YELLOW RIBBONS.

YELLOW RIBBONS. They are a cheap way of supporting the troops. Just stick one on the back of your SUV and feel good. Matters become more complicated when the support must be real, when money must be spent to equip the troops, to pay for them and to take care of the war-wounded. That is the kind of support which that car magnet (made in China) will not cover. The Bush administration argues that a 3 percent wage hike for the military personnel is sufficient. The Democrats propose 3.5 percent. Given the high-risk nature of the job, I would have thought that the conservatives would see their way to funding that extra 0.5 percent. After all, we are a nation at war, as they so often remind us. But it isn't just that half-a-percent the administration grumbles over:

In addition to the pay raise, there are other personnel initiatives in the bill that the White House opposes.

A prohibition on converting medical jobs held by military members into civilian positions drew opposition. "This will eliminate the flexibility of the Secretary of Defense to use civilian medical personnel for jobs away from the battlefield and at the same time use the converted military billets to enhance the strength of operating units," the policy statement says.

A death gratuity for federal civilian employees who die in support of military operations, and new benefits for disabled retirees and the survivors of military retirees also drew complaints.

This includes the transfer of the GI Bill benefits program for reservists from the Department of Defense to the Department of Veterans Affairs, a step that GI Bill supporters said is needed to set the stage for increases in reserve benefits that have been kept low by the military because it views the program as a retention incentive rather than a post-service education program.

Odd. When the numbers willing to serve in the military are falling, a "free market" conservative should insist on making the wages and other benefits of the job more attractive. That would be a concrete way of supporting the troops.

--J. Goodrich