Sequestration puts damper on Oregon soldiers' college hopes
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SALEM, Ore. – Federal sequestration cuts continue to hit Americans, including military members looking to go to college.
The Department of Defense has suspended tuition assistance, leaving hundreds of Oregon National Guard soldiers without a way to pay part of their college bills.
"I've got kids that are in school, my wife is working," says Capt. Van Zallee. "We're trying right now to make sure that we've got enough to cover those bills."
For Zallee, tuition assistance is the difference-maker in his goal of obtaining an MBA.
"Take that away from me right now means that's not an option. I can't go to school right now because that's not an option," he says.
A business consultant in his day job, Zallee served in Iraq as a guard member and says he needs more education to be promoted to Major in the next few years.
Without help though, he and hundreds of other soldiers may come up short when the bill comes due.
"It's an incentive program. It's not a guarantee; it's not a part of peoples' contracts," says Capt. Stephen Bomar, Oregon National Guard’s director of public affairs.
The suspension instantly cut off 350 Oregon Army National Guard soldiers from the financial aid. Forty-seven soldiers enrolled prior to the cutoff, but their benefits may not last past the spring term if the sequestration cuts remain in effect.
Bomar said the feeling throughout the National Guard is the same.
"It's very disappointing," he says.
Oregon soldiers received more than $2 million in tuition assistance in the last fiscal year spread out among schools such as Portland Community College, Portland State University and the Art Institute of Portland.
"It paid for a good part of my master's degree program, and I truly appreciate it," Bomar says. "And I probably wouldn't have pursued that as far had I not had that opportunity."
But now students and prospective students like Zallee can only hope for Congress to find a way to help the military pay for education.
"In this job market right now a bachelor's degree is almost about what it would have been being an associate's degree five or ten years ago," Zallee says. "To be competitive, you almost have to have your master's now."
The suspension of tuition assistance caught many without a plan to pay for their schooling. The guard is working to direct soldiers toward scholarships and soldiers already benefiting from the GI Bill are not impacted by the sequester.
Fund the Brotherhood in Egypt, but screw the veterans? Priorities are kind messed up Mr. Pres.
@KachinaÂ
Somebody doesn't know how the Federal budget works....
@Kachina Not to mention funding illegals and mexico.
@TreeWizard @KachinaÂ
Son, your hardon for illegal immigrants is...disconcerting.
@Diogenes @TreeWizard @Kachina I think the hardon they have for America is disconcerting. I am simply a hardon preventer. I basically am cock blocking them so they cannot rape America. Your welcome. Â
Why not cut the salaries of all the politicians including the President until they get this resolved? It's despicable that this is affecting the people who sacrifice their lives for our country.
@noneofyourbizzness The president's salary is dictated by the constitution. And what's the chance Contgress would ever cut any of their own perks?
Don't we want an educated military? Life and death decisions are made by these folks.  Â
@MKJÂ I don't disagree, but this story is talking about someone getting a Master's degree in the field he's currently privately employed in. Â Oh, and so he can be promoted to Major in the Reserves. Â
@Sundowner @MKJ so he has the right for promotion, who are you to say who can or can not be promted miss sun with a downer added? why on earth would you want to associate something as elegant as a sunset only to have slang of a drug type added to the end? Unless you do downers. in that case that would make your nick drug related
This is starting to remind me of the Gramm Rudman-era cuts, but it's even worse for guys who are just going IN to the military to find that their "guarantees" have been axed by the sequester but, of course, they're still sworn, so, guess what.
@Playanekes Just like in 2003 VA went from Veterans health benefits to low-income Veterans health benefits.  They put very low household "high income" restrictions on those receiving VA benefits.  Â
Prior to 2003, lifetime VA benefits were promised to all enlistees as a reward for service.
Promise keeping does not apply to the government Â
@trolololÂ
Oy, ease up, Marine. Â All Veterans have health benefits with the VA. Â Some Veterans have to pay co-pays (me), but all of them are eligible to come see a doctor.
@trololol Any one thinking that government keeps promises are crazier then I. I been through "There Promises" I signed on that dotted line, I was promised that the past history has no relevance Hell Doyal Amous Was the recruiter that recruited me, I was in service for 6 months didn't even get a chance to get into basic in that 6 months period. Hell I even Got PFC for attending there special try it out before you go in... MoS would have been 52 Delta 10. and any one questioning this or thinks me to be a liar? well you have no fracking clue as to what were the happenings at camp Withycomb back in the 90's like 91-92. Hell there was even a Polo Match That Captain Chilton put on for somes cellebration How do I know this to be fact, I fracking BBQued ribs For "Rock Steady" and his guests and man was it good. Also RCers used to come and fly there planes once in a while.
And then was mo wasting day ...we had to eliminate over stock and expired stock.
But take it or leave it... I just hope that the flight jackets I was able to recover and renew are at a museum some where. I remember right Campwithycomb used to have a small military museum open to public
I also remember watching the "explorer program" on the tiny post.
Also ate MRE's warmed on the radiates which ran off gas.
 like I say, I can belie or disbelieve.Â
After exiting I was getting some weird checks that fluttered in there amounts. some where 300 dollars some were 100.00 not sure what that was about. they stopped.with in a few months... after i moved in to a place.
So yes, I know all about the governments gives and takes. but I do have a deeper respect for all that deafened this country. Even for the 2 soldiers that argued over my being a safety issue or not while was trying to sleep. they still probably don't know that I heard them in full. I didn't let on that I knew.
It took them six months to discharge me?
@lee986321 "I do have a deeper respect for all that deafened this country."
Especially Deep Purple, Ronnie Montrose and Ozzy Osbourne...my ears are still ringing 30+ years later.
Let's be clear - this year the sequester is causing $85 billion in cuts - not a reduction in growth. The government had its appropriations in place for this fiscal year, the various agencies budgeted according to those appropriations, and now that money has been reduced by $85 billion.
Love it how people who a couple weeks ago were hootin' and hollerin' that the sequester wasn't big enough are now whinin' and moanin' about every single cut they read about. Across-the-board cuts are draconian - they don't just target stuff you don't care about.
@Max Quinn It's not because of the cuts in general, it's because of where they are cutting. Too many essential services are being cut and yet we are still giving money to foreign countries and groups like the Muslim Brotherhood. Â
Remember, sequestration was Obama's idea and he's even admitted it.
How about we cut all of the middle class entitlements like the Mortgage Interest Deduction, child care deduction, child tax credits, lifetime learning credit?
hmm...
@Max Quinn @oh4FS See my comment above about a flat tax.
@oh4FS How would that be any different than raising taxes? It would have the same effect.
@oh4FSÂ How about we end the carried interest deduction first? Or tax unearned income at the same rate as earned income? Or create new tax brackets for the $10 million/year and $100 million a year crowd?
@scoreboard @Max Quinn The sequester was agreed to by the Republicans. During the debt limit fight, Boehner couldn't get the radicals to understand that the US defaulting on its debt was a bad idea, so a compromise was born. The sequester was supposed to be so odious that a super-committee would create a budget to avoid it and if that failed the Tea Partiers would be able to see how bad the sequester was and they would compromise to craft a deal that included noew revenue and budget cuts.
And there is Obama's big mistake. Radical Republicans are economic know-nothings.
Anyway, our entire foreign aid budget for 2012 is $47 billion (not even 1% of total budget). If you really think cutting all foreign aid is a good idea, then you're still left with drastic cuts to make.
@Max Quinn Ehhh -- he's already tried poking me a few times this morning and I've ignored him. Â
@Sundowner Careful, you might be hearing from kramr - Class Envy! Class Warfare!
@scoreboard @Max Quinn IMHO, the flat tax hits a reef when it comes up against income disparity.Â
Commonly the flat tax rate is proposed to be at 15% - 18%. Well, to the guy getting $20 million a year to run for president, that's no big change. To the family of four making $50K, it's a drastic tax increase.
I'd be more amenable to a bracketed system with no deductions or credits.
@scoreboard @Max Quinn If what it takes is increased taxes to end poverty and hunger, keep people incarcerated, ensure that seniors get the meds they need to stay alive, have a highway system that isn't just an asphalt path of pot holes, fight forest fires, educate our children, pay a living wage, then my taxes can go up and I won't come on this forum and whine about it.
@Max Quinn @scoreboard Why not a flat tax where everyone pays the same percentage and not a sliding scale? This tax would be on ALL income, regardless of the source, whether it be payroll, investments, etc.
@scoreboard @Max Quinn Well, I am because the payroll tax holiday ended.
What I'd like [entering dreamland] is a fiscal policy that covers needs and raises revenue fairly. If that includes increased taxes for me, them I'm willing (seriously). [leaving dreamland] A debate centered on "Taxed Enough Already" when tax rates are at record lows is a broken process.
Not to mention the growing economic equality in this country. If a guy can spend 6 years running for president, haul in $20 million a year, and pay 13% (maybe), it's tough to say that there's no revenue out there.
@Max Quinn @scoreboard Well I don't want to pay more taxes. Do you?
@scoreboard @Max Quinn There is always too much partisan stuff going on.
But, the nut that wouldn't crack was the Tea Party caucus. Obama did offer $2 trillion to $4 trillion in cuts over ten years in return for $1 trillion in revenue. But the radicals stuck to the no-revenue pledge. They were even willing to see the US default. That's nuts.
@Max Quinn @scoreboard Yes quite possibly. However, I blame all of them. None of them would agree to a compromise. If anyone thinks one side is more to blame than the other then they need to take off the blinders. All of them are responsible. Â
There is so much partisan crap going on right now it's ridiculous.
@scoreboard @Max Quinn I can agree that cutting benefits to veterans, education, and safety should be low priorities right now. But everyone knew that the sequester didn't avoid these things. It could have been avoided.
@Max Quinn @scoreboard Cutting foreign aid is just one area. I know there are others as well and $85 billion is also less than 1%.
They all add up. Cutting military, education, and public safety should be low on the priority list.
@scoreboard @Max Quinn What was he supposed to do?  Shut the government down like Newt did in the 90s?  People demanded across-the-board cuts, this is  part of it.  Suck it up, it won't last forever. Â
This is politics at its best/or worst dpeneding on how you look at it. The "important" stuff (too politically hot) is not subject to sequestration. What to cut is by and large at the whim of the Obama Administration. You can bet that some cuts are made to get the most political advantage. They just blame congress. It also shows how bloated programs are. More cuts need to be made. Pay for soldier medical needs before thier education needs. They don't like it - get out. What bothers me is that they were most likely propmised the assistance. But, as any soldier knows "its what is in the best interest of the military" that will be done. What the media should be doing is hammering congress on getting rid of corporate welfare. That would have erased the 2%.
Seems amazing how 2% of the budget can have such far reaching effects whether its  shots for tots, to funding education for military personnel.
I must admit the left has been doing an amazing job in the marketing of  how a 2% reduction in the growth of federal spending can be  so devastating...  its no wonder they keep winning elections with such world class fear mongering.Â
I wonder what kind of college benefits the WWII and Korean War generations received.
@Playanekes They had the GI Bill: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.I._Bill. It was FDR's last great piece of legislation.
My grandfather used it to get his BA and law degree.
@Max Quinn @Playanekes Thanks for sharing that. It's nice to see that a warrior got to put his benefits to good use.
I'm having a difficult time understanding the outrage in all the comments. Â We had a story yesterday about how these across-the-board cuts were creating layoffs in the clean-up of Hanford and all anyone could say was "Doesn't matter -- most of those workers are a waste of time anyway". Â But then there's this soldier trying to get his Master's degree for the sole purpose of what is essentially a job promotion, and all hell breaks loose. Â Personally, I admire this man for his service to our country, but the seepage from Hanford will affect millions of people and wildlife for decades if not longer...whether this man gets his Master's or not will affect him and his family only. Â I guess one has to weight the costs vs benefits?
@Sundowner This soldier and many others like him have volunteered to put their life on the line (as did I in the mid-80's) for the freedom that you probably enjoy. I know I do. Why shouldn't he be able to reap a benefit like this in return for his sacrifice?
It's not just this particular soldier. It's all of them that are trying to enhance their career and/or better themselves. Having served in the military and being married at the same time, the pay that the military gives can barely support a family, even with all the fringe benefits. Â
This is a small price to pay considering what our military has to deal with.
@Sundowner It's the whole fear of being perceived as "not supporting the troops". Â
@trololol I guess no one ever heard of a student loan?  He could pay it off once his entitlement program kicked back in.
Let's save some real money. Â GTFO of Iraq and ungrateful Afghanistan. Â Stop the foriegn aid to countries that hate us. Â
2012 foriegn aid (not including military)
Egypt $1,557,000,000
Iraq $1,683,000,000
Pakistan $2,102,000,000
Afghanistan $2,327,000,000
And why the hell are we giving Isreal 3 billion a year when we are at a 9% budget deficit and they're only at a 3%?
@trololol*standing ovation*
To me, it has zero to do with grateful/ungrateful. Charity begins at home. When we can take care of our own country, citizens, soldiers, students and families... THEN we can start looking at giving foreign countries aid.Â
When we find out that one of those foreign countries has been complicit in in harboring known international fugitives and attacks on US military convoys.... yeah, I'm thinking that the purse strings might just snap shut at that point. I can't help but wonder how many GI bill soldiers we could send to college on 2.1 billion dollars?
@trololol You don't think Israel needs our help considering all the Muslim countries that hate them? Israel just wants to live peacefully but can't do so because of the hatred of the surrounding countries. Israel and South Korea are two countries I can understand giving them help.
Israel just wants to live peacefully? Are you MF-ing kidding me?  They have 50% of the blame in the conflict with the Palestinians.   Â
@oh4FS You don't think so? You don't think that Israel wants the Muslim countries that attack them to leave them be? I think Israel is acting in self defense.Â
@scoreboard @trololol I think I've read every one of your comments on this story, and the bottom line is that you want to be one of those selected to pick and choose.  Ain't gonna happen.  This is what was demanded, this is what you get.  "Be careful what you wish for......"
@trololol   Hell Yes!
@trololol Stop trying to make sense! Your being completely irrational!