The
Journal of History
Spring 2003 TABLE OF CONTENTS
America's Concerns
Love him or loath 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 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. 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. If you're interested, there is more....................... This
must be a campaign issue in 2004. Keep it going.
SOCIAL SECURITY: (This is worth the read. It's short and to the point.)
Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years. Our
Senators and Congressmen do not pay into Social Security. Many years
ago they voted in their own benefit plan. In more recent years, no
congress person has felt the need to change it. For all practical
purposes their plan works like this: When they retire, they continue to
draw the same pay until they die, except it may increase from time to
time for cost of living adjustments. For example, former Senator Byrd
and Congressman White and their wives may expect to draw $7,800,000 -
that's Seven Million, Eight Hundred Thousand), with their wives drawing
$275,000.00 during the last years of their lives.
This is calculated on an average life span for each. Their cost for
this excellent plan is $00.00. These little perks they voted for
themselves is free to them. You and I pick up the tab for this plan. The
funds for this fine retirement plan come directly from the General
Fund--our tax dollars at work! From our own Social Security Plan, which
you and I pay (or have paid) into --every payday until we retire (which
amount is matched by our employer) --we can expect to get an average
$1,000 per month after retirement. Or, in other words, we would have to
collect our average of $1,000 monthly benefits for 68 years and one
month to equal Senator Bill Bradley's benefits! Social Security could be
very good if only one small change were made. And that change would be
to jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from under the Senators and
Congressmen.
Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us and then
watch how fast they would fix it. If enough people receive this, maybe a
seed of awareness will be planted and maybe good changes will evolve.
WE, each one of us... can make a difference.
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