Monday, December 19, 2011

GI Bill Stll Paying Dividends

We usually channel surf whenever a program breaks for commercial.  But we saw one this morning that gave us pause.

The ad is promoting MSNBC’s “Last Word with Lawrence O’ Donnell.”  O’ Donnell is seen reflecting on the end of WWII.  He says (paraphrasing):  At the end of WWII millions of GI’s returned home looking to start their lives.  The GI Bill gave them the opportunity to get the college education they could never have afforded on their own.  Many GI’s used that education to make a better living and in turn provide their children with a better education.  My father was educated thanks to the GI bill.   He used  that education to make a better living and send his five children to college. 

He concludes by saying: The GI Bill is one of the most successful government programs in our history.  The critics called it welfare.

What O’Donnell doesn’t say is that many of today's conservatives who complain about the socialist state and the welfare programs were able to achieve their success thanks to an education provided by their parents…parents who got a leg up thanks to the GI Bill.    

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