Thursday, April 12, 2007

Extend Those Tours, People! We're in a War!

"Beginning immediately, all active-duty Army soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan will serve 15-month tours — three months longer than the usual standard, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday."

You have to feel for these poor guys and girls. It's just, where are we going to find more troops for this war?

article from MSNBC

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Billion Dollars for Bonuses

Don't get me wrong, but I'm fairly sure there are better ways to spend a billion dollars than on paying off our soldiers to re-enlist. These guys are heroes, yes, but so are teachers, and last time I checked, none of them got $150,000 bonuses for agreeing to stay on for another six years. Granted, they're not getting shot at and killed on a daily basis.

"Besides underscoring the extraordinary steps the Pentagon must take to maintain fighting forces, the rise in costs for re-enlistment incentives is putting strains on the defense budget, already strapped by the massive costs of waging war and equipping and caring for a modern military."

article from the MSNBC