Hagel & Dempsey take shots at your health care
Stars & Stripes reports that Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Marty Dempsey went to bat for you and your health care today. Of course, I’m lying. There’s no way those two would do anything but screw veterans out of what they promised veterans because they don’t have the wherewithal to cut Pentagon spending where it needs to be cut.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., asked Hagel and Dempsey whether they have started communication efforts with veterans — a segment of society heavily invested in military success, he said — to explain that rising military benefit costs and falling defense budgets could leave future troops without adequate equipment or training.
Both answered yes, and DOD Comptroller Robert Hale laid out an estimate of how much money DOD hopes to recoup from higher health care costs for Tricare members.
“We’re going to keep Tricare generous,” he said. “By 2018, our proposals save $2.5 billion in that year alone. If we don’t do that, and we have to, say, cut forces to offset it, it’s about 25,000 troops. We need to slow the growth.”
Yeah, see, they’re pitting the active duty force against veterans. Oh, the Military Times reports that DoD is cutting their flag officers by a whopping 2%. Geez, we’ll be crippled without those 14 generals. Luckily, we’ll still have another 910 working their two-hour weeks.
And if you’re thinking that Republicans are going to save veterans this time, think again;
“We’re not going to fight our enemies with a good health care plan,” said Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C.
Of course, Graham folded like a Kmart lawn chair – quickly and without hesitation. Like a good little lap dog. I wonder how they think they’ll be able to retain an effective fighting force while they’re slashing every reason the troops have to stay. What are you going to fight our enemies with, Lindsay? Drones?
Category: Veteran Health Care
Won’t be long before they want to cut and gut VA Benefits too.
I knew there was a reason I voted against Graham last time around. Well, I wrote my name in but it still counts as voting against him, to me anyway.
Can the folks who post here take the time to email this asshat and explain to him that giving the best years of our lives also means that we need a fairly robust healthcare system come retirement time. Maybe they need to relook the entire Federal Government’s heathcare costs and leave those that actually get FRIGGEN shot at, alone. I can’t believe they’re pulling this crap.
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 Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, fall be’ind”, But it’s “Please to walk in front, sir”, when there’s trouble in the wind, There’s trouble in the wind, my boys, there’s trouble in the… Read more »
Why is the defence budget falling when Democrats believe that the United States does not have a spending problem?
How did we end up at a place where neither the politicians nor the top military brass support our troops and veterans? Don’t they have any honor? Don’t they realize the danger they’re putting this country in?
What the hell is going on???
Well Hagel and Dempsey want to tell the real 1% ers to go f$ck themselves….the problem with being a 1% er is that the other 99% don’t mind f#cking you if it keeps them in the style they’ve grown accustomed to enjoying.
At first I was disappointed that my daughter didn’t learn from me and stick it out….but hearing all this I understand why she’d had enough after her second enlistment and decided on a nice private sector job with great pay and great benefits. At least in the private sector if you’re getting f#cked you can walk away.
some people just need to be slapped
in the face
with a metal chair
repeatedly.
keep cutting benefits and you won’t have to worry about training costs or equipment because there won’t be anybody to operate the equipment or train
You think maybe they are influenced by crap like a recent
Washington Post article on the cost of military benefits has created a firestorm of comments on spouse blogs all over the country. Many are asking if the reporter actually believes our servicemembers and military families are a liability to the American taxpayer and how can so many untruths can get printed in one of the nation’s largest newspapers? A recent blog post on the Military Officers Association of America website pointed out that personnel costs are not overwhelming the budget; they remained at the same 30% ratio for the last 30 years. MOAA is encouraging our readers to join them in sending the correct facts to Congress. Perhaps we need to redirect the fire of the military spouses in another direction to deal with these dip shits.
I guess this post is one of the reasons we’re blocked at Camp Arifjan as “political/activist”.
@1: Agreed.
@5. Because the country needs to “invest” in Section 8 housing, food stamps, the EITC, and the rest of the give-away programs for the leeches who voted for the eavesdropping Preezy.
It costs a lot of money to build the storage center for our data out in Utah, and Michelle has yet to set off on her vacations.
We here in Sauk Centre, MN are creating a place to HEAL with HONOR! We take care of our own… broken promises, red tape, backlog, politics are costing us the lives and families within our military family.. please feel free to see what many hearts and hands joining together can create.. Vets helping Vets, families helping families with Strong Community support. All volunteers… we get no funding from local, state or federal funds… http://www.eagleshealingnest.com
Tricare received one of the first waivers for Obamacare because it didn’t meet the standards of the new federal law. The Pentagon brass won’t be happy until they push us all into the state Obamacare exchanges so they can spend billions more on self-gratifying bloated staffs and pet projects that set them up for lucrative figure head jobs with big defense contractors.
These two quotes sum up my feelings about the politik population in Washington DC. What’s worse is that “green-suiters” are getting more political than politicans in some cases, just to take care of themselves. Because, you know, O-10 pay is soooo horrible, especially after you retire and only get about a third of your paycheck each month…
“I don’t wanna overthrow them, I wanna fire them!” – Gallagher
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” – Animal Farm
Don’t forget, ol’ Queen Lindsey will hasten to remind you he’s a bird colonel in the Reserves. He is therefore on your side … or at least, right behind you. Can you feel him back there?
Dempsey has completely broken faith (if he ever had any) with the Armed Forces and the Army as institutions. I can’t summon the words to describe my disgust for this slimy weasel.
@13: Yeah, I’ve heard of your place (through the American Legion here in MN) and I think it’s great. Now, back to the subject at hand. I thought I would wait to comment until I had calmed down enough. That ain’t happening, so I will try to temper my comments as I write. I have talked with fellow Veterans, in the past few weeks, concerning all this bullshit coming out of the Pentagon and cutting not only Veterans and retirees benefits, but also our readiness and capabilities. To a one, they said this will make us weaker and seriously hamper our ability to respond to future threats. I’m not surprised that democrats and Pentagon yes men are all for it, but then we have Lindsay Graham not even putting up a semblance of resistance. Someone needs to kid that bitch right in his ovaries. Where are all the cuts to welfare? Congress? Yeah, the only thing getting the shaft is the military. Oh, sure, they talk a good game about supporting the troops, Vets, etc., but when push comes to shove, they fold like a buffet in front of Rosie O’Donnell. If we need to cut spending, and we do, then make it across the board, instead of lining up the military and Vets as the sacrificial whipping post. Of course, they won’t remember this the next time the shit hits the fan. Then there will be more face time for these assholes to babble on about how they appreciate the military and Vets. They will make more speeches filled with empty words meant for consumption by the low information voters. I tell you what, if any of them come over to me and want to shake my hand, they’ll be pulling back a bloody stump. Dempsey is a pussy. He’s more interested in stroking someone for his next move after the military. He’s not a leader, he’s a bitch. The logical answer is to start holding these assholes accountable. Start challenging them in public, the next time they start spouting about how much they love the Veterans, etc. Give… Read more »
Do we need change yes .but how you did it is the problem. Maybe no more test uniform,m-9 m-4 and equipment that never come out but cost millions how about looking at that then we can talk.