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US Congress revisits military pension cuts amid outcry from veterans' groups
The Guardian and AP ^ | 28 Jan 14 | Staff

Posted on 01/28/2014 3:10:56 PM PST by SkyPilot

Congress is revisiting its decision to cut annual cost-of-living adjustments (Cola) to pensions for most working-age military retirees after talk of the cuts drew outrage from veterans' groups and others.

The budget agreement approved this month reduced those adjustments by 1% annually once a service member retires until that retiree reaches 62.

Lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee, back from a week-long break in their home states, said they were interested in repealing the Cola change scheduled to take effect on 1 December 2015. But Pentagon officials asked them to hold off on making any more changes until a commission completes an extensive review of compensation and retirement benefits. That report is due in February 2015.

Republican senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi said there was broad agreement to act more quickly.

"This is a wrong that should be fixed," Wicker said. "It doesn't make any sense if we're all in agreement on this to wait, unless you want to hold out the possibility that we'll stick with it."

Christine Fox, the acting deputy secretary of defense, said compensation rates were unsustainable and changes needed to be made to ensure military readiness, but the department was never consulted about the Cola cut. She said the Pentagon preferred a more comprehensive review of the retirement system that would exempt current service members and retirees from the changes made. She also said the defense department did not support the Cola cut unless it included such a grandfather clause.

The pension program for military retirees is generally much more generous than those found in the private sector. Most people work at least 40 years for about 20 years of retirement benefits. Military retirees generally work about 20 years for about 40 years of retirement benefits.

(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: cola; military; mississippi; pensions; rogerwicker; veterans
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To: xzins

Amen. Plus, I see all these crocodile tears being shed for “the children” of illegal invaders. Where are the tears for the children of military members? Military kids are uprooted from their schools, homes, friends, and parents. No one sheds a tear for them, and the theft of their parents pensions.


21 posted on 01/28/2014 5:01:50 PM PST by SkyPilot
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To: SkyPilot

I had 4 of those military kids myself.

In fact, my son even wrote and recorded a song about being a military brat:

For the brats (Roll) -

http://theatomicatoms.bandcamp.com/track/for-the-brats-roll


22 posted on 01/28/2014 5:19:03 PM PST by xzins ( Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! Those who truly support our troops pray for victory!)
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To: blueyon; KitJ; T Minus Four; xzins; CMS; The Sailor; ab01; txradioguy; Jet Jaguar; Defender2; ...

Active Duty/Retiree ping.


23 posted on 01/28/2014 5:41:29 PM PST by Jet Jaguar
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To: xzins

That was wonderful!


24 posted on 01/28/2014 5:53:51 PM PST by SkyPilot
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25 posted on 01/28/2014 6:07:43 PM PST by RedMDer (Happy with this, America? Make your voices heard. 2014 is just around the corner. ~ Sarah Palin)
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To: SkyPilot

2014 can’t get here soon enough so We The People can start cleaning the DC sewer of RATs and RINOs.


26 posted on 01/28/2014 7:11:03 PM PST by ExTexasRedhead
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To: DoughtyOne

They and the US Tax payer are out of money thanks to Obama. and it will only get worse.

To tell you the truth I’m not a fan of paying anyone while their of working age so I’m not going to cry over cutting that ‘pension’.

Our primary issue of concern should be demograpics and the on going collapce of western civilization.

Without addressing this problem their won’t be a future to pay these or any other debt, much less carry on the legacy of a Civilization that had discovered the world and opened space.

This is a very enlightening article that lays out all the fact regarding the direr straights of our civilization:

http://selwynduke.typepad.com/selwyndukecom/2009/08/empty-cradles-demographic-destiny-and-the-death-of-the-west.html

We need to be focused upon changing the culture to embracing “large families” again or there won’t be a future for our civilization much less our party or the military to defend either.

If theses people want a pension they need 5 or more kids


27 posted on 01/29/2014 2:16:12 AM PST by Monorprise
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To: xzins
What a one-sided representation of fact. After 20 years, the typical retiree NCO is about an E-7 pulling down 22,000 a year in retirement pay. There is no mention of retention points, that an E-6 would be almost forced to retire, and an E-7 would be next on the forced list.
28 posted on 01/29/2014 3:07:03 AM PST by trebb (Where in the the hell has my country gone?)
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To: SkyPilot

http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20091443,00.html Christine Fox, the acting deputy secretary of defense


29 posted on 01/29/2014 3:14:52 AM PST by dennisw
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To: SkyPilot

You might like the (free) online album, Jukebox Drawl, that includes “For the Brats (Roll)”

https://myspace.com/theatomicatoms/music/songs

They all have other jobs and do only their own stuff, play for love of music and for fun. My son’s a techie type engineer.


30 posted on 01/29/2014 3:51:49 AM PST by xzins ( Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! Those who truly support our troops pray for victory!)
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To: DoughtyOne

If it wasn’t for his lust for power, John Boehner would have switched parties long ago.


31 posted on 01/29/2014 3:53:45 AM PST by Theodore R.
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To: SkyPilot

I know, the American people placed all their compassion with illegals, and there is none left for much anyone else.


32 posted on 01/29/2014 3:54:36 AM PST by Theodore R.
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To: xzins

Very thin! And thank you for your service, as well.


33 posted on 01/29/2014 9:04:54 AM PST by HiJinx (I can see Mexico from my back door.)
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To: SkyPilot
The pension program for military retirees is generally much more generous than those found in the private sector. Most people work at least 40 years for about 20 years of retirement benefits. Military retirees generally work about 20 years for about 40 years of retirement benefits.

Note to Moron Writer: Most non-military people do not risk their lives. The military does it all the time. Your comparison is poorly thought out.

34 posted on 01/29/2014 10:35:35 AM PST by BAW ("If you like your health plan, you can keep your health plan. Period.")
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