More Cal Guard Bennies?

I've mentioned before here that I served fifteen years with the National Guard up here- Six years with A Company, 579th Engineers and nine years with the local Military Police Detachment (unit designation changed too many times to mention here).

I enjoyed my time in the Guard and feel safe in saying that those that knew me would tell you I was pretty gung- ho, at least for the first fourteen years or so.

Nonetheless, they're talking now (username humboldt, password blogspot)of giving California Guard members yet more "incentives" to join and serve in the National Guard. I'm not so sure I go along with that.

I think guardsmen get pretty good benefits as it is. Sure, not the same as full time military, but they always have the option of going full time. Heck, now they might well end up on full time duty whether they want to, or not. Once they're federalized, as they were for say, the Los Angeles Riots (as I was) they accrue full time benefits.

I'm not sure we need to go overboard and make Cal Guard members yet another entitlent class. I'll have to admit, though, I did suggest, in my earlier days in the Guard, that maybe they come up with some kind of health insurance program that members could opt in to. I don't have much of a problem with things like that as long as taxpayers aren't subsidizing all of it.