....how close military families live to the poverty level.

If they look [size=4]UP [/size=4]and squint real hard, they can just about see it.

Sorry. I just had to emote for a minute.

Yea its pretty messed up. Then you have Democrarts that want to cut military spending,damn them!

Everybody who cares can actually do something about it, personally.

We have been sending out M.O.'s to "Any Soldier" whenever here is overseas missions.

$500.00 here, $500.00 there and it helps somebody out.

Many people have no idea about the slum-like living conditions that face officers, NCO's and enlisted on military posts / bases.

I was in when President Reagan was looking out for us. We did OK.
I was on Fort Lost-In-The-Woods a few years ago to see a buddy's son graduate from Engineer school. We stopped in the commissary and I couldn't believe the number of GI's (not dependants) bagging groceries.
I know there are screwups who can't manage money but this was way beyond that. Made my blood boil.
I'm still pissed off about what that philandering POS Klinton did to my Army.
Maybe GWB II will help. I won't be holding my breath.

Democrat POV: Well it's not like they have to work everyday. And everything is free to them anyway.

Actually, that's a pretty good definition of the typical democrat voter.

Be funny if it weren't true.

What exactly is a POV?

[b]P[/b]oint [b]o[/b]f [b]V[/b]iew.

the_reject

My little sister married a a guy that is career Army.

2 years ago they requested a post and moved to Hawaii since they thought it would be a glamourous place to be stationed.

This past week she called me to let me know that they have requested to be re-assigned back in the midwest, because they cannot possibly keep up with the cost of living, and need to be closer to family, in order to make ends meet.


It's tragic, when you REALIZE that the welfare maggots make about 5 times that of what our uniformed guardians make...  In fact, it makes you want to go shit on some maggotts front doorstep!

As bad as it is now, it was worse during Carter. My monthly, E-5 pay + BAS + BAQ totaled about $735/mo. Stationed in the D.C. area, shit hole of an apartment (no onbase housing available) and not eligible for welfare, working 2 other part time jobs, wife working 2 jobs. Going out for dinner was going to Bolling AFB for Sunday Dinner. When Reagan came in, we got our first raise in years, and if I remember correctly it was around 13%.

It's almost (or just) as bad now. My son was in the Army and I had to give him money so that he and his family could survive.

Think its a coincidence that Democrats were in charge when this transpired on both occassions?

I prefer to use terms such as Dumbocrats, Demorats, or both!  Dumborats!

My sis and brother-in-law get paid the same as the guys stationed over here, but they have to pay over $6.00 for a gallon of milk...

They are raising a 3 year old in the process!

anyone have a link to that rush l. article where he compares military pay and optional life insurance to the amount of money given to sept 11 victims (to keep them from suing the airlines, although i don't think rush mentioned that)?

last time i was living in the barracks active duty i was an E3 about to make corporal. i place a lot fo the blame on GI's. no the money is not good. but you know what youre getting into. i was 24-25 then. well older than my peer group i had some savings, some investments id lived on my own before enlisting so i knew how to manage things. i cant tell you how many 19yr old PFCs i saw go home on leave and marry the fat ugly girl who gave them a piece on prom night. the kid knows he's only making 18-20k a year but he knocks up his teen bride two or three times and BAM, he's struggling. next thing you know he's 21, got 2-3 kids and the wife isnt working cuz theyre someplace "nice" like 29Palms or Yuma.  hell i remember the guys on my floor who were broke 4 days after payday. E2s and E3s ordering Domino's every meal and taking all their laundry to the cleaners because they wont do their own and iron it etc. you can live pretty well as a young enlisted man with no dependants. hell i know plenty of E6's who bring home as much as i do even though on paper my salary is 40% more than theirs. its not THAT bad.

Many police officers live the same way

We washed clothes on a washboard when I was in the USAF 79-83. You could get a Chef Boyardee pizza in a box for .75 and make it stretch out for 3 meals. We lived in Clovis New Mexico for three years and never even got to see Portales becaus we couldn't afford to waste the gasoline to get there. I drove a 15 year old truck and lived frugally. It built up my ability to get by on nearly nothing. My wife and I look back on those days and smile at the hardship that helped form our adult personalities.

While working at Fort Story, VA I stopped at a McDonalds, off-base.  The guy that took my order said something about wishing he was stilling High School.  When I asked him why, he said that he currentlys work three job, one at MCDs, one at a bar, and he was active duty at Fort Story. Now that's fvcked.

This is the first time in the 15 years I have lived off base (10 of them being married) that my BAH is more than my rent. It almost covers the 80% of the cost of utilities (Dish and internet access not included).

I always thought (and still do) that housing allowances are unfair. Housing allowances should be avalible to everyone, not just those who are married.

Having supervised many young Military members it suprises me that many of them want to live in the barracks vice living out in town.

Most of the ones who request to move off base would stay on base if they better rooms, better barracks and better facilities.

I would say that 30% of the ones who want to move off base want the freedoms that they give up living in the barracks due to service members being under 21, no one of the opposite sex in the rooms, no where to store tools, car parts, dirt bikes, trailers, skis, boats, big screen TV's....Geeze, I never had those problems when I lived in the barracks.