G.I. Bill is long overdue for generous expansion

The G.I. Bill of World War II established a social contract with returning veterans:

They had given up years of their lives, put their bodies between America and its enemies, and endured privations unimaginable to most civilians.

In return, Congress offered them a free path to a better life: higher education. A World War II – or Korean, or Vietnam – veteran could swing college fairly easily on the generous tuition and living expenses the government would pay for.

By comparison, today’s “G.I. Bill” is a miser’s offering.

Enacted in 1985 for troops serving in peacetime, it provides monthly support capped at $1,100 a month – a tiny fraction of what it takes to attend many colleges. The amount hasn’t changed after 23 years of inflation.

A much more generous G.I. Bill is in order for the troops returning from multiple tours in the traumatic-stress combat zones of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Virginia Sen. Jim Webb – who served in Vietnam – has come up with one. It would more than double the benefits for three-year veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, providing a living allowance of roughly $1,000 a month plus the equivalent of the most expensive public university tuition in their home state.

In other words, you could actually earn a degree on it.

Webb’s bill has stalled in the Senate over two reasonable objections.

First, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that it will cost $51.8 billion over the next 10 years. Webb and some cosponsors haven’t identified any way to pay for it.

That means the cost would be directly added to the national debt, just as the costs of the wars themselves have been. Fiscally responsible lawmakers – even strong supporters of better benefits – have balked at that.

Congress should find some way to help the veterans without writing yet another bad check. Hint: Congress’ new farm bill is expected to cost $307 billion over the next five years. And it’s riddled with lard.

The second objection comes from the Pentagon. It fears that offering rich educational benefits to vets who’ve served three years will entice too many of them to leave the service after a single term of enlistment. Given the stress the U.S. military is now under, this isn’t a minor consideration.

Some sort of compromise must address the re-enlistment issue – keeping in mind that better benefits will also encourage first-time enlistments.

At the heart of this issue is a moral imperative: The nation owes today’s returning troops something comparable to the deal given to yesterday’s returning troops. Congress and the president must enact a responsible bill before the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan start to give up on a college degree.