Don’t Ask Costs America More Than Just Soldiers

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell ranks as one of the most “absurd” American policies, says Representative Gary Ackerman. The New York-based Democrat, highlights the costly side effects of the government’s ill-conceived edict.

Since President Bill Clinton signed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in 1993, which prohibits open homos from serving in the military, more than 11,000 service folk have been sacked simply for their sexuality. Gays may not be able to fight alongside their straight peers, but they can still serve their country. And the country pays the price:

[Booted soldiers] can and often do continue to serve our country as civilian government employees or through government contractors.

How do they qualify to get these jobs, which require high-level security clearances and often pay double the wages received by those in uniform? It’s thanks to the extensive background check and costly training provided by the taxpayer. We get to pay for the security clearance process, pay for the specialized training and then buy – at a 100 percent markup – the services of the very same people who were fired.

Ackerman, who has made it his mission to take on Condi Rice and other anti-gay, hawkish cronies, goes on to urge his fellow Congressional leaders to grab Don’t Ask by the balls and squeeze.