An Unholy Alliance Is Forcing Veterans To Pay For 12 Years Of War

Business Insider ^ | 3 Jan 14 | Tony Carr, John Q. Public

[SkyPilot]

Led by Paul Ryan and Patty Murray but abetted by Barack Obama, Congress recently gambled with our nation’s future for an extremely modest short-term gain.

In doing so, it was given aid and comfort by knowledge-starved pundits, axe-grinding editorial boards, and self-anointed armchair analysts everywhere, as it left the military and veteran community standing with their jaws on the ground in despairing disbelief. Exploiting pressure to strike a budget compromise, Ryan and Murray entered into an unholy alliance to reduce veteran pensions – including those already vested under previous covenants – by an average of $84,000 to $120,000.

They obscured this act, as often happens when attempting to mislead, by employing complex-sounding budget doublespeak to minimize the magnitude of the associated moral breach as well as the consequences to veterans and families. In a way, this debacle can be seen as part of our nation’s continual inability to comprehend and bear the costs of being a global superpower with quasi-imperial interests secured by less than one-half of one percent of its population. But the particulars in this case suggest something more disturbing lurking behind the standard wallet-grabbing Congressional milieu: a startling absence of strategic deliberation. When such a deficit impairs elected leaders responsible for national security, potentially grave consequences attend.

Good strategists always ask of any potential course of action two key questions. First, what will this do for us? And second, what will this do to us? Given the dearth of statesmanly impulse at the national level in modern America, it is perhaps unsurprising that in crafting the recent budget, Paul Ryan and Patty Murray asked only the former question, leaving the latter for others to worry about.

The provision at issue retroactively renegotiated the deferred compensation of more than two million military veterans...

[SkyPilot]

"The shorthand employed by Ryan to sell his beloved pension cut envisions healthy, well-adjusted, fattened mercenaries stepping into corporate America to collect millions during the balance of their working years.

How he arrived at this vision boggles the imagination; most retirees struggle to integrate into a new workplace with skills that don’t directly translate while trying to keep pace with competitors roughly half their age. 73% of retirees are noncommissioned officers whose pensions are barely sufficient to keep them above the poverty line. As a rule of thumb, these people are figures of sympathy rather than valid targets of the socialistic “they don’t need it anyway” notion behind Ryan’s sales pitch.....It was a calculated breach of the faith for short-term political advantage. Ryan, Murray, Obama, Hagel, and the rest of those who pushed and supported this knew they were acting immorally, but were willing to accept doing so out of a rational calculation of what it would do for them.

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May God help us. If this injustice cannot be corrected, and quickly, we really don't have a nation that is worth defending any longer.

[Billthedrill]

The woman on the right is Patty Murray. The expression on her face resulted from the instructor at the institution she's in teaching her how to weave baskets. Right over left, Patty. Then left over right. Repeat. No, dear, that hand is your right one. Now let's try again.

The person on the left is Paul Ryan. The expression on his face resulted from straddling a fence that turned out to be an electric one. His pants were already wet.

Thus, our, ah, "leaders". God help America.

[Colonel Kangaroo]

I don’t think governments should lightly break contracted obligations with even municipal workers. But this is not only doubly immoral towards those who bore the burdens of war, it is foolishly injurious to the continued viability of a volunteer military.

[trisham]

This is wrong.

[ConradofMontferrat]

I’ve kinda taken notice how public sector (aka GUBMINT bureaKaRATZ) union THUG pensions ARE NOT EVEN ON THE TABLE.

You know, the Taj Mahal pensions with FREE health care, STEEP COLA INCREASES, and all the other STUFF that a faithful RATZ “DESERVES.”

You know, after their 4 hour days and 22 hour work weeks when they TOILED TIRELESSLY for the poor, pathetic pukes known as TAXPAYERS.

(In their cancerous minds they really do believe that they are the ANSWER to stupid Americans who really don’t “understand” gubmint, and just what the hell is “good” for them.)

Their answer to vets? “HEY, YO, STUPID! NYA, NYA, you did the hard work, now YOU pay for it, you IDIOTS! LOL. AND OH, BTW, KEEP YER DAMN DIRTY, WARMONGERING HANDS OFF OUR ENSHRINED PENSIONS!!”

Bureaucracy and bureauKaRATZ are PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE of the Republic.

Bar NONE.

[madison10]

Paul Ryan is a loser Eddie Munster. To think I used to defend the backstabbing idiot.

[Ciexyz]

My COLA for 2014 is only 1.5 percent for my modest federal pension and for a couple years there, we weren’t getting any COLA. Not eligible for SS because my time was federal and even if I did eventually get my 40 quarters after working some crappy lowpaying job which is all that’s out there for most people, the Government Pension Offset would take 60 percent of it because the government doesn’t want us to double dip. Respectfully, why should I care about military vets - government is saying they’re double dipping.

[RoosterRedux]

We real Americans need to form a "charity" (for lack of a better term) to assist those true Americans who need our help.

We have the money and we care enough to do this.

We can step around the government.

[RoosterRedux]

We true Americans need for form an America within america.

There is nothing to stop us...it is perfectly legal.

[vpintheak]

It is immoral and dispicable to ask us Veterans to take a cut, while ever expanding the welfare state. America is damned should this continue. The tree of liberty needs to be watered soon.

[RFEngineer]

Just asking.....if a pension cut of $120,000 for a single person, what is the actual size of the overall pension?

If it’s 5% that translates into a pension of value of $2.4M per veteran.

If that’s true, doesn’t that seem a bit excessive?

One thing is for sure is we can’t afford to make every federal, military, state, and municipal retiree a millionaire, or do y’all really think you’re worth it?

[TigersEye]

Care of our vets should be the first thing to fund and should never be cut.

[Ranger Warrior]

our military members take an oath, “support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic...” they’re supposed to obey the orders of the President (an 0Bama instituted change to the oath).... it appears that our military folks are supposed to obey the orders of the President and to hell with the constitution... they’re getting a kick in the head from the President and the Congress... loyalty should go BOTH ways...

[chatham]

Perfect time and reason to get rid of McConnell, Boehner, and The clown in texas who wants to attack the Tea Party.

Imagine a Soldier having to protect the “Blowhard In Chief” from the weather. God help Us.

[Jet Jaguar]

Active Duty/Retiree ping.

[narses]

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[blueunicorn6]

The first law introduced in this matter is mandatory attendance at military funerals. It would work like jury duty. One hundred American citizens would be required to attend every military funeral. There would be no excused absences. The Soldier didn’t get an excused absence when he/she died. They would be required to shake the widow’s/mother’s hand. They can look them and the kids in the eye and tell them how the veterans are overpaid.

[Future Snake Eater]

I read this a couple of days ago. Excellent summary of what’s happening here.

[blueunicorn6]

Why, yes.....sitting in an air conditioned federal office drinking a latte and discussing Oprah’s latest show is EXACTLY like moving out under fire.