The first place any presidential administration or Congress looks to when the belt needs tightening is the military. They never restrict themselves or their cronies; they simply cleave military funding until Valley Forge looks like a picnic.
Witness the resurrected attempt to take health care funding for retirees, wounded warriors and dependents from the responsibility of the government and transfer it to private insurance carriers a la’ ObamaCare.
The level of respect and caring for veterans by this resident of the oval office is easily recognized as minimal at best. Where prior administrations have heaped parades and welcome-home ceremonies this one is holding an invitation only formal gala for 200 select veterans. He must be putting it on his credit card because the amount spent on this is less than he and his lady spent last time on getting a fresh lei in Hawaii.
But this is a matter near and dear to the Greatest Generation and their younger counterparts such as our parents who might have been too young to fight but still supported and survived World War II.
He served during the Korean War and Vietnam as an active duty sailor (1948-1968). He was a flight crewman; qualified and certified. He served proudly.
My mother was the wife waiting at home and making it on base privileges (commissary and Base Exchange) as well as medical treatment at base hospitals and infirmaries. She was forced to make it in life on less than $600 bucks a month at the time. That covered the needs of three people when Dad was in port. Some have trouble making it on 3 to 5 times that amount today.
In exchange for the low pay, certain things were to remain in place after the service member retired from active duty. It was a major selling point for re-enlistment spiels service men endured as they neared the end of an enlistment. Now they just force your retention if they feel the service needs you more than your family does. They address it as “your country needs you” but fail to state the de facto reality “what you and your family need is secondary to our needs right now.” Don’t believe it? Ask any serviceman “stop lossed” when it was time to exit service.
My Dad was a proud member of the United States Navy. But I never realized how he and Mom managed after he retired. I made $360 a month while on active duty. I paid, as all recruits do, for my first issued Sea Bag (uniforms, toiletries, underwear etc.) in 1970. A sailor’s world fits in a 4 foot tall, 28-inch diameter canvas bag. I say this because my Dad retired on $220 a month after 20 years of service as a Chief Petty Officer in 1968.
It was manageable because he and Mom didn’t have to pay for medical care. They paid cheaper prices at the BX and Commissary (food stores). It was the reward allotted for living off of so much less than the average citizen.
Now, after Dad’s passing, my Mom’s looking at a proposed increase in her required premiums approaching 300 percent on her Tri-Care-For-Life coverage. Obama wants people to drop Tri-Care in favor of his Affordable Health Care boondoggle.
She went on Tri-Care because Blue Cross premiums were untenable. Food is more important than insurance when living on less than $20 thousand dollars a year with NO governmental subsidies like welfare recipients. She has no supplemented pay for housing. She pays out of pocket. She has No AFDC. She has NO stipend for survival. She does it all on Social Security and a small retirement check not allotted a Cost of Living Allowance in over three years.
Obama! Congress! Panetta! Shinsecki!
What will you do when you trim the military and screw its veterans and dependents so badly their grandchildren refuse to serve and protect you, yours and a country rapidly indicating its lack of appreciation for their sacrifice? Is this how you fundamentally change America; by weakening it?
Get your head on straight! It doesn’t work well stuck up your nether parts.
Thanks for listening
