Military retirees, budget cuts, and politics

[JHC]

without the knowledge you don't get the rage to go along with your general sense of impotence.

ooooh potential sig line

[littlejerry]

Another tactic specifically to generate the headline "Dems screw veterans, vote for illegal aliens!"

Fighting fire with fire, of course, but it is what it is.

I'm rapidly forming the conclusion that being completely ignorant is the best way to go. You have just as much power to change things as the person who takes the trouble to educate themselves, but without the knowledge you don't get the rage to go along with your general sense of impotence.

Being informed isn't about influencing the process, its about seeing the writing on the wall and preparing for the inevitable fallout.

[TCinVA]

Being informed isn't about influencing the process, its about seeing the writing on the wall and preparing for the inevitable fallout.

I'm reminded of being in the passenger seat of a BMW M5 at high speed in the moment just before it spun. I could tell that something was not going according to plan. All that really gave me was some more time to ponder how much slamming into that wall over there was going to hurt than the other passengers in the car.

That's pretty much how I feel about politics.

[David Armstrong]

IMO we'd all be much better off if we did away with the idea of defined benefit retirements entirely and force everyone into some sort of a 401K or something similar, be they government, military, union, and other. I'm a vet and I have worked for the govt. and I have never understood the idea of being able to retire at 37 and have a guaranteed salary for the rest of your life. Heck, I'm aware of folks who are getting multiple govt. retirements that add up to more than they ever got in a salary and are still working, drawing a taxpayer-funded paycheck while drawing multiple taxpayer-funded retirement checks.

[littlejerry]

IMO we'd all be much better off if we would let people manage their own money however they saw fit.

Fixed it for you.

Pay me what I'm worth for the work I do today. I'm not your problem when I leave.

Promising to pay me in 30 years for what I did yesterday is a scam.

[JHC]

IMO we'd all be much better off if we did away with the idea of defined benefit retirements entirely and force everyone into some sort of a 401K or something similar, be they government, military, union, and other. I'm a vet and I have worked for the govt. and I have never understood the idea of being able to retire at 37 and have a guaranteed salary for the rest of your life. Heck, I'm aware of folks who are getting multiple govt. retirements that add up to more than they ever got in a salary and are still working, drawing a taxpayer-funded paycheck while drawing multiple taxpayer-funded retirement checks.

That's what these guys are arguing.

"The current retirement system provides no retirement benefits at all to servicemembers who serve less than 20 years. If MOAA, which used to be called the Retired Officers’ Association, really cared about the overwhelming majority of the enlisted men and women who serve in the military, they would advocate scrapping the current outmoded retirement system in favor of a 401(k) type system for all who serve."

http://www.defenseone.com/management...itial-continue

The 401K ideas like this I've read of differ from mine in that DoD contributes for each service member vs me contributing myself from my comp IIRC.

Those are changes to phase in way in advance of course. It's hard to see how we are going to manage the current $100B personnel spend doubling by 2034.

[JV_]

The 401K ideas like this I've read of differ from mine in that DoD contributes for each service member vs me contributing myself from my comp IIRC.

FWIW: Employers matching a portion of employee contributions pretty common. Mine matches dollar for dollar, up to 5% of my annual salary.

[Joseph B.]

LMAO... if you want to cut guaranteed retirements, than 1) they need to pay a salary on par with the civilian sector, 2) provide better insurance and compensation for work related disabilities and 3) go to a strictly performance driven promotion and bonus system.

FYI: The civi counterpart of my job in Iraq paid between $130-$200k and offered better health and disability insurance, a 401k and had no "up or out" and promotion was strictly based on experience and performance, and bonuses, well a daily rate increase that would blow your mind for working during holidays, extended tours, etc.

The military has been getting off cheap frombthe very beginning and the only reason, was and is the retirement. If you pull that away, nobody in their right mind would serve for less than minimum wage longer than an enlistment. Personally, the retirement package is crap to begin with anyway, 50-70% of a crappy base pay, is crap. Unless you are E8-9 CW4-5 or O7-O10, the retirement is nowhere on par with the duties/responsibilities of the equivalent civi job. Not even close...

[JHC]

FWIW: Employers matching a portion of employee contributions pretty common. Mine matches dollar for dollar, up to 5% of my annual salary.

Roger that. Prior ones did. Current one it's all on me.

[JHC]

LMAO... if you want to cut guaranteed retirements, than 1) they need to pay a salary on par with the civilian sector, 2) provide better insurance and compensation for work related disabilities and 3) go to a strictly performance driven promotion and bonus system.

FYI: The civi counterpart of my job in Iraq paid between $130-$200k and offered better health and disability insurance, a 401k and had no "up or out" and promotion was strictly based on experience and performance, and bonuses, well a daily rate increase that would blow your mind for working during holidays, extended tours, etc.

The military has been getting off cheap frombthe very beginning and the only reason, was and is the retirement. If you pull that away, nobody in their right mind would serve for less than minimum wage longer than an enlistment. Personally, the retirement package is crap to begin with anyway, 50-70% of a crappy base pay, is crap. Unless you are E8-9 CW4-5 or O7-O10, the retirement is nowhere on par with the duties/responsibilities of the equivalent civi job. Not even close...

It's deferred not cut. It is caught up compounded at age 62. I've take big cuts for the team. That's gone and never coming back. Big difference.

None of the folks I know served for the money. I didn't. I don't think the "right mind" is germane to the calling.