I have a New Cause!

In the past many of you have known me as someone who is very politically active and I have often used this blog for that reason. While I am still interested in politics from the standpoint of how it will affect the future of my children, I have needed a pause in my political activities so I can focus on what is really important to us in our lives – my family.

 

But sometimes there are issues that must be addressed that affect our families – immediate and extended!

 

With that said, I think it is important to note that recently our political leaders have done an incredible disservice to us all as Americans with their attacks against our active, retired and veteran members of our military. And let’s not beat around the bush, with all the recent congressional budget finagling and the lack of leadership from Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel we are reneging on the “guaranteed” commitments we have made to our current and past service members and we are leaving America’s future in a lurch.

 

Think that is overreaction? Then let me begin this series of blog posts with this.

 

With the new budget passed by the congress and signed by President Obama, military members pay and pensions will be reduced and they will lose anywhere from $80,000 to $120,000 over the course of the rest of their lives. The reasoning Congressmen gave for these cuts are that the pensions many veterans receive can be reduced as most veterans will be double-dipping with their pensions and the pay from their new post-military jobs.

 

Well let me explain something to you.

 

Following your years of service you are generally in a position where your skills in the military aren’t too marketable in the outside world. When I left the Navy after nearly 14 years of service I realized that the only people interested in my job skills learned in the military were military contractors. Otherwise there wasn’t much of a civilian need for personnel with submarine tracking skills – SHOCKING!!

 

Likewise most veterans will hit the market after the service needing to be retrained or starting out in a new position at the ground floor level, even after they have already spent a significant amount of time in the military defending the freedoms the non-serving members of society have used this same time to get ahead without serving their country. That’s where the pension they were PROMISED for their service aids in making up that difference.

 

In comparison let’s look at our congressmen and their complete lack of responsibility for their own actual double-dipping. I’m sure everyone has seen the emails and spam about congressional retirements and while most of it is just that – SPAM – much of it is based in reality of a sort. If a congressman serves 25 years he is entitled to his full pension immediately. A pension that to date has NEVER even faced a serious challenge via legislation anywhere similar to the congressional and bureaucratic attacks military pensions have. Actually, congressional members can receive a pension for as little as five years of service.

 

So when a politician gets elected at the age of 35and retires at 60, they can receive the full pension of anywhere from $50,000 to $60,000 with some topping out at as much as $86,000 per year –THAT IS SHAMEFUL!!

 

BUT WAIT – that same politician can get a lucrative job as a lobbyist and spend the rest of his life lobbying his old cohorts to vote on legislation in a manner that helps out those special interests able to afford this sort of insider trading.

 

This is all shameful and should be addressed with each and every congressman. I will be posting more on this and the lists of congressmen who voted for this and refused to stand for our active duty and veterans. Regardless of party affiliation each and every one of them should be held responsible and replaced.

 

THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THIS!

 

More to Come!

Bill