Time to cut benefits for veterans? Washington Post writer says yes

[Seawytch]

I stopped using the Commissary (stateside) when I was at Fort Knox a LONG time ago - 1973?

Just didn't seem to save much money. It was close by, to be sure, but off post stores seemed more appealing.

Yeah? You should try it now. I save at least three to four hundred bucks a month just by shopping at the commissary. I went to buy a couple of chicken breasts at Safeway...sticker shock!

 

[Seawytch]

Guess what kiddies? It's the Pentagon that's is telling everyone that the benefits for military members are unsustainable.

Cutting Retiree Benefits A Sore Subject For Military

 

[Seawytch]

I?m an Army veteran, and my benefits are too generous - The Washington Post

This article is by a former Army Lt Col who says military benefits are far too generous. His arguments:

He says that half the military never deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, and of those that did, a huge chunk never saw combat and/or aren't combat troops. In HIS words...he says being a police officer in the US is more dangerous than most military occupations.

He says a person can join at 18, and retire at 38, with a decent check and benefits for life. Even if you never left US soil.

And I thought blacks on welfare in the ghettoes was the ultimate welfare class in America, duh.

You are not implying the military's PROMISED and contractual benefits in return for their promising to give their lives for this country is welfare, are you?

Cops, firefighters, street cleaners, fucking janitors at the Hall of Justice were all promised their benefits too. Nobody has a problem taking away their contractual benefits.

 

[oldunclemark]

Makers and takers. Sounds like Paul Ryan wrote it..
Once you come back from the war, you are a taker, soldier..so watch FOX and stop whining..

According to the 'new' GOP, the vast majority of Americans are not worth benefits that 'we' cant 'afford'........vets are the 'new Mexicans'..thank you for your service but go home and shift for yourself;
Some American are just expendable, I guess.

I?m an Army veteran, and my benefits are too generous - The Washington Post

This article is by a former Army Lt Col who says military benefits are far too generous. His arguments:

He says that half the military never deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, and of those that did, a huge chunk never saw combat and/or aren't combat troops. In HIS words...he says being a police officer in the US is more dangerous than most military occupations.

He says a person can join at 18, and retire at 38, with a decent check and benefits for life. Even if you never left US soil.


Anyway, you can read the whole article for what it is. And the right wing Washington Post gladly put this piece out there. I had breakfast at my usual spot this morning (the old Alex's on Coleman Blvd in Charleston, where GOP candidates like Gingrich, Graham, Sanford, Santorum, and Perry all make a point to stop at as a local iconic spot)......and the conservative Post and Courier ran this op-ed today.

And they folks at the breakfast bar were all talking about it. Mostly a conservative crowd. And...sadly, they were saying "Well, he's right, we cant afford this anymore".


Military folks....I told you. I told you 3 years ago that it was a matter of time before the right wing would take its fiscal anger and turn it towards you guys. And...slowly but surely...here it comes.

 

[RandallFlagg]

It is easy for an O-5 to say retirement pay is too high.

I have heard the idea batted around to convert the military pension plan to be more like a 401k plan. What the tards who came up with that idea didn't think of is why would anyone join the military for shitty pay and shitty working conditions with long deployments away from home only to end up with a pension they could get in the civilian world, except with a smaller payout since they get paid for shit?

No one would enlist, especially now that a lot of the great training and experience you used to get is now all done by defense contractors.

Because you don't do it for the money; You do it because you love to serve.

Ok, just kidding. But that's the line being force fed down the throats of police who are seeing benefits, pay, pension cut, and the right wingers who support it. So, who wants shitty hours, working in bad environments where you may get shot, stabbed or stuck with an HIV-heroin syringe, be hated by pretty much everyone, for low pay, mediocre benefits and no real career advancement or skills that you can use outside of this career.......

So yeah. The police world never thought the Republican Party..especially locals...would turn against them. And it happened.

It is only a matter of time before it turns against the military too.

Just like how right wingers say they are pro law enforcement, they mean the verb, of arresting people. They aren't pro-police officers, as in the warm bodies who actually do the enforcement. Screw them and their pay and pension, but lock up them illegal aliens and drug addicts (but not renegade ranchers)

Well, they LOVE the military...or, the mission of the military. But do they love the female from inner city Atlanta who joined the Navy or Army to work as a support role in an office or something very non-combat, who sees an 18-38 year long career where she can retire and get pay and benefits for life afterwards? Well....the right wing is NOW starting to dig into it, and they don't like it.

Well, time for congress members and the president to do it for the love of serving and not for the benefits and money.

For NCOs in the military, life is tough. Many qualify for food stamps because the pay is low. And retirement pay is about half the base pay. Some retire and get about the same amount that people on social security receive. It's not a huge chunk of money and not enough to live on.

Congress needs to cut their perks, high pay and retirement benefits before touching any of the military people. And they can sign up for the same health insurance that the rest have. If they are serious about saving money, they should prove it by giving up what they haven't earned. Not a damn one of them can justify the money spent on them.

Indeed. When I came home from Viet Nam, I was a SSG. I could BARELY make ends meet. When I was offered a change in MOS - which required WO School, I was thrilled. It was much easier making a decent life for myself and my family as a Warrant Officer. Retirement? You are correct. Roughly half my base pay.