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Jan. 19, 2005 The Indianapolis Star reported recently that Senator Evan Bayh, that white-hot Democratic prospect for 2008, was actually on the Hill being a Senator; not a prospect, not a John Kerry, but an actual Senator, doing work a Senator is charged to do. Bayh’s work ethic is nothing to congratulate – we don’t get congratulated for showing up at our jobs, and neither should any member of our government. What made Sen. Bayh worth reporting was the fact that he recently proposed getting rid of the ‘Patriot Penalty.’ Bayh’s plan is noble, ambitious, and all of the things a good piece of legislation ought to be. In the proposal, Bayh requests that some $1 billion be returned to the pockets of the men and women of the armed forces, men and women who often come back from the battleground to find their families behind on house payments and the jobs they left behind to defend our country not waiting for them. Our proud army is built on the backs of volunteers: men and women, young and old, black, white, Hispanic, who have sacrificed their time and risked their lives to ensure that our security is not at risk. The average volunteer soldier earns $46,000 a year to risk his or her life in defense of our nation and to spread the cause of liberty throughout the world. Bayh’s plan is simple: of the $1 billion he requests, $636 million would be given to troops over five years to make up for the difference in pay that comes from switching from civilian jobs to heeding the call of duty. The remainder of that money, roughly $364 million, would go to companies that help to cover the difference in a soldier’s pay during the transition from a job at Staples to protecting the roadways inside the Sunni Triangle. This is exactly the kind of tax rebate that could be successfully turned into a national policy for all sectors: if a company, big of small, helps ease the financial burden a soldier faces, they ought to be rewarded for doing their part. Now the Republican Party, for all of their talk of defending national security, sticking up for the soldiers, giving them everything they need to fight effectively, was not responsible for this action. No, this came from a lifelong Democrat, the son of a Democratic family, Indiana’s own Heartland Hero. For all of the big talk, it took Senator Evan Bayh to turn words into actions and put the soldiers first. While Howard Dean runs for the DNC Chair, while Hillary Clinton tours the nation, Evan Bayh introduces legislation that puts action with his campaign promises. Senator Bayh introduced this proposal with little fanfare, without a major press gathering, without cloaking it in partisanship. True patriotism called, and Bayh was quick to stand and deliver. Bayh looked at Indiana, home to over 5,000 troops involved in the conflict in Iraq; he looked at the families who were struggling to get by on one paycheck, fighting to make ends meet as their husbands, wives, fathers, brothers and sisters fought to stabilize a nation torn by tyranny and insurrection. This is the kind of man that ought to be President of the United States, a man who does not allow his own goals to interfere with doing what must be done. Senator Bayh, in acting as he did to protect the financial security of the troops who protect our national security, transcended any boundary of partisanship and truly became a man of the people, a man of the nation. Now we must look at those who harbor political aspirations: the Chuck Hagels, Hillary Clintons, Bill Frists, and ask them, “Where were you when Evan Bayh gave those military families hope again? Where were you when Evan Bayh stood up and defended the patriots of our military?” We know where Senator Bayh was. ------------ About the author: Max Burns is a 17-year-old Democrat with moderate, centrist ideals. He blames John Kerry's 2004 loss on John Kerry, and is authoring a pamphlet on how to refine the Democratic Party for Victory in 2008 and beyond. For more information, check out The New Democrat. Read the fantasy-fiction novel "Alcardia". Email: DeMBurns@gmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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