This is an excellent letter from an Army NCO about the current state of affairs in our government and the averted BS that just occurred with the government’s budget and possible shutdown.
If anyone deserves a pay stoppage, it’s congress.
A Soldier Speaks Out On The Shutdown – ‘Leaders Eat Last.’
From one of my military correstpondents on the Federal shutdown and the military:
I’ve been trying to get my head around the idea that those of us in the military might not get paid next week. I don’t really care about myself, in as much as I’m a single soldier without dependents. I can eat in the DFAC, put my bills (and some beer) on a credit card, throw a temper tantrum and get on with my life. But I am lucky to be slightly above living paycheck to paycheck. I’m a moderately responsible E5 with a girlfriend who likes nice restaurants.
Privates and their new families, on the other hand, are often barely above water. Too much of the time, issues that you deal with as a leader in the military revolve around family issues or privates and their money. These are not people who can afford two weeks without pay. In the area just off post, there are a lot of people who make a living off families not being able to pay the bills, and they charge rates that would make the Mob blush.
That isn’t even getting into the soldiers who are deployed.
Truth, Lies and In Between 