Posted on 04/14/2014 9:52:56 AM PDT by Timber Rattler
What started as a hard-charging Marine comment to Congress has turned into a public relations emergency for Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Micheal Barrett.
Speaking to the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel on Wednesday, Barrett was making the case that personnel costs needed to be reined in to maintain readiness as all the services have in recent testimony but went a step further by saying that lower pay would actually improve discipline within the Corps.
I truly believe it will raise discipline, Barrett said. Youll have better spending habits. You wont be so wasteful.
(snip)
Barrett wrote in his open letter to Marines, posted on usmc.mil on Monday, that his comments were miscontrued.
Recent reporting of my testimony may have left you with a mistaken impression that I dont care about your quality of life and that I support lower pay for servicemembers. This is not true, he wrote.
Nobody wants less, Barrett continued. But if we dont slow the growth of our hard-earned generous compensation/benefit entitlements that we have enjoyed over the past decade, we dont have sufficient dollars for what we need investment in our warfighting capabilities and our wonderful Marine and family care programs.
(Excerpt) Read more at stripes.com ...
He should be fighting for it all.
It’s like coming ashore and saying “fight ‘em in the center and on the right, but leave the enemy on the left alone.”
How to keep a volunteer force to protect a Nation. Throw em some combat boots an unloaded rifle and put their families on bread and water!
What an Arrogant Bastard!
In my experience it was not uncommon for senior people to regularly throw the younger folks under the bus.
Take base housing, the younger enlisted who really need it cannot get it. Senior people snap everything up though.
I agree, and let’s be honest with ourselves. Just like the Colonels and various breeds of General when you get that high up in the ranks it’s mostly political at that point.
The Hands on guys are usually limited to E-6 and occasionally E-7.
This guy is digging a deeper hole. He can't be that stupid so he must be spewing this nonsense on purpose. Well he is in a prominent position in the heirarchy of beast.mil. He follows the orders and agenda of the one who pays him.
The money for "what we need" is systemically and routinely skimmed and scraped off though multiple levels of graft and corruption, but hey pal don't look there and fix the nature of the beast, just find more cash in places where the money actually belongs, and start scavaging and cutting under the usual pretext of "saving money".
The DoD's BS about "saving money" or "cutting costs" or "streamlining" is merely a thinly veiled code for diverting those funds into more desirable programs and pockets. Ecowacko money pits, perversion support and tolerance reeducation, "fixing" stuff that isn't broken so there's always a make work project to repair the inevitable damage and dysfunction, things like that. And perpetual uniform changes, can't leave that one out, lol.
bump
All federal civilian employees should have pay and bennies cut 10% - it will instill discipline
“Bouncing checks or failing to pay bills is a different issue.”
—
I worked many years for a public utility and the military were our favorite customers.
They were very couteous and always paid their bills.
..
There is a reason most businesses near bases love doing business with military people. Because they pay their bills. Sure there are problems but they know they’ll get their money.
If I failed to pay my bills or even bounced a check I would face an letter of reprimand at least. One guy I served with had his father bounce a check on a joint account. He got an article 15.
This SMMC is apparently a bonehead who serves with the worst CMC in my lifetime.
Well sport you are wrong. 10 years in the air force.
It is none of their business as long as its legal and he meets his obligations. To use your example it doesn’t matter what they spent the money on, it matters that he’s not taking care of his responsibilities (e.g. his family).
Key distinction there. But if you want to support this turd throwing junior enlisted under the bus go right ahead. I’ve found many officers have been duly trained to think the junior enlisted ranks are worthless. I saw it all the time with pilots.
I also rose to the lofty rank of SP5 during my short Army career.
I was designated a Personnel Management Specialist, so they filled my military mind with such matters.
Since our time, they have done away entirely with Specialist ranks from E5 to E9, with only SP4 remaining.
Thanks for your service.
Never said he didn't.All I was suggesting was that at his pay level perhaps he might have lost sight of the sad fact that all too many of the enlisted ranks of our Armed Forces are already on food stamps.And once reminded of that perhaps he'd understand that *that* might be a drain on morale and a cause of low retention rates.
That statement right there should get him fired and reveals he spoke with his mouth full of crumbs from his “betters” in the Big Zero PC-brigade.
The military are easy prey for the PTB because the beast can and will hold those who "disrespect" it to the letter of their contracts. When the beast wants to cancel its obligations, contracts, and promises however... it does what it wants when it wants. Because it can.
There will come a day when this demonic government will discover that it really *isn't* the highest power and law of the land. It chose... poorly.
So if a member meets his obligations you want to tell him what he can buy?
really? No, you get involved when they DON’t meet their obligations.
So no I’m not incorrect.
Our junior enlisted (especially) are grossly underpaid, and articulating any other message on military pay is a disservice to our military.
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