Don't Get Burned Twice

According to the Sunday, July 21, 2002, print edition of "Parade Magazine":

"Some military retirees are hopping mad at the Bush Administration....Their beef? The Bush Administration supports the policy that now deducts a retiree's disability benefits from his retirement pay.... Many combat vets think the deduction is unfair and penalizes them....Some veterans are so angry that their letters include threats to vote against Bush in 2004."

The online edition of "Parade" notes that Bush will veto any attempt by Congress to give the vets their due for serving their nation:

"In this week's [Parade] Intelligence Report, Lyric Wallwork Winik reports on how the Bush Administration is losing face with war veterans because it supports the policy of deducting disability benefits from military retirees' pay. Here's more on the bills Congress has passed to reverse the Bush policy:

There are two versions of the bill: one proposed by the House of Representatives and one proposed by the Senate. In the House version of the bill, veterans who are 60 percent or more disabled would receive their full retirement pay by 2007. The Senate version is quite similar; the major difference being that it would include all veterans, not just those who are disabled.

President Bush is threatening to veto the bill if Congress passes either version."