Posted on 11/18/2013 11:00:22 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
The military cuts that need to be made are to whittle down the number of Generals and Admirals we have as well as the bloated staff that supports them.
Not sure what your point is.
I was contradicting the claim that veterans are raking in disability pay in addition to retirement pay.
$20,000 in retirement pay changes to $18,000 in retirement pay plus $2,000 in disability if a veteran is awarded $2,000 in disability pay. In other words his compensation remains the same. The only difference is that the $2,000 is not taxable.
Only when disability is 50% or higher (read that legs blown off) does the disability pay get added to retired pay. In that case he would receive $20,000 in retirement pay plus $2,000 in disability pay.
“$20,000 in retirement pay changes to $18,000 in retirement pay plus $2,000 in disability if a veteran is awarded $2,000 in disability pay.”
Yes, you’re entirely right. However, there are other matters that hinge upon service connection.
Not true for all. Anyone with over 50% disability rating gets concurrent receipt.
There is no doubt about it, you are!
"Maybe it’s because I’m an old guy"
I'm an old guy too, old enough to have served 23yrs in the Army and have been retired over 20yrs
"Myself, I believe we should reinstate the draft"
I was in the draft and witnessed the difference between a volunteer professional Army and a drafted Army, I was in the transition, a lot less soldiers die in a professional Army, not just the Army but all military services, I use Army because of familiarity, all services are inclusive in this rant.
"I’m not comfortable with having an army that we pay a lot of money so that we don’t feel guilty about not serving ourselves."
Feel guilty, either one is guilty or not guilty, big difference between facts and feelings. I've yet to know of a soldier who makes a lot of money being a soldier, even a general officer, makes less than three percent (IMO) of what a major corporate CEO makes, with 100+ times the responsibility of a corporate CEO
"How many tours of duty did some of those folks have to do in Iraq and Afghanistan? Five, six, or more?"
The reason for all those deployments is we have a weak and cowardly Commander In Chief, if our military was allowed to fight the way they should, there would have been only one deployment, there would be zero resistance from the enemy now and for a millennium, this war would have been over 10 years ago, with a great deal less Americans killed and wounded.
I remember in the Gulf War when we were told to stand down and had to watch the Iraqi's convoy back to Baghdad with all their equipment and weapons, I said to my commander, Sir you know what this means? It means we will be back... and so it was. Bush was afraid because we had beaten them so bad already the rest of the world would hate us if we continued, guess what, the world hated us anyway, had we finished the job at that point, the world may have hated us but we would have had respect, which we experience very little of today.
"You can’t pay people enough for putting their lives on the line."
This I can absolutely agree with.
There is so much more wrong with your rant, I only highlighted some of the most grievous.
I am of the same mind as President Reagan, that as a nation we cannot spend too much on our warriors and military defense, fraud, waste and abuse excluded.
Which is exactly what I said in #23 if you read it.
It’s not what you said in #19, so I clarified.
Also, it doesn’t take much to reach 50%. Sleep apnea alone will do that.
Shame on those who don't know or care what evil Obama and his un-American ilk are doing to our military, our veterans, our service-related disabled....and most of all our military preparedness and morale.
We're not mentioning this proposed cut to our relative as we're painfully aware of his fragile health.
The oceans of dollars being thrown at welfare cheats, fraudsters, illegal aliens and the rest is stunning, but it appears that our veterans, old or disabled (or both) always head the list when Obama is out and about seeking to destroy everything good and moral in our country.
Leni
And that doesn't even begin to address the scores of billions in acknowledged fraud, waste, abuse, and theft being paid out in Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, SSI, SNAP/EBT, etc. etc.?
I guess the easier route for these fat-assed bureaucrats and slimy politicians is simply to squeeze the veterans some more...
“When a military retiree draws disability pay it is deducted dollar for dollar from his retirement pay for almost all disability claims. The only advantage is that those dollars are not taxable.”
I see you didn’t read the article. That used to be the law, but it is not anymore, at least not according to the article. That’s one of the things that they are talking about changing. Under the old law, the percentage of retired military drawing disability was around 30%. It’s gone up drastically since.
“Where did you get the $1800 from?”
It was near the end of the article:
“VA will supplement regular disability compensation for veterans not rated 100-percent disabled if they are deemed “unable to engage in substantial work,” CBO explains. The “Individual Unemployability” (IU) benefit is paid today to 300,000 veterans, boosting monthly incomes by an average of $1,800 a month.”
” I’ve yet to know of a soldier who makes a lot of money being a soldier, even a general officer, makes less than three percent (IMO) of what a major corporate CEO makes, with 100+ times the responsibility of a corporate CEO.”
I suppose you are one of those who feels that the US president should be the most highly paid man in America because he has the most responsibility. And sure, soldiers are not paid like corporate CEO’s, but neither are the rest of us. But they do get some benefits that very few of those in the corporate world get, like being able to retire with a pension after 20 years of service, even if you are still in your 40’s. I see that you put in 23 years, and have been retired for 20 years, so I’m sure you know about that. Pensions have all but disappeared for the non-government employees.
“The reason for all those deployments (in Iraq and Afghanistan) is we have a weak and cowardly Commander In Chief, if our military was allowed to fight the way they should, there would have been only one deployment, there would be zero resistance from the enemy now and for a millennium, this war would have been over 10 years ago, with a great deal less Americans killed and wounded.”
So President Bush1 was weak and cowardly, or was it Bush2 or was it Obama? Or maybe all of them. The fact is that our “volunteer army” had to do multiple tours of duty. The draftees in Vietnam had to do one. It’s easier to send a paid military to war than a military that takes its fighting men from the general population. If you and your loved ones are immune from the carnage, then the level of concern goes way down.
“I am of the same mind as President Reagan, that as a nation we cannot spend too much on our warriors and military defense, fraud, waste and abuse excluded.”
That’s the real issue, isn’t it? What is “fraud, waste, and abuse.” Somehow the US military spends as much as the military budgets of the next fifteen biggest spending nations combined,and are we really that much safer as a result? The times of unlimited funds for the military are over, just like they are over for welfare, medicare, and lot os other things that people would love to spend money on. We’re living in times of limited means.
“You are clueless.”
Yeah, but I’m trying to get smart by hearing what you have to say.
“It should be noted, however, that back when we were trying to stave off a bloodbath and the reduction of the South Vietnamese people under communist slavery, the abolition of the draft made it impossible to assemble a decent crowd for an “anti-war” protest.”
You are right, when somebody else is going to go fight the war, many people don’t get so concerned about the reasons why. I think the threat of having to serve keeps us out of some questionable wars, or at least, tends to shorten them. For a contrast, I don’t remember hearing of massive antiwar rallies during WW2, even though almost everyone male was eligible to be drafted. It was pretty clear why we were fighting.
“For a contrast, I don’t remember hearing of massive antiwar rallies during WW2,”
That was because we were ‘aligned’ with the mother state and the communists that organize the rallies wanted us to fight Hitler.
RE: Calling me a moron hurts. I hope I can someday redeem myself in your eyes.
Not possible. When “conservatives” start advocating for shafting those who put their very lives in harms way to protect our liberty we’ve lost all semblance of sanity.
I went into a public-’ouse to get a pint o’ beer,
The publican ‘e up an’ sez, “We serve no red-coats here.”
The girls be’ind the bar they laughed an’ giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an’ to myself sez I:
O it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, go away”;
But it’s “Thank you, Mister Atkins”, when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it’s “Thank you, Mister Atkins”, when the band begins to play.
I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but ‘adn’t none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-’alls,
But when it comes to fightin’, Lord! they’ll shove me in the stalls!
For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, wait outside”;
But it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide,
The troopship’s on the tide, my boys, the troopship’s on the tide,
O it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide.
Yes, makin’ mock o’ uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an’ they’re starvation cheap;
An’ hustlin’ drunken soldiers when they’re goin’ large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin’ in full kit.
Then it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, ‘ow’s yer soul?”
But it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes” when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes” when the drums begin to roll.
We aren’t no thin red ‘eroes, nor we aren’t no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An’ if sometimes our conduck isn’t all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don’t grow into plaster saints;
While it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, fall be’ind”,
But it’s “Please to walk in front, sir”, when there’s trouble in the wind,
There’s trouble in the wind, my boys, there’s trouble in the wind,
O it’s “Please to walk in front, sir”, when there’s trouble in the wind.
You talk o’ better food for us, an’ schools, an’ fires, an’ all:
We’ll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don’t mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow’s Uniform is not the soldier-man’s disgrace.
For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Chuck him out, the brute!”
But it’s “Saviour of ‘is country” when the guns begin to shoot;
An’ it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ anything you please;
An’ Tommy ain’t a bloomin’ fool — you bet that Tommy sees!
~Rudyard Kipling
Well...that statement reflects some cogent thought!
I'm sure on some other future topics we would be in agreement and I could learn from you, but this topic, not a chance.
THE END (TELOS)!
I love that poem.
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