Quick Questions and Answers on the War

The Guardian ^ | Sunday March 30, 2003 | Julie Reed- AP

[martin_fierro]

Q. How much does a dandified, irrelevant U.N. Secretary General make per year?

Really -- I want to know.

[ChadGore]

[Cicero]

How much does a New York Times reporter make?

Last I heard, around $75,000 a year, but that was quite a while ago. Plus expenses.

[SamAdams76]

I'm a little skeptical about the first fact. When I was in the Marines 20 years ago, a private made $501 a month. I know that the pay scales have been rising since but the $575 a week (or over $2400 a month) figure seems a bit high. I'll do a web search and come back later...

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

OFFICIAL BUMP(TOPIC)LIST

[SamAdams76]

Well it didn't take long to shoot this down. Here are the latest pay scales from the DOD. I think the Guardian might have made the mistake of assuming the pay was bi-weekly instead of monthly.

Anyway, an E-1 today with less than 2 years makes just $1,064 a month which breaks down to about $245 a week. A 2nd Lt with less than 2 years makes $2,183 a month which breaks down to $503 a week.

Still not enough money, in my opinion.

Out of curiosity, I checked the pay for a full general - the highest on the payscale. He would make $11,874 a month, or $2,740 a week.

[new cruelty]

I am not sure, but perhaps this Q&A is referring to UK troops.

[68skylark]

Thanks for the correction -- I had a strong feeling that the figures in this article weren't right, and you've cleared that up.

Makes you wonder about the quality of their other reporting, doesn't it?

[merrin]

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/un/life/job.html#6

Q. How much is he paid?

A. The Secretary-General's salary, which has not changed since 1997, is set at $227,253. The amount is determined by the General Assembly. By comparison, U.S. President George W. Bush earns $400,000 per year. As the Secretary-General's spokesman Fred Eckhard has commented, "Nobody would do this job for the money." In addition to his annual salary, the Secretary-General also receives a budget for personal entertainment as well as free housing and security protection.

[new cruelty]

then again, if that were the case, they would probably use 'pounds sterling' and not 'dollars'

[68skylark]

I am not sure, but perhaps this Q&A is referring to UK troops.

No, there's no way that UK troops earn two times (or more) the pay of U. S. troops -- not in pounds and not in dollars. The figures in the article are just wrong.

[martin_fierro]

Thanks, guy. I've been wondering that for awhile.

"No one would do this job for the money"? Y'mean, wear tailored suits, attend tea parties and chat in subdued tones all day?

I would!

[jocon307]

"$245 a week"

That is not very much money at all. But do you get housed and fed for free? I imagine you get medical care for free, and how about uniforms? are those provided at no cost?

I've always wondered about these things. Another thing I've wondered about is living on/off the base, also people with families, as opposed to single people, how does this work? In New Jersey you'd be hard pressed to live on $245 a week that's for sure. Any info appreciated.

[Larry Lucido]

You're right. My take home pay during basic training in 1982 was about $440 a month. The hourly pay (assuming an unrealistic 40 hour week) worked out to just barely above the minimum wage back then.

$575 a week would work out to about 2.8 times the current minimum wage (again, based on a 40 hour week).

[supercat]

A. The Secretary-General's salary, which has not changed since 1997, is set at $227,253.

Not counting bribes, I take it?

[meisterbrewer]

There are a LOT of things missing from the amount reported.

First, very few people stay at E-1 for long. Most move up quickly to E-2 and E-3. In fact, when I came in back in 1982, my rating pushed me to E-3 as soon as I graduated boot camp.

Also not mentioned are the asundry other amounts that are tacked on depending on circumstances, like:
BAQ, VHA - live off base, get more money
BAS - have to eat off-base, get more money
Specialy pay - work in a particular rating, get more money
Bonus pay - enlist for more time, get a bonus.

Now, I'm not saying this makes the pay equitable with civilian pay, but it does add a lot.

[SamAdams76]

Yes, you do get housed (barracks) and fed for free. Also your medical and dental care is 100% covered (and it is excellent I might add). So the pay is not quite a low as it seems.

Married servicemen with family are either housed on base or get an additional stipend for off-base living but I do not recommend that for anybody under the rank of E-6. Unless things have changed radically since I was in, the on-base housing for non-staff enlisted is pretty rough - about on par with your average trailer park. And if you live off-base, the extra money you get is still usually not enough to find a decent place to live. Again, I'm talking about enlisted under the rank of E-6.

So for those wanting to join the military and make a career of it, I highly recommend you do not start a family until you have put some rocker stripes on your collar.

As for single men, I must say from experience that the pay is quite adequate if you live on base and take advantage of the free meals. Even when I was making just $501 a month back in 1981. That sure did buy a lot of beer at the E club in those days!

Most single enlisted men who got into financial trouble were those who bought automobiles. Cars take you to a lot of places where you can spend money! That's why I never owned a car when I was in the service.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

47 years ago for me and the other privates, $69.00 a month.