Paul Ryan’s military pay gambit backfires

Politico ^ | 12 Feb 14 | Juana Summers

[SkyPilot]

Under December’s budget deal, working-age military retirees — some of whom retire with pensions in their 40s after 20 years of service — would see those pensions grow at a slower pace. Their annual cost-of-living adjustments would be pegged to the rate of inflation minus 1 percentage point. But once they turned 62, they’d go back to receiving cost-of-living adjustments pegged to the full rate of inflation.

The provision wouldn’t kick in until late next year, a delay Ryan says was designed to allow the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to consider alternative proposals for reining in the military’s personnel costs. In other words, it was meant to force the committees to confront the toxic issue after years of dragging their feet. But the backlash could make it even more difficult to deal with growing personnel costs, which Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has said threaten to crowd out spending on other priorities.

Pentagon officials had declined to offer full-throated support for the pension proposal in the budget deal, urging Congress to grandfather current service members and veterans so that only future recruits would be affected. The bill approved Wednesday does just that.

From an economic and national security perspective, “it makes sense” to cut benefits for service members, said Lawrence Korb, a senior fellow at the liberal Center for American Progress. From a political perspective, “it doesn’t.”

“Other than Paul Ryan, nobody has stepped up to make that case,” he said.

The charged issue sparked strong emotional reactions on both sides, with advocacy groups for service members accusing lawmakers of breaking faith with those in uniform. Leading the charge is the Military Officers Association of America, the nation’s largest association of military officers.

[SkyPilot]

You are correct on all counts.

Yes, the military and veterans will continue to be under attack. We should be under no illusions. The takers who never lifted a finger for this nation only continue to grow. Those who sacrificed are target for cuts because many politicians want to give even more to the takers because they mean more votes.

I watched the testimony of General (ret) Gordon Sullivan when he was before the Senate Armed Services Committee two weeks ago.

One statement from him made a powerful impact on the Senators present:

"We need to deal with this now....we don't need soldiers sitting around a stove in Afghanistan in the middle of the night will not be talking about this issue."

You could literally see the ominous looks the Senators and their staffers gave each other when he said that.

Here is what happened: Paul Ryan conspired with Chuck Hagel to ram this through right before Christmas. Hagel was more than happy to sell the necks of his own retirees and currently serving men and women in exchange for more money, and Ryan thought that if he could cut military COLAs, maybe, just maybe.....he could point to that and argue that the entitlements that are really bankrupting this nation could be cut. It stupid move. Ryan, no doubt, thinks he was courageous and virtuous by this tactic. I would like God to show him what it must have been like to have been the wife a deployed military man, a few days before Christmas, who put on a brave face for her children as she told them Daddy loves them and wishes he was home, while knowing Congress had just cut their retirement by 20%.

Hell, there are folks right here on FR who believe a veteran “retiring” is still of “working age” (define that please you losers) and thus, shouldn’t collect a dime until “retirement age” [another nebulous definition that can be unilaterally and arbitrarily changed by the USG at any time]. Oh, and they’re shiftless and lazy, staying at home after “retirement” and “forcing” their spouses to go to work.

Yup - I have heard all of those before. Funny, we don't see the media attacking "working age" welfare mothers, "working age" illegals, or "working age" unemployment benefit recipients.

The 17% of our military who manage, through God's help, to make it to 20 years or more, alive, with a minimum of a broken body, a broken marriage, and without nightmares are few.

When American times were good and fat, nobody busted down the doors of the recruiting station.

If anyone earned their money and benefits, it is the military. Period.

[SkyPilot]

Paul Ryan is up for re-election in November, and Veteran groups should be uniting to ensure he’s eliminated in the Primaries.

You are the third person today to tell me that.

Three weeks ago, Boehner was asked by reporters, in a hallway, if he supported the pension cut repeal. He reportedly said "Hell no!" and spoke about not undercutting Ryan. I looked for the Washington Post blurb about it a few minutes later, and I got a dead link - they pulled it.

[SkyPilot]

Amen.

[LibLieSlayer]

What has happened to that jerk? I do not remember him always being such an arse but he is giving mcnasty a run for his money.

[LibLieSlayer]

Amen brother!

[xzins]

Great news. Thanks for the pings and the leadership on the issue.

We still need to dump Ryan.

[SkyPilot]

And irony of all-it will backfire on Ryan, while Hussein will be quick to take credit for restoring it.

True, but I wonder if Hussein will make any show of it. His "base" of Takers will be ticked. They haven't "got theirs" yet in their minds, so a press conference showing Barry taking credit might not happen. Moreover, Hussein made a show of thanking a wounded veteran during the State of the Union message, and all the other politicians stood up and applauded, the only bipartisan standing ovation of the night. Obama has said NOTHING about the sell out of our military since Ryan-Murray betrayed them a few days before Christmas. Veterans groups pleaded with him to either veto the budget agreement or to fight for repeal on their behalf. Hussein refused.

He could come out and try to take credit at the Bill Signing, but no one will be fooled, and the Low Information Voters never cared to begin with.

[LibLieSlayer]

That picture says it all.

[US Navy Vet]

And you father EARNED EVERY LAST G*D DAMNED DIME OF IT!

[hadaclueonce]

just a thought, we have not done very well after electing left handed Presidents.

Is this a trend?

[SkyPilot]

Chaplain,

Maybe you could lead this thread in a prayer of Thanksgiving to the Almighty for us. I have no doubt that His hand was upon this, and that the prayers of many, many military and their families went before the throne of God.

Once, I heard a sermon about ingratitude before God, and how horrible a thing that is. He preached on Luke 17: 11-19.

11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[b] met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us!’ 14 When he saw them, he said, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?’ 19 Then he said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’

It is important that we thank God.

Any verse or prayer you could give on behalf of all military families tonight would be greatly appreciated.

[VRWC For Truth]

The stoopid party needs to quit thinking and start acting. Useless as mams on a bull.

[SkyPilot]

Lol. I am ambidextrous myself - it drives people crazy.

[beandog]

IF YOU SAY SO. As I said, I wasn’t commenting on whether he “deserved” it, just on retiring at a “working age”.

I dislike my father intensely, and that he deserves.

[Norseman]

The graph of personnel costs showing 1/3 of military spending goes to personnel costs and benefits doesn’t really indicate whether or not there’s a problem with benefits out of control. Clearly health costs are a much higher percentage than they used to be, but retirement benefits are apparently wrapped up in the personnel costs figure.

So we can’t tell whether retirement costs are growing as fast, for example, as health care costs. In other words, the graph doesn’t say anything about total benefits vs. total active duty military pay.

The military was bearing half the cost of the sequester. By making a very modest adjustment to the COLA Ryan was able to restore some military funding for troops still on duty. That has to count for something.

And yes, the cut was hitting retirees who were still working age, most of whom probably actually do get jobs upon retirement somewhere around age 40. The disabled were exempt, and the full pay as though no COLA cut had ever occurred was restored at age 65.

Ryan obviously stepped on a land mine in taking this on, but it’s his and the military’s opinion that personnel costs, particularly benefits need to be brought under control. That an extremely modest proposal like this is untenable politically indicates that if benefits are out of control they will remain out of control for the foreseeable future.

[11th_VA]

I think the Rats knew all along this wouldn’t fly, so they went along with it. Now it needs to be funded and the Rats won’t support any cuts to pay for it. Effectively, they got the Pubbies to raise the debt.

[CdMGuy]

One of the things I would like to “quickly forget” is Paul Ryan. He was a bust when it came to debating the Idiot Biden, and he has been a total disappointment since then as he has turned into Boehner’s butt boy. Boehner, Cantor, Ryan are three Congressmen who need to be shown the back door.

[tinamina]

Paul Ryan is dead to me. He came up with the military pension cuts, collaborated with Patty Murray of all people, and now he can’t do anything to restore his reputation in my eyes.

[Jet Jaguar]

Active Duty/Retiree ping.

[GeronL]

It doesn’t take much to get the GOPers to spend more