The Hollywood Liberal

Zimbabwe runoff must be delayed
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe’s presidential runoff cannot take place in the time allotted by law, the head of the electoral commission said in an interview published Sunday…

Cost of veterans care to rise, despite decline in total number of vets.
The AP reports that despite a decline in total veterans “as soldiers from World War II and Korea die,” the government “expects to be spending $59 billion a year to compensate injured warriors in 25 years, up from today’s $29 billion,” according to internal documents. The VA “concedes the bill could be much higher” as […]

The AP reports that despite a decline in total veterans “as soldiers from World War II and Korea die,” the government “expects to be spending $59 billion a year to compensate injured warriors in 25 years, up from today’s $29 billion,” according to internal documents. The VA “concedes the bill could be much higher” as the Iraq and Afghanistan wars go on:

Inflation accounts for a big chunk of the increase. But even when the VA factors out inflation, the compensation for disabled veterans would still grow from $29 billion to $33 billion in today’s dollars — a more than 10 percent increase. And the department acknowledges the estimate could rise by 30 percent.

Earlier this year, Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz predicted that a “lifetime health-care and counseling for veterans” from Iraq and Afghanistan could in part push the total cost of the wars to $5 trillion to $7 trillion, far higher than current expectations.

Education-Benefits Plan Could Face Math Test
Three months after President Bush raised the idea of allowing U.S. troops to transfer education benefits to relatives, the White House has finally sent a formal proposal to Capitol Hill.

Columbia Errs Again - New York Post