Blog #9 Counter Argument

My argument for my project is that if U.S Government is willing to pay to send veterans to university they should then be able to pay to send everyone to university. Veterans are clearly a favored group in the eyes of the government, while the rest of the population is ignored. I prove this by showing the amount of money being put into educating a veteran against the amount of money being put into educating a regular student.

To add onto my argument I show that veterans are a not like other social groups that are made up in the United States. Anyone from any demographic can join the army and be included in this group of veterans, but other demographics are secluded into their own group which is why there is a reluctance to helping the general population.

My counter argument is simply that veterans aren't any different then anyone of us. The benefits that are included to veterans like the GI Bill, life insurance and housing aid is a benefit to their employment. To become eligible for the GI Bill veterans need to pay a stipend for the first year of their paycheck just to become eligible for GI Bill benefits. On top of receiving aid for various programs, that base pay of U.S soldier serving for more than four years can be calculated as being lower than the federal minimum wage.
On top of being under paid and receiving benefits from their employment, there are still large amounts of problems towards benefits for veterans. Most veterans don't receive their GI Bill tuition on time causing problems between them and their university. GI Bill benefits are also being slashed as the government attempts to cut federal spending.

The two sides of the arguments can clearly be seen as one side argues that veterans are a group that is favored and given the most help, which can be seen through the various benefits that veterans receive. The other side is that veterans are like everyone else, they have their own issues and the benefits that we see is another benefit from their employment.

Vacchi, David. "Considering Student Veterans on the Twenty-first-century College Campus." About Campus, 18 June 2012. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/abc.21075/citedby.

Anderson, Benedict. "Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Revised Edition Paperback – November 17, 2006." Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Revised Edition: Benedict Anderson: 9781844670864: Amazon.com: Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.

http://www.goarmy.com/benefits/money/basic-pay-active-duty-soldiers.html