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2010-05-09 Home Front: Politix

Pentagon asking Congress to hold back on generous increases in troop pay

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Posted by gorb 2010-05-09 05:47|| || Front Page|| [1 views ] Top

#1 The Pentagon, not usually known for its frugality, is pleading with Congress to stop spending so much money on the troops.

Through nine years of war, service members have seen a healthy rise in pay and benefits, with most of them now better compensated than workers in the private sector with similar experience and education levels.

Watch what is classified as 'base pay'. That is what the service members receive and what retirement is calculated from. All the add on's are generally altered year to year, some go up and some just go away.

Under current scales, an average sergeant in the Army with four years of service and one dependent would receive $52,589 in annual compensation, a figure that includes basic pay, housing and subsistence allowances, as well as tax benefits.

Checking the pay scale for a 4 year Sergeant E-5, he/she would be pulling $2414.40 a month in base pay. Then the creative accounting begins. When the time comes for retirement, it is calculated from base pay, no frills. Even then the 'obligation' is just as frightening in the out years just like Social Security and other programs that reach a point that it all consumes the budget.

It has also rejected attempts by the Pentagon to slow soaring health-care costs -- which Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has said are "eating us alive" -- by raising co-pays or premiums.

Unmentioned in the piece is that military retiree healthcare is part of the DoD budget and Congress has failed for decades to provide adequate funding to cover this known healthcare cost telling DoD to eat it out of their operation budgets. That is what has been consuming an ever greater portion of the bill, it was closing in on nearly half if it. Now the same people want to run all healthcare.

Congress chastised the Pentagon for mismanaging the program, which has since resumed, though defense officials aren't sure how they will pay for it.

Congress just can't resist 'mandating' programs without providing the funding whether it's the states or the military.

This is the beginning of serious cuts and economy drives in the one and only place the Donks always cut and curtail, defense. There are indeed places and ops to cut, but let's pay close attention to the Three Card Monty they play as real cuts won't appear in other areas of government operation.

Posted by Procopius2k 2010-05-09 09:05|| 2010-05-09 09:05|| Front Page Top

#2 Through nine years of war, service members have seen a healthy rise in pay and benefits, with most of them now better compensated than workers in the private sector with similar experience and education levels.

Workers in the private sector. What jobs are comparable in the private sector? Maybe police officers approach the level of risk. I don't have a problem with compensating the military for the risks they take. Many good men and women have paid the ultimate price.

Posted by JohnQC 2010-05-09 14:55|| 2010-05-09 14:55|| Front Page Top

#3 If the benefits are not kept up, you will see our military men and women gravitate from the military to the private sector.

Posted by JohnQC 2010-05-09 14:58|| 2010-05-09 14:58|| Front Page Top

#4 JohnQC---if there is any private sector left after Congress and the Press finish laying waste to it.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2010-05-09 16:32|| 2010-05-09 16:32|| Front Page Top

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