Democrats in state Senate say no to education aid for Guard members

For the second year in a row, our elected officials in Sacramento have refused to give educational financial aid to the California National Guard, making us the only state in the union that doesn't help its citizen soldiers on the schooling front. Nancy Vogel has details:

State military officials say their only hope now is that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will prevail upon Democratic legislators to include money for tuition assistance in the budget that is 49 days overdue and more than $15 billion in the red.

(Skip)

Schwarzenegger has called the lack of benefits "unconscionable" and proposed spending $3.3 million this year and next to help Guard members with tuition assistance. That is enough to cover most tuition and fees at community colleges or a state university for about 2,000 people.

Democrats and Republicans in the Assembly agreed. But Democrats in the Senate scuttled a bill that would have created the program and then stripped the $3.3 million from a Democratic budget plan.

Senators said the program's cost doomed it and hundreds of other spending proposals as the state wrestles with a $15.2-billion budget gap.

"Given the budget crisis, all bills that had a substantial amount of money" attached did not pass, said Sen. Jack Scott (D-Altadena).

The rest of Nancy's story is here. And that photo? National Guardsmen fighting a California wildfire.

-- Veronique de Turenne

Photo credit: Associated Press

Comments

[not an issue]

A 15 billion dollar budget crisis meant everything that isn't explicitly integral to continued functionality got axed.

There are plenty of tuition reimbursement, financial aid, and student loan programs already in existence. This particular earmark was as sentimentally profound as any other special interest concerning veterans, children, or the elderly but the fact remains that stuff simply had to go.

Want to point a finger somewhere? Why is our government so far in the hole?

[Anonymous]

Send the SEIU, their military tactics put most invading and subversive armed forces around the world to shame!!! The SEIU should send their "organizers" to Spain & help "organize" the Basques instead of union-busting the U.S. unions!

Good thing they're keeping their OWN members & UHW in line! GO STERN!
See http://www.counterpunch.org/early09032008.html

;-)

[SGM (Ret) Andrew Strauss]

This is BS....the State of California owes it's Soldiers and Airmen financial support for higher education... California is the only state that does not support its National Guard forces....this is unacceptable! The Govenor tries to do the right thing and support his Guard, however he is fighting an uphill battle against the College Lobby - the Democrats - and the Budget.
The Guard is always there to support you, (California Resident), how about being there to support the Guard.

[Jill]

I've been in the National Guard for eight years, three of them in the California Air National Guard. "Yellowbird's" comments are an embarrassment. How quickly you forget that your National Guardsmen and women are activated to assist fighting the fires in San Diego Oct '07, Northern Cali July '08, Border Patrol mission, rescuing lost hikers, saving at-risk fishermen off of the coast, to name a few examples of how the Guard serves its state above and beyond being deployed overseas. Regardless of your feelings towards Iraq and Afghanistan, your state's troops are also being deployed to Kosovo, Bosnia and the Horn of Africa for peace-keeping missions and to help rebuild those nations.

True, this is a volunteer force, but when you compare the education benefits from other neighboring states, it doesn't compare - 100% tuition assistance towards bachelor's and 75% towards a master's degree. So tell me - our Golden Legislature, how do you expect your troops to commit to a state who doesn't serve them as willingly as they serve you?

[John]

Send the SEIU instead of the Guard. They get more sympathy from these idiots.

[Yellowbird]

I say as long as the Guard remains under nationalized control in D.C.; let the Prezidunce provide education.

Once they are released to the Governor of California, and made no longer available for overseas adventures, let the education begin.

The guard belongs to the STATES for home protection.

Let the D.C. Warmongers build the regular armed forces if they want to have imperialistic adventures overseas. No more oil thefts on the cheap.