Military Retiree Benefits Vulnerable

Say What?!

"given the public’s broad support for helping troops"

Oh the military retirement system should be changed, especially now after these two wars of choice so publicly supported and rubber stamped by the Congress and any more wars of same in the future. But not as the talk is once again heading related to the Military and Veterans of. It should be changed, especially for those who've served in these, rubber stamped on the credit card, theaters and especially those who've served multiple tours. The retirement time should be lowered to ten or twelve years, with only a small percentage cut from the now twenty years of service, and given the rest of the full benefits. The Veterans Administration should finally be fully funded, after the decades of not, and the veterans listened to and not ignored, once again as they have been over these past decades. The Country is way past due on 'Sacrifice' especially related to those who serve, fully fund and build the VA that should always have been thus saving money in the long term, and only needing to maintain with the advances in all technology with it's own upgraded r&d and record keeping as well. Stop laying blame at the VA for it's the Countries responsibility that it's been running from! This is not any political ideology but what the Country owes those who serve it especially as these wars of choice are cheered on, creating more hatreds towards us, instead of ignoring the soldier when they return and or givin only lip service and false symbols and calling that 'patriotism'.

As Congress struggles to cut debt

Deficit agreement under which Pentagon must find billions in reductions may force cuts once considered unthinkable

9/19/2011 - As Washington looks to squeeze savings from once-sacrosanct entitlements like Social Security and Medicare, another big social welfare system is growing as rapidly, but with far less scrutiny: the health and pension benefits of military retirees.

Military pensions and health care for active and retired troops now cost the government about $100 billion a year, representing an expanding portion of both the Pentagon budget — about $700 billion a year, including war costs — and the national debt, which together finance the programs.

Making even incremental reductions to military benefits is typically a doomed political venture, given the public’s broad support for helping troops, the political potency of veterans groups and the fact that significant savings take years to appear.

But the intense push in Congress this year to reduce the debt and the possibility that the Pentagon might have to begin trimming core programs like weapons procurement, research, training and construction have suddenly made retiree benefits vulnerable, military officials and experts say.

And if Congress fails to adopt the deficit-reduction recommendations of a bipartisan joint Congressional committee this fall, the Defense Department will be required under debt ceiling legislation passed in August to find about $900 billion in savings over the coming decade. Cuts that deep will almost certainly entail reducing personnel benefits for active and retired troops, Pentagon officials and analysts say. read more>>>

No Revenues = Still No Sacrifice = That's Called 'Support' For The Troops = DeJa-Vu all over again, Shared Sacrifice My A**!!
As those war profiteers who ordered are still profiteering and not only on books, their wealthy class does as well, directly or indirectly, and none are taxed to boot!
No Sacrifice now a decade plus long added to the previous decades!!