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Why do our Military Members get Welfare?


CommunitarianKevin

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People are complaining about government benefits (commonly known as welfare to some…) being handed out to people. From the outrage of food stamps to Mitt Romney’s 47%...With all of the outrage over working people getting some government help, why do we not hear outrage about the military getting the same thing?

To start, here is the military pay scale…This is what military members make whether they are on deployment or working at their home base.

http://www.militaryfactory.com/military_pay_scale.asp

2013_pay.jpg

Choose whatever rank you want to go by but I will be using E-3 with over 3 years for the simple fact that in the Air Force, you automatically get E-3 at your 3 year mark. An E-3 gets paid about $2,000 a month. If you compare that to someone working a 40 hour week in the civilian world, they are making about $12.50. That is not great pay in itself… $24,000 a year, but more than your typical person on food stamps would make.

In addition to that enlisted members either get to eat at the dining facility for free, or if they live off base (once they become an E-3 or get married,) they receive something called BAS or basic allowance for subsistence. This is something a member receives whether they are single or not. This is the military “Food Stamps.” BAS was around $300 a month. I personally ate at the dining facility because the food was dirt cheap. I could eat breakfast for about $1.50. I ended up pocketing most of the BAS.

Also, military members that live off base get BAH or basic allowance for housing. The price of this depends on the area you live. When I was living in Virginia, BAH was $1,500. That is a check that they give you every month and if you do not spend all of it on rent, you pocket it. On the flip side, if rent is more, you pay that out of pocket. My rent was $1,200 a month. I pocketed $300 a month. I do know guys that had rent around $1,500 but lived with 3 people…they pocketed a lot more money.

If you look at just those 2 things, they are nearly giving me my salary again…for free…$2,000 compared to $1,800. That does not even include the extra money one gets when they are deployed which is also tax free.

In addition to that we have socialized healthcare. Free medical and dental for the entire family…Also things bought on base were tax free...

When you think about it, our military is an example of a socialist government.

Obviously many of you will say “they deserve it because they are serving their country,” but they would clearly be part of the 47%. Military members receive more free money than any working poor person does, but no outrage…This should be just as much, if not more disturbing than government assistance programs that are out there for the poor…but hey, I enjoyed being a 21 year old making $45,000 a year. Bought me a sports car, tons of clothes, tons of electronics, plus I saved up enough to live off of for over a year when I got off of active duty. Thank you socialist America.

Edited by CommunitarianKevin
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Very simple, if you cut the pay and benefits good luck finding anybody to do that ****ty job. If I have the choice of flipping burgers and joining the Forces for the same pay I wind up with an tennis arm.

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Very simple, if you cut the pay and benefits good luck finding anybody to do that ****ty job. If I have the choice of flipping burgers and joining the Forces for the same pay I wind up with an tennis arm.

Funny story...I flip bugers...

People would still join...What we should do is switch to a guard/reserve only type thing and get rid of active duty personel. We would have just as many troops, if not more, and you only pay them $200-$300 dollars a month, except when they are deployed, obviously.

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Funny story...I flip bugers...

People would still join...What we should do is switch to a guard/reserve only type thing and get rid of active duty personel. We would have just as many troops, if not more, and you only pay them $200-$300 dollars a month, except when they are deployed, obviously.

See, I worked for the Air Force long enough to know that most of the guys deserve every penny they get, when is the last time you worked 16 hours? I could do that every day to my goons if I felt like it, and the funniest thing about it, being a civilian, I could just go home after 8 hours. And that in times between alarms. During alarms and exercises I could make them work 24 hours on a whim.

And while I was pretty lenient (cause I believe in not doing onto others what I don't want to be done to me), there were plenty of a&$eholes around who did that just for sport.

Complaining that the enlisted military is overpaid can just come from those who never were anywhere near it.

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I did military service right out of high school. The GI bill and reduced tuition costs while in the military helped pay for an education without the student debt that cripples many of the students that go direct to college. The free housing and free food allowed me to save a considerable chunk of money, for when I got out. My first duty base was England, which for a 17 yr old was a blast. RAF Upper Heyford- 15 minutes from Oxford University. When Robin Hood came out, my friends all went on a road trip to Sherwood Forest. It was a great experience.

The trade off, of course, was that I had to go to Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm to do that whole war thing.

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I'm a Canadian equivilant of an E-4 (A Corporal). I'm a reservist however which is 80% that of reg force pay if I was on full time duty. I would net more then an E-6 with 6 years of service. Now when I was over seas I was making much more then a US First Sgt. About $1500 more a month then he was making. Is that fair?

The US Military is paid very little. Or maybe it's just the Canadian Military is paid really good. I dont know. If I was full time at my pay grade I would be making bout 43,000 after taxes a year.

~Thanato

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Being a navy vet. I know what the paid was for E3 it sucked.E4 wasn't much better A sailor,or soldier can't feed his wife and child on that paid. You damn rght they deserve food stamps.

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Obviously many of you will say “they deserve it because they are serving their country,” but they would clearly be part of the 47%. Military members receive more free money than any working poor person does, but no outrage…This should be just as much, if not more disturbing than government assistance programs that are out there for the poor…but hey, I enjoyed being a 21 year old making $45,000 a year. Bought me a sports car, tons of clothes, tons of electronics, plus I saved up enough to live off of for over a year when I got off of active duty. Thank you socialist America.

They do deserve it! A good portion of the poor in this country are just too lazy to get off their ass and find work. Military actually do something and the majority of the time, if a soldier comes home disabled in anyway, he's instantly forgotten. So yeah, I do think they deserve every penny given to them.

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In my opinion they deserve it. It's way too difficult to be a soldier. You put yourself in danger every day and that means you have to live only with fear by your side, let alone you could lose a part of your body in a conflict. Besides, all these training that soldiers have to pass through every day is really exhausting. So, i totally agree in them getting this amount of money.

P.S. I am not a US' citizen and i haven't gone to the military yet. But, that doesn't mean i shouldn't form an opinion about this issue.

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They do deserve it! A good portion of the poor in this country are just too lazy to get off their ass and find work. Military actually do something and the majority of the time, if a soldier comes home disabled in anyway, he's instantly forgotten. So yeah, I do think they deserve every penny given to them.

Not true. Actually when I got off of active duty I could not find a job. Many vets cannot find jobs. What makes you think it is any easier for the poor?

Here is the thing a lot of people do not understand about the military...not all of the jobs are that difficult. Maybe different jobs should get paid different amounts? Sure there were long days and tough situations but there were also people that worked in a dining facility for years and never deployed. Not everyone is special forces...

I just find it odd that no one complains about the way the military works as far as paying its troops. You want to cut the national debt, look at the military.

I don't know...I felt the pay on my deployments was good but that I was over-paid when I was not deployed...I also think I am ripping the government off with my disability pay...I guess maybe I do not give myself enough credit?

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To communitariankevin...... so you think that the general US population should be p***ed off, excuse me, outraged because of what our military personel are payed?

Tell that to the mothers and fathers and husbands and wifes and brothers and sisters and sons and daughters of the thousands who've died.

"Sorry your family member died in the dust thousands of miles away, but he did eat for free"

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To communitariankevin...... so you think that the general US population should be p***ed off, excuse me, outraged because of what our military personel are payed?

Tell that to the mothers and fathers and husbands and wifes and brothers and sisters and sons and daughters of the thousands who've died.

"Sorry your family member died in the dust thousands of miles away, but he did eat for free"

*rollseyes*

Of course I think they should be paid. Hell, maybe we should give them millions of dollars...

What do you tell any person that loses someone? The fact of the matter is that many people die or get injured in jobs that pay less. Did you know that combat is not the leading cause of death in the Air Force? Did you know there are more deaths due to suicide and car accidents than combat in the Air Force?

Edited by CommunitarianKevin
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You didn't specify Air Force, you referred to the military as a whole.

First they don't deserve what their pay and benefits add up to, now their worth millions.

And please don't spout off death stats regarding accidents and suicides when the topic is "over payed" american men and women putting their lives on the line so you can drive a sports car and flip burgers.

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You didn't specify Air Force, you referred to the military as a whole.

First they don't deserve what their pay and benefits add up to, now their worth millions.

And please don't spout off death stats regarding accidents and suicides when the topic is "over payed" american men and women putting their lives on the line so you can drive a sports car and flip burgers.

Well that is the thing. Military is military. You get paid the same regardless of branch or job. Maybe it should vary depending on those things?

Sorry, I didn't understand your second sentence. Are you saying they are not worth their pay? That was kind of my point...

You brought up the topic of deaths, not me.

And what is your point about me flipping burgers and driving a sports car?

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OK kid, you've stated your opinion that our military personnel are over paid, which is your right and I respect that, but at least pay enough attention to your own posts so as not to confuse yourself.

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Not true. Actually when I got off of active duty I could not find a job. Many vets cannot find jobs. What makes you think it is any easier for the poor?

Here is the thing a lot of people do not understand about the military...not all of the jobs are that difficult. Maybe different jobs should get paid different amounts? Sure there were long days and tough situations but there were also people that worked in a dining facility for years and never deployed. Not everyone is special forces...

I just find it odd that no one complains about the way the military works as far as paying its troops. You want to cut the national debt, look at the military.

I don't know...I felt the pay on my deployments was good but that I was over-paid when I was not deployed...I also think I am ripping the government off with my disability pay...I guess maybe I do not give myself enough credit?

Many military jobs don't translate well to the civilian sector. Such as my old job: COMSEC Accountant. And for those (particularly civilian's) who've never heard of it before, no it doesn't have anything to do with money.

Civilian jobs are paid, for the most part, on hourly work performed. Anything over 40 usually being overtime. In the military, you're effectively on-call 24/7 the whole year, whether you want to be or not and at the rate for your pay-grade, period. So there's no real equivalency in comparing the two.

cormac

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OK kid, you've stated your opinion that our military personnel are over paid, which is your right and I respect that, but at least pay enough attention to your own posts so as not to confuse yourself.

You sure like throwing the insults. I never meant to offend anyone. Maybe if you used proper abbreviation, I could understand what you are saying...

Many military jobs don't translate well to the civilian sector. Such as my old job: COMSEC Accountant. And for those (particularly civilian's) who've never heard of it before, no it doesn't have anything to do with money.

Civilian jobs are paid, for the most part, on hourly work performed. Anything over 40 usually being overtime. In the military, you're effectively on-call 24/7 the whole year, whether you want to be or not and at the rate for your pay-grade, period. So there's no real equivalency in comparing the two.

cormac

Well I understand that many military jobs do not translate...but many do, especially the jobs I had. And either way, the military teaches disipline and leadership, which should be a big part of any job...

I understand what you are saying about not being able to compare the military jobs to civilian jobs, but you can for most non-deployed active duty personel. Sure, I worked 6 and 1s, 12 hour days when I was deployed, but at my home base I worked 8.5 hour days, 5 days a week. Of course we are paid 24/7, and they did dick with you every once in a while...but for the most part it was like a normal work week that you would have in the civilian world.

Let's be honest...many of the jobs I did were not $45K a year jobs...But hey, maybe I am just selling myself short...

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You sure like throwing the insults. I never meant to offend anyone. Maybe if you used proper abbreviation, I could understand what you are saying...

Well I understand that many military jobs do not translate...but many do, especially the jobs I had. And either way, the military teaches disipline and leadership, which should be a big part of any job...

I understand what you are saying about not being able to compare the military jobs to civilian jobs, but you can for most non-deployed active duty personel. Sure, I worked 6 and 1s, 12 hour days when I was deployed, but at my home base I worked 8.5 hour days, 5 days a week. Of course we are paid 24/7, and they did dick with you every once in a while...but for the most part it was like a normal work week that you would have in the civilian world.

Let's be honest...many of the jobs I did were not $45K a year jobs...But hey, maybe I am just selling myself short...

Must have been nice. Try 3 day shifts, 3 swings, 3 mids and then 2 days off only to repeat the cycle. And as an E-4 I didn't make anywhere near what they make now. I earned what pay and benefits I got.

cormac

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Must have been nice. Try 3 day shifts, 3 swings, 3 mids and then 2 days off only to repeat the cycle. And as an E-4 I didn't make anywhere near what they make now. I earned what pay and benefits I got.

cormac

Sounds like a crappy time. I guess people missed the point that I was trying to make about not all military jobs being equal...Many jobs do earn their pay, but many do not...IMO

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Sounds like a crappy time. I guess people missed the point that I was trying to make about not all military jobs being equal...Many jobs do earn their pay, but many do not...IMO

I took it the way it came across, at least to me. Namely it sounded like a p***-n-moan session about how bad the military is because of what benefits members receive. BTW, I'm ex-Air Force. Served from 82-88. I'd really like to have gotten paid what they get paid now. Must be nice.

cormac

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Very simple, if you cut the pay and benefits good luck finding anybody to do that ****ty job. If I have the choice of flipping burgers and joining the Forces for the same pay I wind up with an tennis arm.

B.S.

ppl that join military do it not for the money, but you would not understand.

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I took it the way it came across, at least to me. Namely it sounded like a p***-n-moan session about how bad the military is because of what benefits members receive. BTW, I'm ex-Air Force. Served from 82-88. I'd really like to have gotten paid what they get paid now. Must be nice.

cormac

It was more of a p*** and moan session about people attitudes towards those that get food stamps or what Mitt Romney calls the 47%. Military members would fall into the 47% but yet people seem to have no problem with them getting money. Sorry if I sounded anti-military. I just think it is kind of hypocritical that we pick and choose when it is okay to get extra from the government. I guess I wouldn't have as much of an issue if that pay was just built into the salary. I mean of course I am not anti-military...I have been in for almost 9 years...

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It was more of a p*** and moan session about people attitudes towards those that get food stamps or what Mitt Romney calls the 47%. Military members would fall into the 47% but yet people seem to have no problem with them getting money. Sorry if I sounded anti-military. I just think it is kind of hypocritical that we pick and choose when it is okay to get extra from the government. I guess I wouldn't have as much of an issue if that pay was just built into the salary. I mean of course I am not anti-military...I have been in for almost 9 years...

The only problem I have with those on food stamps is that those receiving them should have to take a p*** test. Most do to get a job, food stamp applicants should be no different. Also NO alcohol, NO tobacco products nor any other items that could be considered 'luxury items' should be paid for with that help. As to the military, extra pay built into the salary doesn't sound bad to me. All in all though, today's troups are still getting better paid than we ever did. About time IMO.

As to Romney, he got what was coming to him regardless of who he was running against. Spoon-fed elitist.

cormac

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Also NO alcohol, NO tobacco products nor any other items that could be considered 'luxury items' should be paid for with that help.

that is how it is and always been, on paper, i used to work in food store, but sometimes cashiers close their eyes and take food stamps for none food items.

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The only problem I have with those on food stamps is that those receiving them should have to take a p*** test. Most do to get a job, food stamp applicants should be no different. Also NO alcohol, NO tobacco products nor any other items that could be considered 'luxury items' should be paid for with that help. As to the military, extra pay built into the salary doesn't sound bad to me. All in all though, today's troups are still getting better paid than we ever did. About time IMO.

As to Romney, he got what was coming to him regardless of who he was running against. Spoon-fed elitist.

cormac

I agree with you 100% The one good idea that I ever heard from a Republican was a drug test for those on food stamps. They proposed it Florida, but apparently they did not impliment it because it would cost more to drug test everyone...That means 1 of 2 things...either drug testing is WAY too expensive, or not that many people on food stamps actually do drugs. I mean (in my state at least) you need to have a job to get food stamps...they probably had to pass 1 drug test...

I do get p***ed off when people use food stamps to buy food and then get smokes and lottery tickets...but what are you going to do? You cannot control how people spend their cash...But the truth of the matter is that people are going to abuse a system, whether they are rich or poor. Screw those people though. We need things like food stamps for the people that do need them.

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