Posted on 1/11/2014 8:03:49 PM by SkyPilot
That is a tough charge, not made lightly. The Secretary of Defense is stealing earned but deferred income from his soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. It is especially troubling because Hagel is a former Vietnam combat soldier and noncommissioned officer. He served in the infantry with valor and gallantry. He just stole $6 billion from his retiring or retired soldiers.
No need to detail here the massive debt the nation has created and much of that from fighting mostly unfunded wars. No need to repeat the abundant and perpetual instances of fraud, waste, and abuse in the federal budgets and especially including the Pentagon and defense budgets. No argument either that massive spending reform is needed throughout the federal government. All that is compounded by an Administration and Congress that lacks fiduciary competence, moral courage, and a determination to do what is best for the nation rather than for political party and agenda or congressional duchy. If only they emulated the fidelity provided by the nation’s soldiers. Alas, no. The Congress, stupefied as they are, collectively and individually, recently passed the Bipartisan Budget Act which the President signed. To avoid another government shutdown the law’s architects, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), ended long-term unemployment benefits in exchange for a pension reduction for military retirees under age 62, including 100,000 retired for disability. It is widely reported that Rep. Ryan says that the Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel volunteered and proposed the pension reduction; Hagel stepped forward with the idea. The idea did not originate in the Congressional committee. Hagel sacrificed the retirees to ease defense spending cuts involving, programs, material, and consultants all raging out of control and mostly unaudited. It is an idea long recommended by the Defense Business Board and other beltway consulting firms including retired senior officers (most over age 62). The proposal if not endorsed, was certainly not publicly objected to, by senior Pentagon generals including the Joints Chiefs of Staff. Rather, this is the first and long waited opportunity to convert military pensions into federal employ pensions. (The December 2013 Bipartisan Budget Act is explained here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/26/us-usa-obama-idUSBRE9BP0HK20131226
http://www.military.com/benefits/2013/12/26/hagel-ryan-defend-retiree-cola-caps.html
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nathan Christensen, a Pentagon Defense Department spokesman says an Army private with fewer than two years of service and no dependents earns on average about $40,400 annually, What? 2014 Pay Table, Army Private 2, $1,717 a month X 12 = $20,604 year. Army PFC, $1,805 month X 12 = $21,660; SP4 $2,000 X 12 = $24,000. These soldiers without dependents live in barracks and eat in a DFAC. No wonder the SECDEF thinks the military are paid too much. Pentagon staff are ripe with officer incompetence who cannot do 5th grade math. This article with its misinformation is being repeated in civilian newspapers and news broadcasts across the nation without correction.
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/12/23/fight-over-military-pension-cuts-to-continue.html?ESRC=army-a.nl#disqus_thread
Hagel, Ryan, and Murray now attempt to weasel out of the public outrage over this idiocy by agreeing it was a mistake not to have shielded more than 100,000 service members retired on medical disability from the pension cuts. Message to Hagel, Ryan, Murray, and the rest of the numbnuts (worthless or neutered) in Congress. It is a gross mistake to steal from retired and retiring military regardless of age, disability, or rank or grade their long and hard-earned deferred income.
If you want to do this to military members not yet on active duty, then do it. However, those now on active duty entered military service under a contract at enlistment or commissioning that clearly explains retirement obligations by both parties – the soldier and the government. The soldiers met their obligation. Congress fails. Below are Congressional Budget Office examples of the money stolen from members of the Armed Forces by their Commander in Chief, the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the United States Congress: An E-6 who retires at age 32, after 12 years of service, due to injury or illness would lose more than $45,000 in retired pay by age 62 if inflation were to average three percent. An O-3 officer medically retired at 34 after 12 years would lose more than $63,000 in retired pay by age 62. An enlisted member in pay grade E-7 retirees at age 40 with an annual pension of $23,000, would lose $83,000 off the total value of E-7 retired pay. An officer who retirees as an O-5 at age 42, with a pension of $43,000, will lose more than $124,000 by age 62 How does the government have the audacity and heartlessness to do this after so many of these soldiers served for so long with so much loyalty, sacrifice, valor, and gallantry, on multiple combat tours, often wounded and sick, with incalculable casualty to families. If the government thinks these payments excessive, then change the inducements before the war not afterward. This theft of earned albeit deferred compensation demands restitution for ALL retired military and immediately. It doesn’t help that the same nest of elected and appointed bureaucrats were responsible for the screw-up involving death benefits for families of military killed in action a few months ago when the government was dysfunctional. If some readers object to Watchdogs sarcasm, disrespect, and hyperbole, kindly understand that it is mild compared to comments posted on http://www.military.com and in American Legion, VFW, all ranks clubs, mess halls and mess decks about this betrayal. It is also a public outrage.
