Feds Renege; Vets Forced to Pay Back Bonuses

24 Oct, 2016 by Dave Blount

Print this article Font size -16+

By now we all know better than to trust government. But it may be even less trustworthy than we knew:

Short of troops to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan a decade ago, the California National Guard enticed thousands of soldiers with bonuses of $15,000 or more to reenlist and go to war.

Now the Pentagon is demanding the money back.

Nearly 10,000 soldiers, many of whom served multiple combat tours, have been ordered to repay large enlistment bonuses — and slapped with interest charges, wage garnishments and tax liens if they refuse — after audits revealed widespread overpayments by the California Guard at the height of the wars last decade.

Investigations have determined that lack of oversight allowed for widespread fraud and mismanagement by California Guard officials under pressure to meet enlistment targets.

The fraud and mismanagement are not the fault of the vets, who made a deal and then put their lives on the line. They risked being crippled in combat; now they are crippled by unjust debt.

Jim Jamitis offers a solution:

These men and women are victims of fraud committed by the government, yet they are being held accountable for making the government whole. That’s insane. Why not cancel a couple of presidential vacations and call it even?

Too many people have been brainwashed into believing that everything is secure and guaranteed so long as Big Government is running it. Nothing could be further from the truth, which is why the role of government should be minimal in any area that can be handled effectively by the private sector. Imagine the boobs demanding repayment of these bonuses having total control of your healthcare.