Oh, lookit me. I'm dontating

Alec Baldwin's possibly phony offer to pay for a soldier's education is most likely a grandstand fake; hardly the Biblical "never let the left hand know what the right hand is doing" when it comes to charitable donations. He is doing a show for the bumpkins. All military personnel are entitled to $1,075.00 per month in tuition assistance, more (up to $1,500) if they have been making contributions into the fund each month, a practice that is very common. In addition, most medical care is covered, which means very cheap care for non-service connected illnesses, drugs, and shit like crutches. Now $8K per year probably pays for books and tuition at most state universities, the elite private universities charge 40K per, a figure that a Baldwin grant could certainly cover. But will he? Books and lodging at those places run the fees way way up; the costs probably come to 50K per year, and if Baldwin actually coughs up 200K the offer is fantastic. I'm always suspicious of anything those Hollywood phony balonies do, especially announcing gifts through a press agent so as to get maximum coverage.

And then there are the "but ifs" which mean how good do the grades have to be, can the veteran choose what courses to take (or does he have to major in Marxism), what grades have to be attained, how many hours per week or month is required (twenty hours per is VA), and what are the other requirements, if any. Is room and board included? Suppose the vet is now handicapped and requires other things too?

This could be a very generous offer if all things are considered, it's the all things considered that bothers me. And then there is the usual liberal bullshit like only granting money to certain races or women or whatever. And then don't forget the law suits from Blacks, Hispanics, women, and so on. It is the law suits that are most bothersome, that is why grants such as the one Baldwin is supposedly offering are usually handled by a third party (for a nice fat fee, of course).

Again, if the offer is without strings it is a fantastic one. And BTW, Veterans benefits also go to vocational schools, part time students, and so on.

Whoopsie, late add: Sondrak links to this story that really changes the deal. The offer has been made to ONE soldier, a woman (what else?), who was featured in a New York Times article (look what Nazi Bush has done to this poor innocent girl) and he has offered only to "help pay" for her education. Read the whole thing and puke, or sort of get sick. He is, underneath, a Hollywood poseur of the worst order; a living breathing definition of an actor: "If you ain't talking about him, he ain't listening."