“I understand that you don’t think I get it. The problem is that I do get it.”
I understand that you think you get it. Unfortunately the arithmetic is available for all to see.
“Numbers are complicated, some people simply don’t understand. You’re one of them.”
Howls, Bruce. Howls of derisive laughter.
Taking monthly pay, dividing it in half, and multiplying by 12 is not complicated. That gives you the annual payout. Divide one million by that number, and you have the number of years the veteran must live to collect a million dollars.
Not complicated. Not at all.
I would have said “even a moron could do it,” but I now see that I would have been mistaken.
"or someone who enlisted at age 18 and retired as an Army sergeant first class at 38, lifetime retirement pay would decline from $1.734 million to $1.626 million, according to House Budget Committee staff. And that $1.626 million would still be filled out with generous military health coverage" That's the number upon which budgets are based. If the number was your number the cuts would be very deep, indeed. So like it or not, nearly everyone retired from the federal, military, state, and municipal jobs gets a million dollar retirement package. This is paid for by people who are working in the private sector. I'd love to cut every budget by the amount you propose - ignoring future colas and everything else. We might have a chance then, and according to you, military retirees would be happy. As it stands there are your aforementioned howls of derision emanating because of lowered future increases (not even cuts).