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Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Wednesday, July 02, 2008

New G.I. Bill is a fitting salute to America’s current war veterans

By Tribune editorial board

When James Webb got elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006, his first act was to introduce a bill increasing education benefits for U.S. war veterans.

Webb, a Virginia Democrat who served as Navy Secretary and worked in other jobs in Republican administrations, patiently put together a bipartisan coalition to pass the new G.I. Bill.

Along the way, he was opposed by both President Bush and Republican presidential candidate John McCain. They both thought the bill’s

10-year price tag of $62 billion was too much. And they worried about the possibility that offering education benefits would encourage soldiers to get out of the military and go to school.

Last week, Webb succeeded. His G.I. bill proposal was included in President Bush’s Iraq spending bill. It’s a profoundly positive step.

President Franklin Roosevelt signed the first G.I. Bill into law 64 years ago. It helped World War II veterans get a college education. Over time, and

during peacetime, those benefits did not keep up with

the actual cost of higher education.

Now they will. The Post 9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act will provide full tuition, housing and living costs.

It is an expensive proposal, and unfortunately, the House dropped a tax on upper income Americans that was designed to pay for the program. In exchange for Republican support, the program is now an unfunded entitlement. That was a bad move, but at least

it preserved the idea of providing war veterans a way to

further their education. At some point, Congress must face up to the need to pay for this education benefit, and come up with the revenue to do so.

President Bush signed the massive funding bill — including the new education benefits — on Monday.

It is a testimony to Webb’s determination to do something for America’s war veterans.