Pentagon freezes death benefits for fallen soldiers' families | Fox News:
It's another ugly symptom of the partial government shutdown -- and this time it impacts the families of soldiers who are dying for their country.
The Pentagon confirmed Tuesday that, as long as the budget impasse lasts, it will not be able to pay death benefits to the families of troops who've been killed in combat.
"Unfortunately, as a result of the shutdown, we do not have the legal authority to make death gratuity payments at this time," said Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen, a Defense Department spokesman. "However, we are keeping a close eye on those survivors who have lost loved ones serving in the Department of Defense."
House lawmakers, though, are planning to vote Wednesday on a bill to restore funding for the payments. And Speaker John Boehner on Tuesday accused the Obama administration of needlessly withholding the money.
What are the economic measures Obama is taking to economize while the "Federal Shakedown" efforts are being instituted?
- Closing national parks .. okay, it costs a LOT of money to keep a park open. I'm sure it only SOUNDS petty.
- Closing national monuments ... how much does it cost to keep the WWII monument accessible from the sidewalk?
- Closing the ocean? I'm sure it takes more money to keep rangers
patrolling the bay to save boaters and fishermen, than it takes to keep
boaters and fishermen from going out on their boats to fish. Or ... not!
- Defunding death benefits for U.S. military families who have lost their members due to combat?
Okay, that's going too far.
It has become obvious that the Obama Administration has picked the most horrible and intrusive of all possible spending cuts in order to make the "Governmental Shutdown" a crisis which must be shared by the American People. A "responsible" president would do his best to make the current budgetary crisis as painless as possible to the American People. Mr. Obama, in contrast, has clearly made it as
painful as possible.
And in doing so, he has revealed the absolute contempt he has for both the citizenry in general, and the military in particular. He has forced our Military to think about their families, instead of focusing on their duties. That is characteristic of a society which is familial in nature, rather than national. It is a lower form of society.
Obama clearly hates us. We are not 'his people'. Instead, we are pawns to be manipulated in his global chess game.
Any man who accepts the honor of his office would be grateful to the American People. It is only a low mean-spirited man who would take this national crisis to demonstrate his disregard for those who stand between us, and our enemies.
"The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend."
That is an aphorism which the entire world acknowledges.
"The Enemy of my Friend my Enemy."
Is that where we are now?
This goes far beyond party politics. This is just ... ugly.
American soldiers have a petty insurance policy; and BTW, there is no Life Insurance policy which pays Death Benefits as a consequence of "War or Civil Disobedience". Except for the Federal Death Benefits.
The families of a serviceman who is killed in action has only a small amount of compensation to look forward to. At the time of my military service (1968-1970), that was $10,000.
It's a little bit different, today:
Death Gratuity. The military "death gratuity" is a lump sum
gratuitous payment made by the military to eligible beneficiaries of a
member who dies on Active Duty (AD), Active Duty for Training (ADT), or
Initial Duty Training (IDT), or full-time National Guard duty. Its
purpose is to help the survivors in their readjustment and to aid them
in meeting immediate expenses incurred. The death gratuity payment is
$12,420, and is non-taxable. For those whose death is as a result of
hostile actions and occurred in a designated combat operation or combat
zone or while training for combat or performing hazardous duty, the
payment is $100,000.
It's not clear how extensive this cessation of death benefits extends; perhaps it's only non-Active Duty (IDT or ADT) benefits which are being curtailed.
It doesn't make much difference, one suspects, to the family of the Fallen Soldier.
And it doesn't make much difference to me.
All of this looks like ObamaCare, from here.
If you're not clear on the concept, think: "Hate Crime"
He who hates .. not just the Military, or its members, but their families?
He hates America.
Mr. Obama, you are NOT looking very American today.
