3 ms·

From a civilian perspective, hypothetically speaking, why should we continue to fund the GI Bill if it's just going to be wasted? In a world where too many of t

From a civilian perspective, hypothetically speaking, why should we continue to fund the GI Bill if it's just going to be wasted? In a world where too many of the veterans get fleeced and get nothing for the money it would be rational for the rest of us to cut that benefit, perhaps replacing it with nothing or with a difference benefit like a larger pension. Personal responsibility is important but it doesn't exist in a vacuum. As a taxpayer I want societal good to come from my tax dollars, so I feel a responsibility to prevent the veterans from being taken by scammers and do discourage scamming in general.

dlp211 9y ago
Because most vets don't use the benefits, and most of the vets that do aren't getting fleeced.
arjie 9y ago
Because it's a deal. They go to places they can die and in exchange you're going to give them this. It's like if you were spending your salary on drugs and gambling. A poor use of your time but poorer justification to cut your salary. It's your money at that point and it's not up to me to cut your salary on that front.
omegaham 9y ago
Vet here, currently in my junior year of a CS major. I personally view the GI Bill as similar to a lot of other affirmative action programs - the people who are best-equipped to take advantage of the programs are the least needy. I did a term in the Marines as a radio tech for air traffic control. I did all of it in Yuma, AZ. No deployments, not even a float on a ship. I got out with a job offer in hand to work at Intel as a microscope tech. Intel offers to pay for tuition, but I get $22k in BAH and a book stipend per year on top of free tuition with the GI Bill, so it's a better deal for me to make Uncle Sam pay for it. My SO is a nurse, so she makes good money as well. I'm fulfilling my end of the bargain, I guess; I've kept pretty close to a 4.0 GPA while working full-time. But when John Q. Taxpayer thinks of a veteran going to college on the GI Bill, he probably doesn't think of a POG[1] radio tech whose parents are both affluent college grads. He thinks of some grunt who lived in the dirt and got shot at in Afghanistan and is probably the first person in his family to go to college. The latter tend not to use their benefits at all, use them as another form of welfare like the parent poster mentioned, (take some fluffy bullshit classes and pocket the BAH) or get scammed by some shitty for-profit institution. Result: Those who use the benefits tend to be those who were already going to go to college and do well anyway. Of course, if you threaten to canc the benefits, you're going to get a bunch of very angry veterans and affiliated people who will yell at you for ripping away that poor grunt's chance to be the first kid in his family to go to college. Never mind the fact that the poor grunt got suckered by fucking DeVry or just didn't go at all. [1] Personnel Other than Grunt.

dlp211 9y ago

Because most vets don't use the benefits, and most of the vets that do aren't getting fleeced.

arjie 9y ago

Because it's a deal. They go to places they can die and in exchange you're going to give them this. It's like if you were spending your salary on drugs and gambling. A poor use of your time but poorer justification to cut your salary. It's your money at that point and it's not up to me to cut your salary on that front.

omegaham 9y ago

Vet here, currently in my junior year of a CS major. I personally view the GI Bill as similar to a lot of other affirmative action programs - the people who are best-equipped to take advantage of the programs are the least needy. I did a term in the Marines as a radio tech for air traffic control. I did all of it in Yuma, AZ. No deployments, not even a float on a ship. I got out with a job offer in hand to work at Intel as a microscope tech. Intel offers to pay for tuition, but I get $22k in BAH and a book stipend per year on top of free tuition with the GI Bill, so it's a better deal for me to make Uncle Sam pay for it. My SO is a nurse, so she makes good money as well. I'm fulfilling my end of the bargain, I guess; I've kept pretty close to a 4.0 GPA while working full-time. But when John Q. Taxpayer thinks of a veteran going to college on the GI Bill, he probably doesn't think of a POG[1] radio tech whose parents are both affluent college grads. He thinks of some grunt who lived in the dirt and got shot at in Afghanistan and is probably the first person in his family to go to college. The latter tend not to use their benefits at all, use them as another form of welfare like the parent poster mentioned, (take some fluffy bullshit classes and pocket the BAH) or get scammed by some shitty for-profit institution. Result: Those who use the benefits tend to be those who were already going to go to college and do well anyway. Of course, if you threaten to canc the benefits, you're going to get a bunch of very angry veterans and affiliated people who will yell at you for ripping away that poor grunt's chance to be the first kid in his family to go to college. Never mind the fact that the poor grunt got suckered by fucking DeVry or just didn't go at all. [1] Personnel Other than Grunt.