Support the Troops (Not)!

From the NY Times:

As many as 61,000 military widows whose husbands died of causes relating to
their military service lose out on thousands of dollars a year in survivor
benefits because of a law that dates from the 1970’s.Widows and retirees have
spent decades trying to persuade Congress to change the law, which hits hardest
at the widows of lower-ranking service members and is referred to by many
critics as the “widow’s tax.’’

The Senate passed such a change last year and again this year as part of the military authorization bill. But House Republican leaders oppose the change because of its steep price tag, nearly $9 billion over 10 years, Senate legislative aides from both parties say.

Let's see if I have this straight: repealing the Estate Tax, which will cost $670 billion, is OK, but extending death benefits to survivors of soldiers killed while in the service, at a cost of $9 billion, is too expensive. Geez. If we don't change Congress this election cycle we're doomed.