Fleecing America's Soldiers (Hightower report)

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Anyone else hear Jim Hightower's report on Unfiltered this morning? Apparently, the US military is assisting fly-by-night life insurance salesmen in selling bogus life insurance to US soldiers ON US BASES.

From http://www.jimhightower.com/ (first story right now, click on 'Read It'):

(attempt at direct link)
http://www.jimhightower.com/commentary.asp?type=comment

(snip)

...Companies such as American Amicable Life Insurance have weaseled their way to our basic-training bases where they pose as semi-official military agents. Then gather boot-camp grunts into so-called classes where the unscrupulous agents proceed to pick the pockets of underpaid soldiers.

The fleecing is presented by the insurance companies and the military as a compulsory "briefing" on personal finances. With superior officers in the room, the agents talk of "investments" and walk the unsuspecting troops through pages of paperwork, getting them to sign blind authorizations to deduct money from their meager monthly paychecks.

The briefings don't mention that the 19- and 20-year-old soldiers are not really buying investments, but life insurance. Nor is it pointed out that they will pay far more in costly premiums than they'll ever draw out. Also, the insurance is unnecessary, since nearly every soldier is covered by a low-cost military policy that pays 10-times what these private scams do.

It's bad enough that our young men and women are thrust into a war of lies in Iraq, but it's a moral abomination that insurance gougers are allowed to prey on them at home. Yet, not only does the Pentagon turn a blind eye to this sleazy scam, but so does congress – the lobbying front for the companies, the American Council of Life Insurers, has used its campaign donations to get lawmakers to block any effort to stop the corporate thievery.

(more at link)

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Unreal! What can we do about this?

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2. Kick for an outrage (n/t)

:kick:

[AmerDem]

3. WOW, what the hell is happening to this country!

:wtf: :shrug:

[skygazer]

4. How sleazy is that?

Send them off to war, underpay them, extend their enlistment, dont' give them full benefits, leave their family hanging and scam them into buying bogus life insurance policies.

SUPPORT THE MILITARY!!!

[Elidor]

5. The cynicism is off the scale

Our troops are nothing more than prey for the military-industrial complex. Cannon-fodder is only their end-use: first, they're greased and fleeced. It's beyond stunning.

Only in George W. Bush's Amerika. Fucking revolting goddamn shit.

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6. Kick for the afternoon

:kick:

[oneighty]

7. Policy

likely have death-by-war-accident-in-theater-of-war-exemption. And death at any future date that MAYBE/PERHAPS was caused by such exposure is also exempt.

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