We see these signs saying “Support our Troops” everywhere.

“Supporting the troops” costs MONEY! Would the sign-posters agree to raise taxes to pay for civilian benefits for soldiers, such as health care?

The troops need our support when they return home. They need health care, education, no discrimination.

Our Republican-led US House of Representatives has stripped a Democratic amendment from a bill. The amendment would have extended eligibility for a health care program to reservists.

I would argue that Democrats tend to actually “support the troops”. Republicans tend to talk about supporting the troops, in order to motivate the faithful to vote, but afterwards the Republicans would seem to rather borrow money for tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy than actually “support the troops.”

The Republicans’ excuse for not supporting extending health care to reservists is cost, mainly. Cost was not an object when Bush borrowed money to fund tax cuts desired by the wealthy. Cost was not an object when Bush borrowed money to start a war of aggression in Iraq that had nothing to do with fighting terrorism.

We see in this little failed amendment about health care a microcosm of some of the key differences between Republicans and Democrats these days: Democrats are more supportive of the ordinary people in society, and Republicans are more supportive of the elite. Somehow, the Republican media spin machine has convinced a large percentage of the electorate that the opposite is true.

If you were a reservist, wouldn’t you like to be eligible for health care benefits? If so, then why in the world would you vote Republican?

A quick hit: With the Republicans in total control of the Federal Government for a very long time now, you would think that we’d have a plan for fixing our insane and haphazard health care coverage system. [I see the fallout of our haphazard coverage system, because in my work as an employment lawyer I deal with people all the time who have lost their jobs and their health care benefits, and cannot afford Cobra]

But the Republican leadership does not place any meaningful value on improving the availability of health care. I don’t think that’s a very “pro life” position for the pro-lifers to be taking.

European and Pacific Stars & Stripes
Tricare provision removed from defense budget plan
Amendment would have opened benefits to part-time soldiers

By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Thursday, May 26, 2005

WASHINGTON - A provision in the 2006 defense budget proposal that came out of the House Armed Services Committee last week, which would have extended Tricare benefits to more reservists and Guardsmen, was stripped from the bill this week because of budgetary reasons.