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RE: Tea Party candidate taken behind the woodshed by an old man asking a simple question
June 24, 2014 at 8:28 pm
(June 24, 2014 at 8:14 pm)Rhythm Wrote: (June 24, 2014 at 7:41 pm)Heywood Wrote: A lot of military spending is not on actual tanks, bombs, and guns but on people costs. Meh, I had to wait 6 weeks in theater to get a kevlar vest (by which time I'd actually bought one from local arms dealers), because my unit was still using cold war flak jackets in 2001. Agreed though, plenty is whittled away without anyone producing a piece of hardware- and it's this whittling that could be cut.
Quote:Medical benefits, retiree benefits, wages(we pay our soldiers very well compared to other countries). Contractors are required to pay their employees a prevailing wage. If a new building is built on a base, the construction workers get paid government prevailing wage....but on the budget it shows as a capital purchase...not an expense on personnel. In many ways the DOD is being utilized as wealth transfer vehicle....a social program.
Indeed. All but the soldiers getting paid well bit, just because other countries treat soldiers like slaves doesn't mean that our system of borderline indentured servitude is somehow decent or a pro of the system as it currently is. When I was an E1 I made 900 bucks a month (this is infantry pay, trigger puller pay, bullet sponge pay), you could call a room and board perks - but that isn't exactly adding a whopping sum to the pay. Especially considering that the room was a portion of a c hut shorter than I am long, and the board was largely cornflakes and hotdogs (love you mama Brown!). Pay has been increased a few times since then, but could it have actually gone down? I doubt it. I was making more money flipping burgers. Getting more consistent strange too.
If it's any condolence, I made only a little more than that as an E5, in the neighborhood of 1100/month. As an E1 I made a whopping 640/month.
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RE: Tea Party candidate taken behind the woodshed by an old man asking a simple question
June 24, 2014 at 8:30 pm
-Row, row row you bastards!
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Tea Party candidate taken behind the woodshed by an old man asking a simple question
June 24, 2014 at 8:33 pm
(June 24, 2014 at 8:27 pm)Rhythm Wrote: 4 in the infantry and you're probably an E5 (or fast tracking to it), granted, the gap between the new recruit and the E5 is a large one, but I could (and then did) make more money driving a garbage truck than commanding a team of soldiers. E6 seems to be about the point where it normalizes with the sort of job a person capable of being an NCO could get -anywhere-. The military is most definitely not a -good gig- either. It's something you stick with because you want to, not because it;s likely to be your best option. Know whwre all my buddies went? Private contractors ASAP, better pay, better food, better perks.
Contracts which are paid for by the DOD. People who were for Obama's stimulus packages should also be for a huge DOD budget.
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RE: Tea Party candidate taken behind the woodshed by an old man asking a simple question
June 24, 2014 at 8:34 pm
(This post was last modified: June 24, 2014 at 8:35 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
Why? Perhaps they see the value in domestic stimulus but not in squandering dod spending on things -other than kevlar vests, whatever flavor of pork that may entail-...apparently-?
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Tea Party candidate taken behind the woodshed by an old man asking a simple question
June 24, 2014 at 8:42 pm
Do we really want to address the other "perks" while we're at it..like, oh, idk, healthcare? They don;'t seem to be delivering on that at present do they? My va app is still "processing". I think I saw it on cnn, in one of those stacks of paper littered everywhere.......
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Tea Party candidate taken behind the woodshed by an old man asking a simple question
June 24, 2014 at 8:51 pm
(June 24, 2014 at 8:42 pm)Rhythm Wrote: Do we really want to address the other "perks" while we're at it..like, oh, idk, healthcare? They don;'t seem to be delivering on that at present do they? My va app is still "processing". I think I saw it on cnn, in one of those stacks of paper littered everywhere.......
VA healthcare doesn't fall under the DOD.
But the latest scandal gives me pause to consider whether or not our government can provide its citizens with adequate health care.
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RE: Tea Party candidate taken behind the woodshed by an old man asking a simple question
June 24, 2014 at 8:55 pm
(This post was last modified: June 24, 2014 at 8:57 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
Isn't that convenient for them, eh? Nevertheless the va exists in part to facilitate a payment in kind for services rendered. A "good gig" does not promise you payment and then withhold it. McDonalds seems to be able to handle it's payroll, but the DOD and all the things on their periphery seem to feel no such compulsion. I suppose at the very bottom of it, this is why it strikes me as ludicrous to even discuss continuing current funding - they're already welshing on joes - and squandering plenty else on what we'll agree to call wealth redistribution schemes.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Tea Party candidate taken behind the woodshed by an old man asking a simple question
June 24, 2014 at 9:00 pm
Quote:Seigniorage comes from stability not from waging wars.
I don't know, Woodie. We always seem to be fucking with somebody.
The problem with having all those shiny new toys is that the generals always want to take them out and play with them.
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RE: Tea Party candidate taken behind the woodshed by an old man asking a simple question
June 24, 2014 at 9:45 pm
(June 24, 2014 at 9:00 pm)Minimalist Wrote: Quote:Seigniorage comes from stability not from waging wars.
I don't know, Woodie. We always seem to be fucking with somebody.
The problem with having all those shiny new toys is that the generals always want to take them out and play with them.
Its not the generals.....its the politicians.
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RE: Tea Party candidate taken behind the woodshed by an old man asking a simple question
June 24, 2014 at 10:00 pm
(June 24, 2014 at 8:23 pm)Heywood Wrote: the military is not a bad gig.
Did you serve, Heywood? I'd hardly describe it as "not a bad gig". In fact, I'd describe it as a "bad gig". While I have doubts about your comparison with college graduates - being both a veteran, and someone who went to college, I can note a striking difference: the average college graduate does not face enemy fire.
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