Commissary Sticker Shock
SECDEF Austin
In the Peanut Farmer’s Hollow Military days AWANEd and family pretty much lived on soup, saltines and baby formula. At least the formula was readily available.
Sadly those days may be back. Military members and their families are being hit hard by inflation and supply chain concerns same as everyone else, but junior service personnel are feeling the pain the most.
Inflation is affecting everything from food at commissaries and grocery stores to child care. Basic Allowance for Housing rates often lag behind increased housing costs in local markets. This directly affects readiness and retention.
Some congress critters are asking SECDEF to help.
Lawmakers urge DoD to take action to curb rising commissary prices
By Karen Jowers
Lawmakers are urging Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to take steps to curb rising prices in military commissaries, as military families deal with inflationary grocery costs.
“Families across the country — including those at our military bases — are struggling with the rising costs of basic everyday needs,” said Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, in a May 19 announcement of a letter sent to Austin. He and Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nevada, spearheaded the effort, and the letter was signed by six additional Democratic colleagues.
The lawmakers asked Austin to remove the requirement for commissaries to make a profit.
Removing that requirement would have an “immediate, direct impact for families, lowering their grocery bills and extending their pay as a non-pay compensation benefit, and reducing food insecurity and inflationary effects,” the lawmakers wrote.
These profits are intended to offset tax dollars which are much better spent on Congressional pork. I’m sure Austin will be all over this.
/sarc
Category: "The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves", Big Pentagon, Economy
I bet he will hand out more frozen turkeys.
The Bidden Administration is a frozen turkey.
“Unbidden” would be more like it… 🙄
and no dressing.
Ever notice how the news stories are the same as those from the 70’s.
“Just follow the science!”
I have an idea. Just off the top of my head, let’s give the military the pay raises to offset inflation. But of course, the commissaries and local stores might start price hiking but they could have their profits limited to a fixed percentage over cost.
Point is, no matter how it is accomplished we NEED our military, and having them live hand to mouth with many qualifying for food stamps is just wrong.
I was also serving during both the Nixon and the buck-toothed, peanut chomper Carter time and I remember it well. Carter was by far the worst. Yes, this is like then only it’s going to get worse for our service members if this is not remedied.
See, I wrote all that with no cuss words this time.
But lets take their taxed paychecks and give that money to former students who wish to “pay off” their college loans.
But those POOOOOR little snowflakes who spent their loans getting Degrees in things like Art History, Gender Studies and Lesbian Dance Theory who are unable to find work at anything other than a Starbucks…
I was conflicted, but updooted for this:
Gotta wonder how many groceries could be bought for the Service Member’s Families with the $40 billions that fixin’ to be laundered thru the ‘Kraine? Or the $s pissed away on CRT/Woke/SHARP taining? Need I go on? Here’s a novel idea…pay Kongress Klowne Kritters the same allowance for Rations and Quarters that junior enlisted get.
Be a mute point soon anyhow. Once the Military no longer has Service Members, there won’t be a need for Commissaries.
Here’s another novel idea; don’t start a family until you can support it.
SECDEF and the (D)’s don’t give two shits about the Military….
If you tell them that its anti-racist, woke, and trans-positive to help military families, The SECDEF will be all over that like groomer on a kindergartner.
I realize this will be controversial, but I stand by it:
No soldier is allowed to marry until they reach the rank of corporal (just get rid of specialist, altogether).
No soldier is allowed to live outside the barracks until they reach the rank of corporal.
No soldier is allowed to live off post until they make the rank of staff sergeant.
Officers can be punched in the face, by any grade, for the simple crime of being stupid – but only once per idiocy.
Air Farce and Navy should adopt the sensible enlisted rank structure of the Army. The Marines should get free crayons and otherwise be left to their own devices.
This would reduce strain on the commissary and carry all kinds of other warfighting benefits.
To be accurate, it’s the Biden Fraudulency.
Flailing from one catastrophe to another.
The greatest gift to mankind from God was fossil fuels. The “commiebastard,haters of god” are determined to take them away from Americans. I say HELL NO!
Name edited to protect PII.
AW1
Exactly– equality of our poverty is commies’ idea, while they enjoy $100K “green” EVs.
Primo steak for the ‘lawers’, ‘doctors’ and poly-tick-shuns while WE eat zee bugs?
Yeah. I ain’t.
So fu*kface Austin, and his raytheon diaper, are going to take the profit-motive away from DeCA?
Oh!! SHIT NO!
I fu*king GUARANTEE they’ll run DEEP into the red and continue to do so until stopped. Have you ever seem the a-holes that work those places? I’m sure their probation officers are happy they’ve got jobs, but the shortages that happen when they start ‘losing’ shipments will curl your butthairs.
If you’re relying on them, you’ve been warned.
Finding a photo of American Marines for the story about American enlisted servicemen and women, was, somehow, out of the question?
It’s a photo of Austin masked and face shielded outside in the Philippines.
Austin is wearing his cone backwards.
Yeah, I remember them dayz. Get a Kongressional mandated payraise, think you MIGHT pull ahead just a leetle bit……only to watch the Kommissary/PX raise prices and now you’re just as deep in the hole as before, maybe a leetle bit more so.
Let’s not forget about the generous pay raises Congress critters enjoy every year along with their perks of orifice.
Anything to avoid addressing the real problem is the current strategy of the dumbocrats.
The problem is not whether the commissary makes a profit or not, the problem is food shortages creating rising prices.
Fools and thieves, every one of them in congress.
Your faith that there are only 535 fools and thieves is sweet, and kind of touching. Wait, did you mean all of Congress are fools and thieves? Oh, OK.
PROPOSAL: I intend to put the number 537 on my car, signifying the 435+100+2 bullets we sadly need. Join me.
Austin’s nickname when he was a newly promoted LTC and XO of 1st Bde, 10th Mtn was “Darth Vader”. The picture of him in the Philippines carries on that Star Wars tradition. 😜
COLA is looking at 18% for the year right now. Not sure if it is enough.
“The lawmakers asked Austin to remove the requirement for commissaries to make a profit.”
These nitwits have no clue about how the commissaries work and have worked for decades. The commissary sells its products at cost – you pay what they paid. The commissary then tacks on a 5% surcharge to cover their expenses like payroll for stockers and cashiers. Baggers work for tips only – they are not commissary employees and aren’t paid out of that 5%.
The commissaries used to get much of their food (meat, produce) (maybe still do) from the same sources as the mess halls (dining facilities). The reason bases, including Marine Corps bases (my experience) have Army veterinarians is to inspect the meat for the mess hall and the commissary.
The surcharge has been 5% for at least the last 40 years.
It’s inflation that drives up the price of goods at the commissary and we all know who’s responsible for that – Brandon.
And, if I remember correctly, any profit goes to the MWR fund.
This headline will get prices down, if not result in free food:
“LGBQT Military Families Starving”