putting our money where their mouths are.

[GS78]

Ok let me preface this with "I don't know that Rush said this" it was sent to me by email. It sounds about right though....




By Rush Limbaugh:

I think the vast differences in compensation between victims of the September 11 casualty and those who die serving our 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 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.. (Actually, soldiers are put in harms way by politicians and commanding
officers.)



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 US Congress voted themselves a raise. 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 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, they may receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who
placed them in harm's way receives 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?"

[WRW]

Payouts to the families of victims of 911 was a beancounters way of avoiding lawsuits. It set a bad precedent and was a slap in the face of all other victims of violence...foreign and domestic.

Congress has not earned their pay for years. Nuff said.

Soldiers, like police and others, are paid to go in harms way. That said, they do deserve better compensation IMHO.

[zephyp]

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.

Not defending those twits on the hill but the statement above is incorrect. Members of congress entering federal service before 1984 can receive a maximum of 80% of their base pay only at full retirement - around 30 years service and over age 60. No social security as those do not pay into the system unless they held other jobs. After 1984 they are in a different system and get a combination of federal retirement, social security, and a 401k plan.

They do get mega perks though all at the cost of we the people. And yes, the remark about most of them being millionaires is correct and easy to verify.

The average claim for a 9/11 victim who died was indeed around $2M. Its really sad to see the pittance that our service members get while in harms way. Combat and danger pay plus regular salary for an enlisted person is peanuts for what they do...They also get a relatively decent insurance policy. It used to be a max of around $35,000 to the beneficiary. I think that was raised some time ago to around $250,000. Still not enough if they die in harms way.

Also, look what a MOH recipient currently gets -- $1194 per month plus COLA if they authorize it each year.