he was opposed to it because it cost too much. he only signed it because it passed the house and senate by veto proof margins. Republicans and Democrats both voted for it.

Pres Bush was pretty much absent during his tour. VP Cheney ducked the war in Vietnam entirely. Ii don't give either of them any credit for military service.

Yeah GW Bushwhacker is the Commander in Chief just like Hitler was the Nazi leader. They had a lot in common besides just wanting to be Dictator in Chief, genocidal activities, lust for war and disregard for reality. Hmmm, GOD may have talked to Hitler also.

"By the way, TRUE patriotism is what is REVEALED by what's going on inside. The people who put their lives on the line. That's the revealed patriotism of someone. Anybody can secretly say they are patriotic. But if it never forces them to do anything, their patriotism is as good as dead."

I don't think you know what patriotism is! John Kerry served his country but you'd probably call him a traitor. G. Bush was AWOL but you revere him. Get a life, traitor.

Sure, don't complain. Unfortunately complaining is the only way things get done. Taking a stand against a completely corrupt and unpatriotic administration (who by the way cares nothing about us), is truly patriotic. We care about the future of America, and realize she is in trouble. If you just stand by and play the blind man, you are truly unpatriotic. And please don’t talk to me about putting my life on the line; I’ve probably served more years than you are old. Its time for a change.

Two points: One, what fantasy world do you live in that you can claim that ANY congress person has not given money for some project? Also, so called pork spending is less than 1% of the national budget annually. True fiscal responsibility would be paying less imperialist youths to live out their sick fantasies on the federal government’s dime.
Two, Why, in America, do we call the dangerous scourge of humanity Nationalism "Patriotism?" All major conflicts in the last 300 years have at least used Nationalism as a means of justifying their ends. If not as the root cause for the blood shed. I.e., every war the US has fought since its inspection, the Napoleonic Wars, the revolutions in third world nations through out the 20th century. Nationalism is an intellectual evil. Yet in the United States, a country that supposedly stands for freedom, it is seemingly required of all individuals under the euphemism "patriotism." That is a very scary thing and a sign we are slipping into fascism.
Casey?

My apologies Mark :-)

I haven't taken the Bush/McCain like hook and sinker. After reading your post (and a few others on here) I asked one of the guys I was referring to above and this is basically what he told me.

"After 4 years in the Marine Crop, I had the GI bill of 60K (which I'm not sure if that’s total or what was set aside as well since he did mention having to "pay in") Texas veterans qualify for up to an additional 1000 per month which gives me about 2,500k per month".

Considering I lived on less than 1500/month working two jobs while going to school and paying tuition (at a state school), its better than I had.

Anyway, when I was writing the above post I figured it was a mistake and some would take it the wrong way. Of course "more would be better" McCain was proposing a tiered system to where you get more money for more time served. That’s better than the "low ball blank check" that we have now. With the Democratic option, today you may have enough to pay for a state school but would you 4 years from now when your service ends? Not all colleges are created equal either. In my home town you can go to a state school for about 2,500 a semester but if you wanted to go to The University of Texas or Texas A&M, it will cost you closer to 5,000. With the McCain plan, if you want to go to a private school (and have it paid for by the Government) that could be a possibility or if college expense went up, just stay another year. If you are “ok” with a smaller state school, get out sooner. The point it will give the service man options which the democratic plan doesn’t. My other point was not all "problems" should be put right at the federal government's door step. The individual states have a responsibility (and programs)too but many seem to forget or ignore that.

Exactly, Mark. I live in Texas and one of my candidates running for Senate is Rick Noriega. Texas does not make up the dividends and I would like to see documentation instead of someone's wishful thinking that "enough" is paid for for these supposed 20 vets, because a few of his friends say they are doing OK by word of mouth. If everyone is doing so great here, why are these Texas veterans speaking out and these are REAL VETERANS that I will link to:

http://blog.ricknoriega.com/?p=29

Alex Horton, an Iraq veteran from Austin, who will soon be using GI Bill benefits said, “The G.I. Bill enjoys broad support on both sides of the aisle, but unfortunately Senator Cornyn is fighting tooth and nail against giving adequate benefits to our troops and veterans, using it as a wedge in partisan politics. He needs to lead by example and get his name on a bill our veterans desperately need. As an Iraq War veteran, I’ll be attending school in the fall under one G.I. Bill or another. My future has two paths: one is riddled with tuition debt and juggling a full time job with school, and the other is a path paved by benefits earned by my service to this country. Veteran students should not have to make a decision between food and school, and if Senator Cornyn makes the right decision to support this bill, we won’t have to.”

Brandon Friedman, an Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran from Dallas, and Vice Chairman of VoteVets.org said, “I began using the GI Bill less than a year after I returned from Iraq. Unfortunately, the amount of money it provided wasn’t enough for me to live and go to school at the same time. If I hadn’t found another source of income, I wouldn’t have been able to complete my program. And to me, that’s not what the GI Bill is supposed to be about. After serving in combat, veterans shouldn’t be placed in a position where they have to choose between going to school and paying the rent. That was never the intention of the original bill. Senator Cornyn needs to follow the lead of so many of his colleagues from both sides, who are doing the right thing to support our troops and veterans by voting for this bill.”

Yeah it's time for some people in my state to get out of la la land and stop buying the BS John Cornyn who is on his way out, is peddling about how great veterans supposedly have it with the falling dollar in this new disaster capitalism economy. I know it's fun for people to dream and pretend like everything is OK, but choosing to have to pay the rent or go to school does not equate to any education, much less Harvard. What a ridiculous unrealistic statement. It's time to wake up and hoepfully my fellow Texans will for these veterans have. here's their message to John Cornyn:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8cz3iAC3qo

Thank you for your fine work, Mark. This one was one of your best.