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What do you think of the draft legislation that would boost troops' pay by 2.1 percent?

 

 

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They deserve more pay than what is proposed. I can tell you congress does not deserve what they want for doing nothing. Military is out there protecting their lives and not getting enough pay

Submitted by Jose Ortiz (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 4:10pm

Big 10-4 on that

Submitted by Larry Hayley (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 4:14pm

It is a disgrace that those in the service are treated as badly as they are. We should be proud of those who serve. Instead Welfare recipients in many cases receive better care.
They cut the number of men and women in the service and what happens....welfare since there are no jobs. Wake up America and smell the roses.

Submitted by Ouch (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 4:17pm

Agree they deserve more, stupid congress. They will then turn around and give themselves a huge raise, you wait and see.

Submitted by Harry Merrifield (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 4:18pm

Although, I think that it should be 3%

Submitted by Peter Sawyer (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 4:27pm

Let's get rid of Obama then all will improve. Retired need pay increase to keep up with inflation

Submitted by RNelson (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 4:30pm

The medical care in the Oklahoma City V.A. hospital is very poor. It is hard to believe that veterans would ever be treated like they are. I have a 20 % disability as a WW 2 Marine and can't get dental care, because you have to be100% disabled, but I can go to a 7-11 store and kill the clerk an go to prison where I can get free dental care, or if I were an illegal immigrant I would free dental care. Isn't wonderful to live in a country that treats prisoners and illegal immigrants better that their veterans.

Submitted by Roy W. Dowdell,... (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 4:38pm

agree. stop supporting the ILLEGALS and start supporting the veterans who put their lives on the line for this country all the time.

Submitted by Sandra DeCamp (not verified) : Apr 22, 2016 5:45am

It's about time they get something. Maybe congress can give them a percentage of their next raise, at least then our tax money would be used for someone who really deserves it.

Submitted by Toby Fencl (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 4:47pm

The Republican controlled congress could care less about a pay raise or better health care for our troops and veterans. They don't send their kids into battle but they're the first to take benefits away from our servicemen and women and veterans. They've blocked every effort of the Obama administration to raise pay or properly fund the VA. I retired from the VA and every year I worked there, I saw the means test rob veterans of the benefits they earned in serving our country. Republicans don't like paying taxes themselves and have tried to undo the FDR New Deal legislation for years. Once they privatize the VA, veterans will have to fend for themselves in the failed for profit health care system the rest of deal with. Don't think for one minute privatizing the VA would result in any kind of an improvement for veterans but it will be a windfall for the for profit healthcare industry.

Submitted by Don Ford (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 5:06pm

You're premise is fine, but you attribute the issues only the GOP. Democrats pissed away billions on solyndra and social welfare programs that produced zip! I blame both parties for putting our troops to far down on the priority list.

Submitted by Ronald J Stanis... (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 5:13pm

Don you are 100% correct.

Submitted by EH (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 5:45pm

Both Republicans and Democrats treat veterans shabbily.
Remember when the families had to buy bullet proof vests They had bake sales and special events to raise money. The politicians have their priority all screwed
At the same time the soldiers where in Iraq in 120 degree weather sweating while the politicians were in their air conditioned offices. Something's terribly wrong there.
Remember the rich man starts wars and the poor man fights them.

Bring back the draft and let everybody get an understanding of what it's all about.

Submitted by LM (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 11:44pm

The 2.1% raise is woefully inadequate unless its for multiple years. Our service members sacrifice mu h for too little. Hey congress don't cheap out on our troops, give them a multi year raise.

Submitted by Ronald J Stanis... (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 5:10pm

I didn't know when the last raise I received. But the Congressman and Senator make Sure they get there's.And our troops get craped on.

Submitted by SFC. RET. James... (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 5:27pm

Congress likes to send the service person to war and then forget about him/her when it comes time for earned benefits. This pay raise is better than nothing but not by much. I'm sure our GOP Congress has set aside enough corporate welfare to insure themselves a lobbist job after their congressional term(s).

Submitted by EH (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 6:18pm

Rather small raise... kind of like the one I remember that was just enough to bump me up a tax bracket. The resulting check from dear uncle actually went DOWN a couple cents!

Submitted by So.AZVet (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 6:34pm

Bear in mind that armed forces personnel are just more federal employees - and all of them are volunteers. Considering that service personnel are not just paid but are also fed and are largely housed and also receive medical & dental care on the taxpayer dollar while their dependents receive free medical & dental care and their children are also educated on tax dollars, the present pay rates are entirely apt (in addition, once they become veterans they're eligible for all sorts of VA benefits). In fact, I would slash the pay of the officer ranks - have you see the retirement pay of colonels and generals, and the lifetime health care & other bennies they also receive on the taxpayer's back? I'm not opposed to decent pay for service personnel, but I'm also not blind to the plethora of freebies they receive that do not come out of their pay, so the points made above merely put into perspective the solitary matter of pay, which does not exist in isolation from the benefits listed above.

Submitted by Jordynne Olivia Lobo (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 6:39pm

So have you served in the United States Armed Forces? If you haven't then you really no nothing of which you speak. Would you put your life on the line for the United States for the pay & medical care they receive today?

Submitted by mark steuber DAV (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 6:47pm

I'm an honorably discharged veteran and have for the last twelve years been an American Legionnaire. During my naval service, on the pay I earned - plus the housing, chow, medical & dental care that I did not have to pay for - I lacked nothing and even managed to sock away the beginnings of a decent nest egg. Pay must not be considered in isolation from all the other taxpayer-subsidized benefits military personnel and their dependents receive, for which nothing comes out of service personnel's pay.

Submitted by Jordynne Olivia Lobo (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 9:33pm

Not knocking the Navy but not everyone gets a food stipend. And the Army chow is not always something worth eating. During my 11 years in the Barracks (if you want to call that housing) was nothing more than a concrete box. That's not a luxury living space. I spent most of my time on a 4 hour recall and deployed which meant on duty 24/7. This small pay increase doesn't come close to covering anyone who works those kind of hours. Then again I didn't always have a bed to sleep in.

Submitted by Jeff Brady (not verified) : Apr 22, 2016 8:23am

What was your MOS.

Submitted by Don A. (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 7:02pm

Serve your country first then you can comment

Submitted by Disabled Vet 5 (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 7:21pm

Give a much larger raise to soldiers who put their lives on the line. That would help with retention.

Now the Generals and other officers who call the shots from a neighboring friendly country deserve less of a percentage raise

Submitted by LM (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 11:23pm

are you a veteran? have you ever served? your comments are a slap in my face. FREE medical and dental at taxpayer expense? I don't get dental and I am a veteran and widow of a veteran who served in Viet Nam, Korea, & Thailand all without family. I get half my husband's retirement pay. have you tried living on less than $800/mo? I still have a mortgage, doctors bills, dental, utilities, etc along with the normal things many others have. and as far as the medical, try getting an appointment in the VA system. I have waited over 30 days for an orthopedic appt. I don't know about the retirement pay of higher ranking officers but my husband and myself were enlisted doing the work. do not CEOs of corporations get large benefit packages? I think you need to get your facts straight before spouting off.

Submitted by Sandra DeCamp (not verified) : Apr 22, 2016 5:36am

Our brothers and sisters in the service of this country deserve more money & the best health care available.

Submitted by mark steuber DAV (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 6:40pm

Kind of a slap in the face if you ask me. 2.1%!WTF
Congress wants service"men" to pay for their own retirement, already have co-pay on medical and housing is going up. What was the pay raise Congress gave themselves recently. What great kids they are joining the military knowing the benefits are crap.

Submitted by Slapshot88 (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 7:21pm

2.1 percent! Yes it's a pay raise, but it's still not enough. The politicians who control how much the Military makes make big paychecks, but when the troops who actually do the fighting to preserve the freedoms we take advantage of, they get a lousy 2.1 percent. Washington politicians should be ashamed of themselves. Maybe if they had to actually go to war and see, up close and personal, what our troops have to deal with, they might decide that America's Fighting Men and Women deserve far more. Military pay is still below the poverty line. Wake up Washington, stop screwing the people who are keeping this country free. Give our troops what they deserve. A 10.5 percent pay increase sounds much better to me.

Submitted by Gerry Wood (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 8:29pm

AMEN

Submitted by william capen (not verified) : Apr 22, 2016 3:33am

2.1 percent is fair, but not enough. They need to0 put themselves in the militaries shoes. They have no idea, 24/7/365 any time anywhere. They cant pay them enough as far as I'm concerned. I'm not concerned about a pay raise for me (Retire4d Army), although I like many could use, but the ones carrying the load are never paid enough.

Submitted by Rolland G Martin (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 8:57pm

How about a law the caps all Congressional pay raises at 1/2 of what they gave the military each year?

Submitted by SGT Andy (not verified) : Apr 21, 2016 10:50pm

The pay raise is not enough. How much do you pay members of the military for putting their lives one the line for your freedom??? What ever it is. it would not be enough.

Submitted by Clair S Shaffer... (not verified) : Apr 22, 2016 7:25am

Cut congress & senate pay by 50 %.. Give vet"s a 25% raise. Stop all aid to Rag Heads. No funds for Illegals.

Submitted by ed poisson , USMC (not verified) : Apr 22, 2016 8:35am

With you 100 percent. It seems to me that the illegals have priority over Veterans. A Walter Reed situation would not have happened to immigrants, including illegals.

Submitted by Joe Domhan (not verified) : Apr 23, 2016 10:13am

The pay raise is fair, but could always be more. I recently retired from active duty. The benefits, pay, and quality of life are much better than many people who served decades ago perceive it to be. If it wasn't, I would not have stayed in for 26 years.

Submitted by Flatulent Fred (not verified) : Apr 22, 2016 12:19pm

I went to college on the GI Bill. When I was on Active Duty, I had to make monthly contributions for the GI Bill. I therefore paid with my time in service and financially. It bothers me when politicians push for "free" college tuition even for illegal immigrants.

Submitted by Joe Domhan (not verified) : Apr 23, 2016 10:22am

After many years of 1% or 2% raises? Our servicemen and women will accept that--but as a former Army retention NCO I know our spouses won't. I cannot blame them. Give pay equal to service. If that means shorting social programs so be it. 8% raise should be a start, equal to a catch-up raise in the early 90s that (even then) didn't close the gap between military service and civilian raises.

Submitted by WSloan : Apr 23, 2016 11:09pm

2.1 percent not enough. How about 10 percent? AND, lower commissary prices 10 percent. Pissing on the military and their families has gone too far for too long. What is it worth to give your life for your country? 2.1 percent?

Submitted by Robert Stowe (not verified) : Apr 25, 2016 10:10pm