Col. Tim Connors wakes up from his long sleep
I’m not sure who this Colonel Tim Connors is, but apparently, he’s been asleep for the last two centuries and thought he had a novel idea when he woke up. Then he made the mistake of posting it up at RealClearDefense. Of course, he sees that there is a spending problem with the government, and he starts his little piece OK, talking about how the military isn’t the problem when it comes to our budget problems, that it’s the “entitlement” side of spending that is causing our troubles. But here’s his idea;
General Dempsey and the Service Chiefs shouldn’t take the case for reduced pay and benefits to the political class in Washington. They should take it to the troops they lead and have led. They should take it to military families past and present. Their message is not difficult to find as we remember the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s death: Your country needs you to set aside your personal interests, to take one more hill and to show everyone else the way.
If these leaders ask, we will bear the burden. We always have and always will. And the story of our sacrifice in this instance would be very powerful indeed.
How noble that he says “We” like he’s one of the people who will actually be burdened. Col. Connors is a Reservist, a reservist in Staten island’s 353rd Civil Affairs Command, and probably has another job besides being in uniform. He’s a colonel, so how much will he actually lose when pay and benefits are cut or altered or whatever they plan on doing. His retirement benefits are already set.
And, oh, by the way, after every war, it’s the troops who are cut to the bone – it’s how Bill Clinton balanced his year-over-year budget in the 90s. Did Col. Connors see the rest of the country follow the troops’ example? No, because obviously, he was sleeping through it. Did Col. Connors watch the troops deploy to the war on terror without equipment and training they needed. No, because obviously, he was sleeping.
Yes, it was very noble of Col. Connors to offer up the benefits and pay of people who haven’t joined the service yet. When I was in the service and saw the cuts coming in the 90s I said that if everyone sacrificed like the troops would, that would be dandy. But remember the battle the Republican Congress had trying to reform welfare? The only reason Clinton finally signed it was because he needed to keep just one of his campaign promises from 1992 to win the election in 1996.
Aside from cutting training funds for the troops, he cut personnel to the bone and then deployed the shit out of them for meals on wheels programs. I don’t think that the entire 10th Mountain Division was all together on Fort Drum the whole decade. He moved military retirees over 65 from Tricare to Medicare. They got a pittance for pay raises. Equipment fell apart and they cannibalized what was left for parts.
No, the troops don’t need to lead this time. Let Congress make the tough decisions for a change instead of stripping national security and setting up our future forces for a bloody nose on first contact.Thanks to Chockblock for the link.
Category: Dumbass Bullshit
Bring Back Zombie Reagan. Or Eisenhower or GW bush?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/files/2012/11/Military-spending-sequester.jpg
Troops actually work for their pay and benefits, so his logic is to say they aren’t worth what they are getting paid. I guess it doesn’t apply to the fraud ridden programs the government runs. How can you give a “pay cut” to people who don’t work in the first place.
Such incredible disconnect from reality! And he actually thinks he’s observant.
I’ve sacrificed all I can afford right now.
It’s high time Kernel Connors kicked in his share of the load.
When they make cuts here then I might think about giving more then I already have. But it’s all about sticking it to those who can afford it the least.
“Troop levels are being cut. Civilians are being furloughed. Planes are being grounded. Ships are being docked. But the Pentagon’s top ranks are thriving.”
“Over the past 10 years, as the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan raged, the U.S. military’s enlisted ranks shrank, while the officer corps – particularly the general and flag officer ranks – and the bureaucracy supporting these top commanders, grew immensely.”
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/world-report/2013/07/24/the-pentagon-has-too-many-troops
WTF?
Where do they find these guys and why does this idiot think he speaks for me??
Go ahead stud, give my wife and call and see if she is willing to bear the burden for balancing the budget with my paycheck….trust me, you wouldn’t like her when she’s angry.
Jackass.
Hey, got 2 words for you Colonel. I’ll keep them small so you can understand. No PowerPoint briefing required.
Fuck you.
The horse you rode in on said fuck you too.
Connors’ bio claims that he is a ring knocker and a Veteran who served in Afghanistan, a lawyer with a Notre Dame J.D.
Here’s the link:
http://caasny.com/connors.php
Civil Affairs…why’d he have to be Civil Affairs…
This is a perfect mentality example of why “we” were kicked out of USASOC. Senior Officers like this who have no understanding of how things actually work. Let alone that he’s a fricken O-6 and even if he were to get a 10% pay cut, he wouldn’t even notice it.
The same guys who couldn’t do “strategic” Civil Affairs as is their designed mission at a Command level because they don’t bother to learn it or know anything more than how much they make when they get deployed.
The only good thing is that he ought to be retiring very soon. Glad I’m not in that CA Command.
His conclusion may be altogether flawed but the guy ‘do know his shit.’ In other writings I found, he makes sense and sounds pretty damn sharp.
So what exactly is it that “we” object to here? That a reservist should actually speak his mind? That he recognizes that “we” have historically been the ones to sacrifice the most?
Or that “we” seem to be the only ones who actually practice Kennedy’s idea of asking not what our country can do for us but what we can do for our country? Then doing it.
Marx and Lenin were reputedly intelligent also, 2/17 Air Cav. They were also 100% wrong.
@12. I didn’t say he wasn’t full of shit and I couldn’t guess how Marx and Lenin entered into this.
2/17 Air Cav: they were merely examples that came to mind of intelligent people who historically backed idiocy and lacked the sense to pour urine out of knee-high laceless leather footwear. There are, or course, many others – particularly among academia and in politics.
@14. Okay. How did you overlook Biden and obamana? Anyway, Connors may be licking boots. He does depend on gov’t contracts for his living, and those include federal LE agencies. That’s my take. It has to be because I could not imagine a guy with his experience actually suggesting that all the Emperor and his lackies have to do is request of military troops, Veterans, and the families of both that they give more and more and more. His office is on Madison Avenue. [Insert shocked face here.]
Spent some time in USACAPOC and let me assure you that most Civil Affairs officers and a large number of PSYOP officers are as worthless as tits on a boar hog. Most are double dipping with Federal civilian iobs and are the epitome of badge chasers. Top it off with Ring Knockers that failed on the civilian side try to use their WPPS status to rise to the top. Worst assignment ever!
At random times, I guess when the Army has money to spend, they mail out a news letter/magazine to retired Army pukes. I got one a few weeks ago. It seems they change how often they send it out, because, well retired Army /Reserves/National Guard are not really contributing anything to the fight anymore, so who gives a shit.
Anyway, I decided to actually read it this time. “The General” of the Army explained how we all have to step up and do our part for the budget cuts.
WTF? What can I do…I don’t lead a platoon anymore, I can’t make my humvee drivers slow down to save fuel, or not shoot at assholes and waste ammo.
Then I read more….we’re supposed to suck it up when we finally get our medical when we hit 60 and be willing to pay more for the “free medical”.
They want to cut our AKO e-mail to save money…well that’s ok, I don’t use that crap anymore.
But! Wait! “The General” did give us retired National Guard and Reserve pukes one gift.
We are now allowed to used the title:”Retired Army” after our name if we want…instead of: “Retired National Guard Puke.”
I laughed so hard I puked coffee out of my nose…
“The US Army, fucking Soldiers over (active and retired) for over 237 years and counting.”
Hey COL Connors – bite me. V/R MrBill
His resume and his little consulting operation both sound very sketchy. 3 people with an executive-suites virtual office scrabbling around doing whatever brings in a few bucks. Either he’s taken a big fall from grace at some point or he’s a terminal mediocrity who does his Reserve stuff to ensure he doesn’t have to survive on Medicare and Social Security when he’s a bit older.
What is it about CA Colonels? I know CA is pretty messed up in general, but I swear you pin an oak leaf or higher on their chest and bam! what few remaining braincells they had get taken over by the Good Idea Fairy.
I was teaching re-class last year and had an CA LTC stand up at graduation and tell the CA and PSYOP students that there was nothing worth dying for in the Middle East and that if they did choose to deploy they should remember their pirmary mission was to come home alive.
So, yeah this individuals comments do not suprise me. It strikes me as fairly typical of these guys (and to be completely honest, while I call CA out for it, a lot of reserve officer’s have similar mentalities). Its like early onset of old man’s syndrome or something and they either forget how tough it was when they were just starting out, or they figure that kids these days have it too easy.
COL Connors-get your head out of your ass.
I had the opportunity to serve under COL Connors. He was one of the best leaders I have known, and an honorable man. Agree or disagree with his opinions, he is a good Soldier and a good man who does not deserve the venom on display here.