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LOL They cut military service people's pay, benefits, and housing allowance, but this cut goes back to the military, this whole thing just sounds like redistribution to me.
It only said cuts in "benefits." That's pretty nebulous.
The Department of Defense is pretty much where Detroit was in 1980. The average guy in the military is pulling in close to $100,000 in benefits. Personnel cost are going past 40% of spending. Throw in the VA and you can see the Defense budget is one big welfare machine. Thank god though they have the Tea Party on their side though.
It only said cuts in "benefits." That's pretty nebulous.
Nothing about a pay cut or any allowances.
Check out this article
"The budget would dramatically reduce the Army’s size and trigger a new round of controversial base closures while cutting healthcare copays and deductibles and reducing the subsidies military families get for housing and low-cost goods.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel acknowledged the cuts would be controversial but argued they were unavoidable in a belt-tightening era following the end of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“Congress has taken some important steps in recent years to control the growth in compensation spending, but we must do more,” he said.
Lawmakers, as well as groups that represent veterans and the military, accused the Pentagon of balancing its pocketbook on the backs of soldiers and their families.
“We know the Defense Department must make difficult budget decisions, but these cuts would hit service members, making it harder for them and their families to make ends meet,” said Paul Rieckhoff, the founder and CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).
Coupled with a 1 percent ceiling on pay hikes and assuming a 5 percent annual increase in housing costs, the Military Officers Association of America estimated an Army sergeant with a family of four would see an annual loss of $1,400. An Army captain would lose $2,100, it said.
"The budget would dramatically reduce the Army’s size and trigger a new round of controversial base closures while cutting healthcare copays and deductibles and reducing the subsidies military families get for housing and low-cost goods.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel acknowledged the cuts would be controversial but argued they were unavoidable in a belt-tightening era following the end of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“Congress has taken some important steps in recent years to control the growth in compensation spending, but we must do more,” he said.
Lawmakers, as well as groups that represent veterans and the military, accused the Pentagon of balancing its pocketbook on the backs of soldiers and their families.
“We know the Defense Department must make difficult budget decisions, but these cuts would hit service members, making it harder for them and their families to make ends meet,” said Paul Rieckhoff, the founder and CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).
Coupled with a 1 percent ceiling on pay hikes and assuming a 5 percent annual increase in housing costs, the Military Officers Association of America estimated an Army sergeant with a family of four would see an annual loss of $1,400. An Army captain would lose $2,100, it said.
Everyone in the private sector has seen these types of losses of income except much worse, much much worse. Getting your benefits cut from $100,000 to $97,000 wont cause anyone to leave the military. As an example I know a guy with a good job making $70,000 a year who let his job so he could go back to Afghanistan. Tonight I went over to an Air Force Sgts house which was about twice as nice as mine and was paid for by his base allowance. Somewhere military spending has left reality when people in the service are making more, much more than people who pay the taxes.
"The budget would dramatically reduce the Army’s size and trigger a new round of controversial base closures while cutting healthcare copays and deductibles and reducing the subsidies military families get for housing and low-cost goods.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel acknowledged the cuts would be controversial but argued they were unavoidable in a belt-tightening era following the end of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“Congress has taken some important steps in recent years to control the growth in compensation spending, but we must do more,” he said.
Lawmakers, as well as groups that represent veterans and the military, accused the Pentagon of balancing its pocketbook on the backs of soldiers and their families.
“We know the Defense Department must make difficult budget decisions, but these cuts would hit service members, making it harder for them and their families to make ends meet,” said Paul Rieckhoff, the founder and CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).
Coupled with a 1 percent ceiling on pay hikes and assuming a 5 percent annual increase in housing costs, the Military Officers Association of America estimated an Army sergeant with a family of four would see an annual loss of $1,400. An Army captain would lose $2,100, it said.
Everyone in the private sector has seen these types of losses of income except much worse, much much worse. Getting your benefits cut from $100,000 to $97,000 wont cause anyone to leave the military. As an example I know a guy with a good job making $70,000 a year who let his job so he could go back to Afghanistan. Tonight I went over to an Air Force Sgts house which was about twice as nice as mine and was paid for by his base allowance. Somewhere military spending has left reality when people in the service are making more, much more than people who pay the taxes.
Well, "air force sergeant" covers people with from 4 to thirty years of service, and we don't know squat about you. Being a trained career professional, he might very well rate a house twice as nice as yours, for all we know.
Spending cuts is the only option when tax hikes are not an option. Even after these cuts the US military is still by far the best and most powerful on the planet. From what I read they will invest on special forces and technology as opposed large size.
Yeah, that may be true, but what would happen to recruiting if people know that the military won't have the same perks? We could make the United States force strictly a defensive force, and it would be a formidable one at that, but that's not what the military is now.
Everyone in the private sector has seen these types of losses of income except much worse, much much worse. Getting your benefits cut from $100,000 to $97,000 wont cause anyone to leave the military. As an example I know a guy with a good job making $70,000 a year who let his job so he could go back to Afghanistan. Tonight I went over to an Air Force Sgts house which was about twice as nice as mine and was paid for by his base allowance. Somewhere military spending has left reality when people in the service are making more, much more than people who pay the taxes.
Do I agree with military budget cut? Yes, absolutely. Do I think military personnel are overpaid? I don't know. When My brother was in the Marine corps, (95-01) His pay sucked! He is out of the Marine corps for 12 years now. He is a very successful industrial designer, drives a very nice car, and has several super nice houses.
Marines corps left him with wonderful memories, a bad knee injury and a lot of pride. He is not going to apply for any kind of benefits. He pays his own medical insurance. NOT one cent he makes is from the government. He works hard as a civilian.
However, there are still people automatically assume he gets all the freebies because he is ex military.
Many civilians still believe "served four - five years in military and set for life." This is a myth and should be debunked.
Having said all that, this benefit cut is nothing but income redistribution because all the cut goes back to the military.
Everyone in the private sector has seen these types of losses of income except much worse, much much worse. Getting your benefits cut from $100,000 to $97,000 wont cause anyone to leave the military. As an example I know a guy with a good job making $70,000 a year who let his job so he could go back to Afghanistan. Tonight I went over to an Air Force Sgts house which was about twice as nice as mine and was paid for by his base allowance. Somewhere military spending has left reality when people in the service are making more, much more than people who pay the taxes.
Yea you get Immiment Danger Pay when you are stationed in Afghanistan... still not worth it because... well you are in Afghanistan.
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