Last Veteran's Day, John Boehner, like many of our representatives,
wrote a letter extolling the virtues of our Armed Forces. It was a fine letter directed at veterans from all services.
He highlighted a single vet, the one whose salute was heard around the world. And afterwards, Boehner writes:
The letterhead may say '"Speaker," but consider these merely the sentiments of a grateful citizen. May God be good to you and yours, and may you always enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Just before Christmas, John Boehner and the rest of Congress voted to cut military pensions for military retirees, including those who have been retired for medical reasons. It was a shock to military families everywhere as the cut came without warning or discussion. So much for being a grateful citizen, Mr. Boehner.
Now Congress has the opportunity to perform a Veteran's Day like action. Instead of writing letters like that above, they can fix the cuts. There is a bill in the House of Representatives. It is HR 3790. It has already been forwarded to the House Armed Services Committee. It has bi-partisan support. It has no off-sets so neither party can claim that there is something ugly that they can't vote for. It is basically an up and down vote solely on military pensions.
The question is how many grateful citizens we have serving in Congress and how many jaded politicians?