According to Army times,
"Bush budget officials said the administration “strongly opposes” both the 3.5 percent raise for 2008 and the follow-on increases, calling extra pay increases “unnecessary.” The White HOuse supports a smaller, 3% pay raise.
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Congress voted to make their pay raises automatic in 1989, so they don't have to vote in order to get a pay raise this year. However, there is a bipartisan effort underway to STOP the pay raise scheduled to go into effect this month:
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if you care about this, find out where your congresspeople and representatives stand and write or call to encourage this effort!
Finally, congressional pensions, like most pensions, are determined according to age at retirement and years served. A full pension is available after 5 years of service to a legislator retiring after age 62; after 20 years of service retiring after age 50; and after 25 years of service retiring at any age. The maximum pension is 80% of the salary at the time of retirement. At current salary rate of $165,000/year, full retirement salary would be $132,000/year, or $11,000 per month. This is not exactly poverty level - but Rush's post exaggerates the amount and the ease of obtaining full retirement. A senator could retire with a full pension after a single 6-year term, but a representative would have to serve at least part of a second term to be vested.
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posted by foneman
We have an outstanding military, how much better would they be if they were paid better? He may not be helping, but Bush didn't start the decline of pay and benefits, AND, $11,000 a month? So what if it was exaggerated?? More in a month than a lot make in a year. Ask the wives and children who's husbands/fathers paid the ultimate price. That says a lot about character that a soldier will risk death for himself and poverty for his family to protect his country and a Congressman can choose to retire after 5 years with full pension if he's over 62 to the comfort and safety provided by that same military man. I don't know of any companies that give those type of benefitst to employess other than CEOs. Most large companies nowdays have reduced or eliminated pensions and benefits, but the Government hasn't followed suit.
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