Webb: Military pay rising at “disturbing” rate
According to the Stars and Stripes, Senator James Webb, armed services personnel subcommittee chairman, held a hearing on compensation for military members;
Webb opened the hearing by saying the cost of military personnel — including pay, allowances, non-cash benefits like health care and deferred benefits like retirement — “continues to rise at disturbing rates.”
This is the same guy that bulldozed his GI Bill through Congress – the GI Bill that made leaving the military more attractive than staying. The GI Bill that was so big that the VA still hasn’t been able to administer it properly yet after nearly two years to prepare.
Now he’s investigating whether military members are making too much money. Now, I know everyone loves the new GI Bill, and I’m not arguing for it’s repeal. What I’m saying is that it appears to me that Senator Webb is trying to hobble active duty retention using compensation.
It’s funny that Congress is investigating ways to save money through personnel compensation cuts after spending last year porking up the defense bill with systems the military said they didn’t need. I’m just sayin’….
Category: Congress sucks, Military issues
This goes along with the “Freedom Isn’t Free” concept. For all that our military does to put itself in harm’s path, and spill blood (our AND theirs), we need to pay them enough to keep the best and brightest.
That was always one of my bitches while I was in. Hoping that Congress would give us a pay raise. ANd then hoping the DOD/Dept of the Army didn’t f**k it up by reducing some other area of military pay and/or raising prices. Net gain = zero.
Hey! Jimmy boy Webb-foot! If you’re so worried about the budget, why do’t you try any / all of the following:
1-Have Congress take a 10% pay cut (minimum).
2-Have the rest of the Federal Bloat-ocracy take a 10% pay cut.
3-Better yet, eliminate some of the unConstitutional Federal Gubbment departments; Education, HUD, farm subsidies, BATFE,. . . . You get the picture.
I can dream, can’t I?
I look at it this way–when I can transition from the military to civilian job, working half as many hours, going home every night, never deploying, and making nearly twice as much money as I did when I got out (E-6), who is the asshat that is telling me that people in uniform make TOO MUCH?
Sparky–
Amen. I get so tired of the fact that the troops are paid so shitty, I could scream. When any troop has to apply for food stamps, something just ain’t right. Webb is a buddy fucker.
Ask the asshat to do a side-by-side comparison of the rising costs of other Federal employees versus military personel costs. I am sure the results favor cutting benefits for bureaucrats not soldiers.
I found this pom by Ruidyard Kipling written in 1890 about the treatment of British soldiers. I think it applies todya to the way the libs treat our guys. TOMMY by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) I went into a public-‘ouse to get a pint o’ beer, The publican ‘e up an’ sez, “We serve no red-coats here.” The girls be’ind the bar they laughed an’ giggled fit to die, I outs into the street again an’ to myself sez I: O it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, go away”; But it’s “Thank you, Mister Atkins”, when the band begins to play, The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play, O it’s “Thank you, Mister Atkins”, when the band begins to play. I went into a theatre as sober as could be, They gave a drunk civilian room, but ‘adn’t none for me; They sent me to the gallery or round the music-‘alls, But when it comes to fightin’, Lord! they’ll shove me in the stalls! For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, wait outside”; But it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide, The troopship’s on the tide, my boys, the troopship’s on the tide, O it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide. Yes, makin’ mock o’ uniforms that guard you while you sleep Is cheaper than them uniforms, an’ they’re starvation cheap; An’ hustlin’ drunken soldiers when they’re goin’ large a bit Is five times better business than paradin’ in full kit. Then it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, ‘ow’s yer soul?” But it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes” when the drums begin to roll, The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll, O it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes” when the drums begin to roll. We aren’t no thin red ‘eroes, nor we aren’t no blackguards too, But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you; An’ if sometimes our conduck isn’t all your fancy paints, Why, single men in barricks don’t grow into plaster saints; While it’s… Read more »
What a moron! I guess he wants to become the former Sentator from Virginia after the next election. A huge part of his electorate is military or former military….
Senator Blue Falcon probably wouldn’t have taken a pay cut when he was in the service. This will come back to haunt him.
Well, the mean pay for civilian gummint employees is over $70,000 right now, so where does pfc Johnson, or sgt Shaw fit into that category? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
I stand corrected; it isn’t $70,000.
“Overall, federal workers earned an average salary of $67,691 in 2008 for occupations that exist both in government and the private sector, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The average pay for the same mix of jobs in the private sector was $60,046 in 2008, the most recent data available.
CHART: Federal salaries compared to private-sector
These salary figures do not include the value of health, pension and other benefits, which averaged $40,785 per federal employee in 2008 vs. $9,882 per private worker, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.”
From a USAToday article.
The new GI Bill kicks ass. It is just plain great.
I don’t know. Maybe it did make leaving the military more attractive than staying in.
Though I would say that the career first bureaucratic assholes in the military are a much bigger inspiration to get out than the new GI Bill could ever be.
Of course, they give you $100 & take back $99.
We will always “cost too much”. Pork projects don’t have kids, spouses and don’t scream when hit with bullets.
Perhaps the good senator needs to meet with military spouses to see how far our pay really goes.
I wonder how Jim’s son feels about his daddy wanting to cut his pay. No disrespect intended but just wondering.
Delta Bravo @ #6 –
Senator Webb doesn’t stand for re-election until 2012, so if Virginians want to vote him out of office, they’ll have to wait until then
Fred @ #9 –
I agree that Sen Webb’s Post-9/11 G.I. Bill was much-needed legislation
I guess it’s strange to me to realize that Jim Webb might actually talk me into voting for him (I didn’t before…)
I have e-mailed him since he took office, and he (or his staff) has responded to my queries rather promptly.
I would need to lok at EVERYTHING ELSE that he voted for, including Obamacare (which somehow neglects to mention TRICARE…)
[…] Keep in mind that there is a current Democratic effort to cut veteran benefits that “continues to rise at disturbing rates“. So it seems like more than a coincidence that a think tank type like Fick would start […]