What is the pension plan for the military. I know I see a lot of very well off retired military living in very expensive homes. Now from what I understand, it's the lifers and ex-brass (and officers) who seem to be the ones better off than regular soldiers, but I come away from some of those houses thinking that they must have a wonderful pension to be able to afford a million dollar home.

(09-10-2016 07:04 AM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  What is the pension plan for the military. I know I see a lot of very well off retired military living in very expensive homes. Now from what I understand, it's the lifers and ex-brass (and officers) who seem to be the ones better off than regular soldiers, but I come away from some of those houses thinking that they must have a wonderful pension to be able to afford a million dollar home.

You have to complete 20 years minimum. The pension is 2-1/2% of your final pay, per year of completed service. So if you retire on 20 years, you get 50% of your base pay, starting the month after you retire, plus medical, exchange, PX, and other active duty privileges.

As for any complaints that's too much, put your life on the line for your country for 20 years, then let's talk.

(09-10-2016 07:41 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(09-10-2016 07:04 AM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  What is the pension plan for the military. I know I see a lot of very well off retired military living in very expensive homes. Now from what I understand, it's the lifers and ex-brass (and officers) who seem to be the ones better off than regular soldiers, but I come away from some of those houses thinking that they must have a wonderful pension to be able to afford a million dollar home.

You have to complete 20 years minimum. The pension is 2-1/2% of your final pay, per year of completed service. So if you retire on 20 years, you get 50% of your base pay, starting the month after you retire, plus medical, exchange, PX, and other active duty privileges.

As for any complaints that's too much, put your life on the line for your country for 20 years, then let's talk.

I could make the argument that it is too much. The amount of taxpayer money spent on that pension is insane. Plus they get medical, and other privileges which cost even more money.

Half the people who stay in 20 years do it out of necessity and because they know they can't do shiit else if they got out.

WIA should get pension. Those who served 20 years in critical-need MOS's should too.

But make no mistake, this system....like pretty much every system in this country, needs an enema.

A neighbor retired as an E-7 with 20 years service became a mailman and is ready to retire from that too. He's not too bright but he is a very hard worker. He's wife has been working for the VA and is ready to retire with a 70+k a year with a high school diploma.

It's a travesty that someone with a high school diploma makes that much but hey if they can get away with it, more power to them. There's no reason others can't do that. If they don't it's on them.

P.S. But they spend money like crazy on furniture and such but yet still haven't paid off their home. Unbelieveable.

We don't need more military spending. We need to trim the fat.

The truth is we are buckling our economy under the weight of our military spending.

(09-10-2016 07:00 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  We don't need more military spending. We need to trim the fat.

The truth is we are buckling our economy under the weight of our military spending.

We agree again

Depends what you consider fat. We need to strengthen the military here and spend less overseas. Thats where the fraud is.

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(09-10-2016 08:12 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  Depends what you consider fat. We need to strengthen the military here and spend less overseas. Thats where the fraud is.

Agree that's where at least a bunch of it is.

But what we really need to do is spend less in the DC metro area and strengthen the military elsewhere. And that goes for virtually every other federal program as well.

(09-10-2016 07:00 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  We don't need more military spending. We need to trim the fat.

The truth is we are buckling our economy under the weight of our military spending.

That's fine as long as you want to trim the fat elsewhere.

(09-10-2016 01:38 PM)olliebaba Wrote:  It's a travesty that someone with a high school diploma makes that much

Why?

(09-09-2016 09:24 AM)Fitbud Wrote:  

(09-09-2016 07:21 AM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  Building an efficient, well trained and powerful military is something I support fully.

Building?

I thought we already had one.

No..We don't have efficiency.

(09-10-2016 07:00 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  We don't need more military spending. We need to trim the fat.

The truth is we are buckling our economy under the weight of our military spending.

Yes...I repeat from above...
Building an efficient, powerful and well trained military is something I fully support.

...emphasis on efficient.

(09-11-2016 09:36 AM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  

(09-09-2016 09:24 AM)Fitbud Wrote:  

(09-09-2016 07:21 AM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  Building an efficient, well trained and powerful military is something I support fully.

Building?
I thought we already had one.

No..We don't have efficiency.

Actually, we don't have any of the three, at least not by comparison to what we should have or have had.

Our military is extremely efficient and well trained. Our foreign policy sucks, but y'all are wrong on the military.

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(09-07-2016 12:40 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(09-07-2016 12:35 PM)Greenroom Wrote:  How are we going to pay for this? Its nice to want, but as a Republican cannot raise taxes. Where are we really going to take money from? Social Security? When the military budget is already huge!

Easy: the Mexicans, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Koreans, European allies that we are currently serving and protecting for free, and through every other trade and defense deal that we are on the ass end of after we renegotiate.

Winning favor and gaining influence can actually be worth the expense. Besides, some of those countries actually appreciate our intervention.

Do you know what happened in the Balkans before we got involved? They cried to the West for help, and nobody ever came. It got so out of hand that we had to get involved to stall a genocide.

(09-11-2016 08:08 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  Our military is extremely efficient and well trained.

Incorrect. Very much incorrect.

Use the A10 Warthogs We already have and C130 Gunships, Apache Helicopters to obliterate ISIS both in the desert as well as in hiding in buildings. You can pinpoint their locations out with those planes and with Hellfire drones. Much more effective than what we currently hit & run with. There has never been a more effective air to ground fighter plane than the A10 or an Apache Helicopter. Plus Those aircraft are already paid for. We aren't talking about taking out a million man army here. If more airpower is needed You have F-16's and F-15's, F-22's and stealth bombers already paid for at the ready as well as cruise missles. 4 weeks max and the cancer is removed.

(09-12-2016 05:13 AM)CardFan1 Wrote:  We aren't talking about taking out a million man army here.

You're right.

It's more like 1.6 billion.

(09-11-2016 11:45 PM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  

(09-11-2016 08:08 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  Our military is extremely efficient and well trained.

Incorrect. Very much incorrect.

Reasoning?