CBO thinks our military are being overpaid!!

[swampwater]

Great response Micheal. Swampy


Everyone needs a reality check now and then....

Subject: Military Pay

This Cindy Williams is NOT the "Laverne & Shirley" Cindy Williams.
She is an Assistant Director for national Security in the Congressional
Budget Office.....

Military Pay

This is an Airman's response to Cindy Williams' editorial piece in
the Washington Times about MILITARY PAY. It should be printed in all
newspapers across America.

Ms. Cindy Williams wrote a piece for the Washington Times, denouncing
the pay raise(s) coming service members' way this year citing that
she stated a 13% wage increase was more than they deserve.

A young airman from Hill AFB responds to her article below. He ought
to get a bonus for this.


"Ms Williams:
I just had the pleasure of reading your column, "Our GIs earn enough"
and I am a bit confused. Frankly, I'm wondering where this vaunted
overpayment is going, because as far as I can tell, it disappears every month
between DFAS (The Defense Finance and Accounting Service) and my bank account.
Checking my latest earnings statement, I see that I make $1,117.80 before taxes
per month. After taxes, I take home $874.20. When I run that through the
calculator, I come up with an annual salary of $13,413.60 before taxes, and $10,490.40
after.

I work in the Air Force Network Control Center where I am part of the
team responsible for a 5,000 host computer network I am involved with
infrastructure segments, specifically with Cisco Systems equipment. A
quick check under jobs For Network Technicians in the Washington , D.C.
area reveals a position in my career field, requiring three years experience with my
job. Amazingly, this job does NOT pay $13,413.60 a year. No, this job is
being offered at $70,000 to $80,000 per annum........... I'm sure you can
draw the obvious conclusions.

Given the tenor of your column, I would assume that you NEVER had the
pleasure of serving your country in her armed forces. Before you take it upon yourself to once more castigate congressional and DOD leadership for attempting to get the families in the
military's lowest pay brackets off of WIC and food stamps, I suggest that you join a
group of deploying soldiers headed for AFGHANISTAN ; I leave the choice of
service branch up to you. Whatever choice you make, though, opt for the SIX month
rotation: it will guarantee you the longest possible time away from your family
and friends, thus giving you full "deployment experience."

As your group prepares to board the plane, make sure to note the
spouses and children who are saying good-bye to their loved ones. Also take
care to note that several families are still unsure of how they'll be able to make
ends meet while the primary breadwinner is gone. Obviously they've been
squandering the "vast" piles of cash the government has been giving them.

Try to deploy over a major holiday; Christmas and Thanksgiving are
perennial favorites. And when you're actually over there, sitting in
a foxhole, shivering against the cold desert night; and the flight sergeant
tells you that there aren't enough people on shift to relieve you for chow, remember
this: trade whatever MRE (meal-ready- to-eat) you manage to get for the
tuna noodle casserole or cheese tortellini, and add Tabasco to everything. This
gives some flavor.

Talk to your loved ones as often as you are permitted; it won't
nearly be long enough or often enough, but take what you can get and be
thankful for it. You may have picked up on the fact that I disagree with most of
the points you present in your opened piece.

But, tomorrow from KABUL, I will defend to the death your right to
say it. You see, I am an American fighting man, a guarantor of your First
Amendment rights and every other right you cherish. On a daily
basis, my brother and sister soldiers worldwide ensure that you and people like
you can thumb your collective nose at us, all on a salary that is nothing
short of pitiful and under conditions that would make most people cringe. .We
hemorrhage our best and brightest into the private sector because we can't offer
the stability and pay of civilian companies.

And you, Ms. Williams, have the gall to say that we make more than we
deserve? You can kiss my royal red a**!!!

A1C Michael Bragg Hill AFB AFNCC

 

[Ollie]

When I was in the navy I qualified for food stamps.
Military pay is a joke.

It is standard practice for the dems to strip military of funding.
that is why when we were attacked on sept. 11 our military was woefully unprepared. Clinton had slashed their training and equipment budgets in his push to balance the nations budget.
Too bad he didn't slash the social spending first.

this is just the latest attempt to undercut our military. If you get squat for pay, the best and brightest are more likely to stay out of the military.

 

[Wolfrun]

When I was in the navy I qualified for food stamps.
Military pay is a joke.

It is standard practice for the dems to strip military of funding.
that is why when we were attacked on sept. 11 our military was woefully unprepared. Clinton had slashed their training and equipment budgets in his push to balance the nations budget.
Too bad he didn't slash the social spending first.

this is just the latest attempt to undercut our military. If you get squat for pay, the best and brightest are more likely to stay out of the military.

You will all laugh but in basic I got 38 dollars and yes the military is damn well underpaid. Our last two Democratic presidents have really crapped on the military.

 

[ruffryder]

It is standard practice for the dems to strip military of funding.
that is why when we were attacked on sept. 11 our military was woefully unprepared. Clinton had slashed their training and equipment budgets in his push to balance the nations budget.
Too bad he didn't slash the social spending first.

this is just the latest attempt to undercut our military. If you get squat for pay, the best and brightest are more likely to stay out of the military.

Maybe they just want more of the money going to the actual soldiers, instead of all the companies getting all the lucrative contracts and wasting money..

The military wastes too much money. Though, the military doesn't spend enough on its soldiers - directly.

Correct though, military pay is a joke. I don't understand it. I also don't understand how, for some positions in the military, after deployment and getting out, you can go right back in as a civilian contractor and make close to 100k, when your pay when you were in the military was only 30k.

That just irritates the hell out of me...

 

[Gainster]

Pentagon paying $400 per gallon to deliver gasoline to Afghanistan
Posted October 18th, 2009 by RonPaulLIVES
$400 per gallon gas to drive debate over cost of war in Afghanistan

The Pentagon pays an average of $400 to put a gallon of fuel into a combat vehicle or aircraft in Afghanistan.

The statistic is likely to play into the escalating debate in Congress over the cost of a war that entered its ninth year last week.

Pentagon officials have told the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee a gallon of fuel costs the military about $400 by the time it arrives in the remote locations in Afghanistan where U.S. troops operate.

“It is a number that we were not aware of and it is worrisome,” Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), the chairman of the House Appropriations Defense panel, said in an interview with The Hill. “When I heard that figure from the Defense Department, we started looking into it.”

The Pentagon comptroller’s office provided the fuel statistic to the committee staff when it was asked for a breakdown of why every 1,000 troops deployed to Afghanistan costs $1 billion. The Obama administration uses this estimate in calculating the cost of sending more troops to Afghanistan.

The Obama administration is engaged in an internal debate over its future strategy in Afghanistan. Part of this debate concerns whether to increase the number of U.S. troops in that country.

The top U.S. general in Afghanistan, Stanley McChrystal, reportedly has requested that about 40,000 additional troops be sent.

Democrats in Congress are divided over whether to send more combat troops to stabilize Afghanistan in the face of waning public support for the war.

Now that burns up the funds to fund our troops

 

[Ollie]

War ain't cheap.
Never has been, never will be.
Surrender costs nothing but your freedom.

 

[Wolfrun]

I sure would rather sped money on the military than see Bo spend billions of stimulus money to pay back all the unions for voting for him. That really scalds me!

 

[FriscoProx]

I think everyone in government should be paid grunt (no disrespect intended) wages including the CBO accountants that came up with this crap. Then shoot at 'em just for the hell of it.

 

[Anylizer]

I vote that congress take a 50% pay cut ....over their lifetime pay, and put it into a pay fund for our soldiers!
If it wasn't for the soldiers, "Congress" wouldn't be able to run roughshawed over the constition like they have. They are the clowns that get paid wwaaayyy too much for what they do!

 

[Ollie]

I think all politicians should have their wages tied to the average wage of the area they represent.
That is to say, if Colorado has an average wage of 50k a year. Then the rep from colorado should only get paid 50k. If the average falls, so does his pay.

 

[Anylizer]

I think all politicians should have their wages tied to the average wage of the area they represent.
That is to say, if Colorado has an average wage of 50k a year. Then the rep from colorado should only get paid 50k. If the average falls, so does his pay.

Hey... now thats a thought!!!! They might actually take care of states rights among other things, to ensure their wage and the security of their state, and pay check. a.

 

[motojunkie101]

Yeah, we sure make a killing. I am a 7 year intelligence analyst and as a Staff Sergeant E-5 my base pay is 2500 bones a month. On top of that, I do get a housing and food allowance. Certain areas are authorized COLA, or cost of living allowance.

I haven't lived anywhere, even when I was single that the housing covered my place and utilities, or that the food allowance covered my groceries. I've always been out of pocket in those areas.

In Hawaii, (especially Maui) this is literally the first time I've had to live paycheck to paycheck, and really watching the budget to make sure we dont over draw our bank account. Yeah I know...complaining about living in Hawaii...but seriously...its not all its cracked up to be.

 

[skibreeze]

I bet she makes more than they do. When I was enlisted, I lived in low income housing off base and had 2 roommates.