Bad Deeds for 5-22-2007

Proposed Pay Raise for Troops Serving in Iraq, Afghanistan Violates Federal Law – Recently the Bush Administration and Democratically-controlled Congress were at odds over how much to pay US soldiers serving in the most dangerous places in the world: Iraq and Afghanistan. Congress said that the troops should get a raise of 3.5%, while the Administration said any raise higher than 3% was not deserved. Administration officials even bluntly said the White House “strongly opposes” giving the troops that extra 0.5%. Although Democrats have been arguing for the 3.5% raise, what neither they, nor any news organization seems to have thus far noticed, is that the Administration’s meager compensation plan would be, in fact, illegal. Increases in military salary are traditionally determined by increases in average civilian salary, according to a method of measurement called the Employment Cost Index. Regardless of the actual dollar increase in salary, the base pay for service-members must be at least 0.5% above the corresponding civilian pay because of a Defense Authorization Act which Congress passed in 1999. But according to Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers the Bush Administration’s proposed raise of only 3% for active-duty troops in Iraq and Afghanistan is actually less than the average increase in civilian wages from 2006 to 2007 (3.2%), instead of the required 0.5% more than the average civilian wage (which would be equal to 3.7%). In the summer of 2003, the Bush Administration secretly planned pay cuts for soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was not until the plan was made public that the White House was forced to make an embarrassing political flip-flop on the matter, but not before several high-profile Democrats decried their efforts to save money by depriving the troops of their “imminent danger pay.”

Voter Suppression: It’s the New Redistricting – Clink. Clink. Clink. What’s that reverberating in the halls of the Texas statehouse? It’s the ghost of Tom DeLay in leg irons. Ring. Ring. Ring. What’s that? It’s Karl Rove on the line. Once again, public servants are being called to do the national Republican Party’s errands. The task four years ago was redistricting. The task this time is voter suppression.

Bush Driving Without a Seatbelt as National Seatbelt Week Starts

U.S. Government’s $63 Million-a-Year Public Broadcasting Outlet in the Middle East Transmitted Terrorist Messages – Al Hurra television, the U.S. government’s $63 million-a-year effort at public diplomacy broadcasting in the Middle East, is run by executives and officials who cannot speak Arabic, according to a senior official who oversees the program. That might explain why critics say the service has recently been caught broadcasting terrorist messages, including an hour-long tirade on the importance of anti-Jewish violence, among other questionable pieces. More incompetence by Bush appointees.

Should Bush be Impeached?

Former Republican State Senator Arrested for Child Rape, Molestation of Pages – Another one.

Regards,

Jim