Bush says NO to 3.5% pay raise for troops

[Herman Munster]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/25/AR2007052501923.html

On this Memorial Day weekend, when Americans pause to think about their debt to the men and women who fight our wars, a battle of a different kind is going on -- a struggle between the White House and Congress over pay for the armed forces.

The difference seems small. President Bush proposed a 3 percent, across-the-board increase for all ranks. The House has passed a 3.5 percent increase, and the Senate, also under Democratic control, seems inclined to go along with the higher figure. In a May 16 memo outlining a series of objections to the House version of the defense authorization bill, the White House Office of Management and Budget termed the 3.5 percent increase "unnecessary." It said that "when combined with the overall military benefit package, the President's proposal provides a good quality of life for service members and their families."

That came as news to Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, a freshman Democrat from New Hampshire. She told her colleagues in the House that when her husband was an Army officer during the Vietnam War, "I was a military spouse, and I lived on military pay. It is very difficult to do that. But we do that with honor and with gratitude for the chance to serve this country."

But Shea-Porter said she had to wonder at the values of a president who supports billions of dollars in tax cuts but balks at adequately raising the pay of the soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen. "How much does this really mean?" she asked. Not that much for many in the ranks. "For an E-4 it means $200 a year. Two hundred dollars a year!"

[SeattleGirl]

1. Dear Mr. pResident:

GO FUCK YOURSELF!!!!!!!!!!!

Support the troops, my fucking ass! :grr: :grr: :grr:

[kimmylavin]

2. Hear! Hear!

WHAT A HYPOCRITE!!!

[Sherman A1]

4. Well Said!

Couldn't have said it any better.....

[Selatius]

3. Why can't we cut the pay of the President as punishment?

[blondeatlast]

12. Take it from Evil Dick's Halliburton earniings... nt

[undeterred]

5. Get yer yellow magnetic ribbon here...

[no_hypocrisy]

6. Did I correctly understand that each member of Blackwater gets $900 per day?

And Blackwater does a lot of the work that otherwise went to the military?

[3waygeek]

7. * had no problem accepting a 100% pay raise

when he took office -- he gets $400,000 per year whereas Clinton & previous Presidents got only $200,000.

[SammyWinstonJack]

19. ...

:thumbsup:

[lonestarnot]

8. And someone posted wondering if he thought about or felt remorse for their deaths and injuries.

hmmmmmf. That fucker knows no bounds for intentional infliction of misery.

[Swamp Rat]

9. k&r

[patricia92243]

10. Will this be in the MSM every waking breath? I think not. n.t

[karynnj]

26. It should be

[Olney Blue]

11. "the Presidents proposal provides a good-quality of life"

They never stop lying

[Robbien]

13. As usual Bush find the most outrageous thing to do and then does it

and then smirks.

Puts to mind a picture of a little boy pulling wings off of butterflies or setting a cat's tail on fire. He does it because he can.

[bdamomma]

18. he does it because he can, cuz, no one can stop him???

[SpiralHawk]

14. Commander AWOL and republicon cronies HATE our troops

Because they are ASHAMED of their own Chickenhawk Crony status.

And well they should be ashamed.

[lonestarnot]

15. kick

[KharmaTrain]

16. Sometimes Talking Points Are A Good Thing

It should be required of every Democrat speaking in a military area or to a predominately military audience to always mention how "Boooshie vetoed your pay raise and benefits". The corporate media have given this asshat and his total disdain for the military...from deserting to shitting on the Iraqi veterans, but that doesn't mean we should. This regime has totally abused the military and it's time to call Repugnicans on their bullshit of "supporting the troops".

[bdamomma]

17. he is nothing but an a$$hole, yea

he really cares about the troops doesn't he??? :sarcasm:

[porphyrian]

20. Bush is a piece of shit traitor. - n/t

[Matsubara]

21. Starting pay for our cannon fodder: $1203.90

Granted, these guys get room, board, and better health care than a lot of us civilians get,

but still, $300/wk before taxes is not so hot.

http://www.army.com/money/payrates_enlisted_a07.html


The officers make a lot more, though:

http://www.army.com/money/payrates_officer_a07.html

[karynnj]

22. Congresswoman Shea -Porter has a nice comment on it

"That came as news to Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, a freshman Democrat from New Hampshire. She told her colleagues in the House that when her husband was an Army officer during the Vietnam War, "I was a military spouse, and I lived on military pay. It is very difficult to do that. But we do that with honor and with gratitude for the chance to serve this country."

But Shea-Porter said she had to wonder at the values of a president who supports billions of dollars in tax cuts but balks at adequately raising the pay of the soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen. "How much does this really mean?" she asked. Not that much for many in the ranks. "For an E-4 it means $200 a year. Two hundred dollars a year!"

Bush is comparing raises under him - that happened because of 1999 legislation - to increases under Clinton!

"The White House does not see it as Shea-Porter does. A spokesman for the president told me that military pay has increased 28 percent since 2000 -- more than in a comparable period during the Clinton presidency. Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, who is spearheading the fight for the higher figure on his side of the Capitol, pointed out in an interview that in 1999 Congress established the principle that military pay should increase each year by one-half of 1 percent above the Employment Cost Index -- a measure of civilian pay standards. But the administration says that requirement expired two years ago, and since then, Kerry said, that standard has not been met; last year, the raise was only 2.2 percent, the lowest since 1994. The administration says the long-term pay goal has been met; Kerry insists that a catch-up raise is still needed.

[karynnj]

23. forgot to mention,

the risk of serving was lower under Clinton.

[Hubert Flottz]

24. And the Supreme Court Justasses couldn't make it on...

$180,000.00 a year...

[Coexist]

25. and yet somehow the DEMOCRATS would be made to look like

we don't support the troops.

WTF is wrong with this country? With our leadership?