The Rush Limbaugh Victims Letter - Rebuttal Needed

[lazarus]

I know this has been fairly well thrashed out somewhere, but an hour of searching on both New DU and Old DU hasn't turned it up. It's still making the rounds on email and Usenet, apparently.

I apologise in advance for having to post this, but I need a rebuttal and just don't want to reinvent the wheel.

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By Rush Limbaugh:

I think the vast differences in compensation between victims of the September 11 casualty and those who die serving the 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 just 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 U. S. Congress just voted themselves a raise, and 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. They also do not receive Social Security on retirement because they didn't have to pay into the system.

If some of the military people stay in for 20 years and get out as an E-7, you may receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who placed you in harm's way receive 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.

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[neuvocat]

1. 911 victims didn't enlist in the armed services when they died.

No combat training, no warning, no intelligence briefings, no weapons.

40 marines killed under Reagan's watch when their barracks were bombed in Beirut. Did they have the chance to fight back? No.

But of course if you wish to use the ever-contradictory freeper logic, those men and women are an all-volunteer force and supposedly knew the hard life they would be living, so they should return Bush's cuts in VA benefits with a salute and the gratitude for having the honor of serving our country.

Logic like that is enough to make you puke of course.

[MrJones]

2. It's more-or-less true.

See http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/military.htm

[philosophie_en_rose]

3. It's just a lie.

The underlying message of the article is that September 11 victims (as well as Oklahoma City families) are grasping unpatriots. He's not really arguing that the military deserves more. Specifically:

*Sept 11 families received gifts from fellow citizens, because people independently chose to give money to organizations on their behalf. If other tragedies do not receive the same gestures, it does not mean that the Sept 11 families deserved less.

*Aren't conservatives supposed to be the people who remember Sept 11? I guess bombing the hell out of Iraq with public money is supposed to be better than giving a gift to a family voluntarily.

*Cheapass conservative celebrities use this pitiful excuse to justify not donating. Yet are happy enough to dedicate public dollars for unfounded invasions that cost billions per month.

"If some of the military people stay in for 20 years and get out as an E-7, you may receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who placed you in harm's way receive 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."

*Yes, warmongering politicians should have the balls to join the military, before supporting sending others to die. Let's see. John Kerry: war hero. Howard Dean: not for the war. Al Gore: actually went to Vietnam. So, who is at fault here? The military is not paid enough. Government spending is out of control. Fat cats in Washington get 15 times as much as the people on the front lines. And this is supposed to be a result of too much entitlement from the victims of the event that apparently justifies crimes against humanity?

[Mz Pip]

4. This was written

before Bush started cutting Veteran's benefits and combat pay. Let Rush put his money where his mouth is a lay some criticism where it belong - on Bush.

MzPip
:dem:

[zbdent]

5. Note, on that "congressional pay raise" - The repukes have

been in power in the House and Senate since 94, and were quite capable of blocking this pay raise. YET THEY DIDN'T!!! I have yet to hear of any of the Repuke millionaire representatives/senators begging to work for free to cut that cost of the government, nor have I heard any one of them trimming their staff down.

[old dog]

7. I have not heard of any democrats doing this either

Face it folks ....all politicians are out for themselves

[Realityhack]

6. Reason For Compensation

Some great points have been made here. But, wasn't one of the big points of compensateing victims of 9-11 to get them to sign off on not suing the already hurting airlines that are admitedly an important part of the infistructure of the country?

Also, any time a large number of people are hurt and you try to "buy off" that injury with monitary compensation their will be those who feel that what they had ( a father a mother whatever) was worth more than you are giveing. No matter what the price. Rush unscientificaly assumes that these are all liberals who have been lead by liberals to their desire for more money. Rather than simply human beings who have been hurt.

As for millitary compensation Rush seems to ramble into an area, that as others have pointed out, his party is extreamly week on. He apears to be playing on the assumption in his audience that Republicans are "Strong" on defense and everything to do with it. And Dems are not. We know this is foolishness but his intended audience does not.

-Realityhack

[anti_shrub]

8. There's always the point

That Rush isn't in the position to talk about military people considering he was too chickenshit to serve himself.

And the point that only a fraction of the money Bush promised 9/11 survivors ever ended up getting paid out, and when the families ask what happened to what they were promised they get smeared as greedy and unpatriotic by self serving chickenhawk RW assholes.

And the point that while Rush pities the poor military person not getting a raise, his loving president Shrub cut Vet's benefits. Guess he considers helping those who served as "entitlement politics". Where the hell do they get off thinking they deserve to be helped when they risked their lives protecting the nation so flag waving facists can cut benefits to pay for their tax cut.

I'm fairly sure I saw somewhere that Congresscritters *do* pay into social security, but I can't remember where right now.

On edit, it really shows Rush never served when he talks about spending 20 years in the military and leaving an E-7. My best friend is in the Army and he was talking about making Sergeant in a few years since he got out of Boot Camp as a Specialist. You'd have to be Beetle Bailey to spend 20 years in and not make it above E-7.

[Djinn]

9. Public or private money

I have to say I don't really understand the compensation thing (similar issues happening here with victims of the Bali bombings) what is being compensated? lost wages or costs incurred or is this compensation for ones relative dying? how CAN that be compensated and why should it? If the money is donated by individuals then it should go to whomever it was intended for - but when you move into spending public money I think asking questions is reasonable (even if they're asked by an ignoramus like Rush)

I know that relatively rich australians getting payouts on top of any costs incurred even if they were an unemployed student at the time of the bombing and suffered no permanet injuries - while thousands of Balinese suffer in poverty leaves a bad taste in some peoples mouths. The Red Cross were accused of all sorts because money donated didn't get given immediately to the australian victims and that some was spent on improving hospital facilities in Bali - the arrogance there is pretty profound - every australian injured was flown home to receive first rate medical care - the Balinese had to cope with what they had, virtually nothing and no welfare system to assist the thousands who lost their jobs in the aftermath.

I know these are sensitive subjects and I don't want to appear heartless but I don't think having something bad happen to you means you neccesarily get compensated for it - if it did millions of americans could put out their hand after the disaster that befell them in Florida a few years back.