Congressional Budget Office Suggest Cutting Troops and Veterans Benefits

[Monkeyman]

The Congressional Budget Office has recommended cuts in health and other benefits to U.S. active service troops and veterans.

However, most, if not all, of the controversial proposals look unlikely to be adopted by the current Democratic- controlled 110th Congress, The Army Times reported Tuesday.

The newspaper said that the cuts proposals were contained in the latest semi-annual report from the Budget Office. Entitled (Budget Options) released this week.

The report suggested "Cutting Veterans" disability payments for all but the most seriously injured, making active-duty service members pay more than three times as much as they now do for the right to post-service education benefits, limiting annual military pay increase to 0.5 percent while paying bigger bonuses to people in critically needed skills, and charging more for retirees who use the Tricare for life insurance plan.

http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20070313-113219-8690r

[babylonsister]

1. This won't go over well at all, especially now. What a bunch of

morans! :grr:

[TomInTib]

2. At this rate, it won't be long until soldiers will be asked to pay for their training

and then pay to serve.

But the educational benefits are great!

Except most of these poor, dumb folks will never get into college.

But their sex lives will definitely improve.

"Join the Army and you will get f***ed every day"

[Monkeyman]

4. These guys find way to piss me off every day

[TomInTib]

7. Man, I know. Just when you think the bastards have hit rock-bottom...

They just dig the pit a little deeper.

I think that they believe that we will just go numb on this.

Well, fuck that.

I won't give in.

And I would bet my last nickel that you never will, Monkeyman.

[Monkeyman]

8. No Way I Dug In

[bigtree]

3. jackasses

I wonder what their own benefit package looks like?

kr

[MiniMe]

5. Who is in the congressional budget office?

Is it part of congress or is it part of the *co government?

[Monkeyman]

6. Co -Government they answer to no one

[indepat]

11. Thankfully there is not a political bone, tendency or leaning in the CBO

(almost barfed writing this)

[Lasher]

17. It seems to me that the CBO has been pretty nonpartisan in the past

I wonder if they listed these steps as part of a larger group of budget options to rectify fiscal concerns, and not recommendations? I mean, the report is titled, 'Budget Options'.

That would be more like what I'm used to seeing from the CBO.

Edit: Yes, that's exactly the case. From the CBO report:

Preface

This volume — one of the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO’s) regular reports to the House and Senate Committees on the Budget—presents more than 250 options for altering federal spending and revenues. The volume aims to help policymakers in their annual tasks of making budgetary choices, setting priorities, and adapting to changing circumstances.

The options discussed in this report stem from a variety of sources, such as legislative proposals,
the President’s budget, Congressional and CBO staff, other government agencies, and private groups. The options are intended to reflect a range of possibilities rather than a ranking or a comprehensive list. The inclusion or exclusion of a particular policy change does not represent an endorsement or rejection by CBO. In keeping with CBO’s mandate to provide objective and impartial analysis, the report makes no recommendations, and the discussion of each option summarizes the arguments for and against it.

Bigtime dialup warning - this is a huge report!
http://www.fedsmith.com/articles/references/BudgetOptions.pdf

Emphasis mine.

[bobbolink]

9. I will remind you that because Vets causes right now are very popular,

the cuts are MOST LIKELY to be transfered to the rest of us--namely, Low-Income Housing!!

I will happily make calls about the cuts to Vets, but I also ask you to make calls in regard to the cuts to the rest of us!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x394904#402010

We're all in this together, and can't champion some at the expense of others!

Thank you!

:hug: for Monkeyman!

[Monkeyman]

12. You Know I will Call

[bobbolink]

13. You're the bestest!

:pals:

[mmonk]

10. Incredible.

There needs to be a march of veterans to Washington to sit on the mall and camp there. Bring back the memory of World War I vets and their action.

[Monkeyman]

14. Your Words to Vets Ears Just forget about the American Legion Right Wing Now

[nolies32fouettes]

15. first thought at title "WAIT theres funding left to CUT?!"

I truly hate these people, just devastating.. halliburton escapes with insane amounts of taxpayer money while we leave our poor on the streets and our soldiers to fend for their own health care. I barely recognize my country anymore!

In 1999, if someone had told me about all this, I would have looked for signs of head trauma... UNfrakkinbelievable!

[Hubert Flottz]

16. I have a better idea...

Abolish the five BushCo tax cuts for the rich, Abolish all corporate tax breaks, Double the taxes on all imported goods.

[w4rma]

19. Yeah why doesn't the "non-partisan" CBO talk about revoking those tax cuts for the ultra-rich?

Just read post 18. I suppose they probably did, but the Moonie owned UPI didn't focus on that aspect of the story.

[Lasher]

18. This is shoddy reporting by UPI

Odd to see such a sad excuse for journalism coming from a bigtime outfit like UPI.

The CBO did not recommend these cuts. They simply listed them as part of a much larger list of options, without any endorsement of the steps in question. See my post upthread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x404823#407666