A Fighting Chance

“That could happen to anyone”: When asked to turn down government-funded health care for the sake of ideological consistency, Grimm said: “What am I, not supposed to have health care? It’s practicality. I’m not going to become a burden for the state because I don’t have health care, and God forbid I get into an accident and I can’t afford the operation. That can happen to anyone.” Two weeks later, he voted against the ACA. See, for example, Rachel Maddow, “Michael Grimm’s Health Care Problem,” msnbc.com, February 15, 2012.

security clearances they need for promotions and special assignments: According to Article 134 of the Punitive Articles of the UCMJ, willful nonpayment of debt is considered dishonorable conduct (http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/law/mcm.pdf). What’s more, active servicemembers can lose their security clearances if they have significant credit issues, which could result in those members being discharged, taken off assignment, or otherwise ineligible for promotion. According to Lt. Col. James Gregory, debt and late payment has become one of the leading factors in security-clearance terminations because “a person with big debts is more likely to accept money in exchange for revealing secrets.” According to one report, thirty-six thousand active-military members who hold security clearances have sought urgent financial assistance or advice to avoid this scenario. Bill Briggs, “How Big Debt Is Threatening Security Clearances for Thousands of Troops,” NBC News, August 13, 2012. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that financial troubles are the number one reason why servicemembers lose their security clearances. Reuters, “Student Loans: Even Military Worries About Rising Debt,” Christian Science Monitor, October 21, 2012.

payments and finally had to declare bankruptcy: In a 2006 study the Department of Defense found that predatory lenders—harnessing a variety of marketing techniques—specifically targeted military personnel who lacked the ability to repay with high-rate, high-fee loans designed to evade state consumer protection laws. The department recommended the following changes be made with respect to servicemembers: (1) lenders should make “unambiguous and uniform price disclosures” to servicemembers and their families; (2) Congress should impose a federal cap on interest rates to prevent lenders from circumventing state restrictions; (3) lenders should be prohibited from making loans to servicemembers and their families “without due regard for the Service member’s ability to repay”; (4) lenders should not require servicemembers to waive important legal protections via contract; and (5) states should enforce their consumer protection laws fairly and consistently, including with respect to non-resident servicemembers stationed within their borders. See “Report on Predatory Lending Practices Directed at Members of the Armed Forces and Their Dependents,” Department of Defense, August 9, 2006, 4–10. The report details the effects of predatory lending on servicemembers and their families, incorporating specific case studies such as the one involving an air force member whose $400 loan turned into a $3,000 obligation. For this impact assessment, see “Report on Predatory Lending,” 37–44.