Military Fat Cats

 Well its starting to happen. On the day before the 10^th

anniversary of 9/11,

FT carried and article about our “Military Fat Cats”.

The article explains that a government committee has

decided that it is too expensive to continue to pay for

military retirements. They suggest something, like a

401k, where the service members could “contribute”

to their own retirement. “You know that's the way

they do it in private industry”. As the saying goes,

“ Now they done stopped preachin' and gone to meddlin”.

I'm sure that will be a big drawing card for future

enlistments. “Hey guys, sign up, in addition to the

food stamps you're currently eligible for, now you'll

get a 401k retirement plan”. Course, they don't make

enough to pay “their fair share” of taxes, so why

should they be offered any retirement plan? That'll

be the next step. They shouldn't even be allowed to vote.

Perhaps the 401k plans will give a special provision

for withdrawing funds to defray the un-reimbursed

costs of frequent and unexpected relocations. I also

wonder if this highly informed committee, is aware

that unlike private industry, the military cannot just

resign whenever they want. If they have this option,

like civilians, they can just say “stuff it” when they

are given 24 hour notice that they are going to have

to leave their family for a 2 year tour in Thule,

Greenland, or a 7^th tour in combat.

 

So, the concept of military teams is out of the question.

There were several times during my 20 year career in the

Air Force when I would have opted out, if it had been

possible.

I could certainly see this coming. After 9/ll, there

was all this celebration over the valor and self

sacrifice of the firemen, police, and other of the first

responders.

Then also, there was all the praise for our heroic military.

Turns out—it's all hypocrisy. Many Americans like

to “fly the flag”, but don't ask them, to help pay the

hired hands for those who protect and serve.

Far right Republicans in the Tea Party, and their new

found concern of fiscal responsibility by state and

federal office holders, has led them to use police,

firemen and any other salaried public servants to

be held up in scorn over their pay and entitlements.

School teachers have also been singled out as drags

on our economy. Now it's being broadened to the military.

“We don't want to penalize, and tax, those who can

afford it, because it's not fair, since they're the producers”.

Some of these wealthy producers sign the “slave

labor” paychecks of part of the population of slobs

and slackers that don't pay (can't afford) income tax.

Others, have plenty of money available for good

paying jobs, but wisely find that it doesn't make sense

if there is no demand for their products.

The teachers have been singled out because a great

number belong to unions which seldom support

Republicans. I certainly never would have considered

joining a union, because I believe if employers treat

their employees right, there is no need. However,

I believe they have a right to exist because some

employers, readily abuse their employees, as

exemplified by Tennessee Ernie Ford's “Sixteen Tons”.

and public servants standing alone, have little chance

of survival in the ever changing political scene.

Some of the politicians, denigrate public schools and

teachers, in order that they can divert their public

school tax money to private schools for their

children.

The Tea Party's quest for a dramatically smaller

government, has sucked in a lot of secure elder

citizens. Many of these are retired on pensions

and/or social security and medicare. These seniors,

were intimidated by the thought that Obamacare

and big government spending might adversely

affect their medicare and social security. Perhaps

it would, but its repeal would also cause different

problems. Then they supported the Ryan plan that

would appear to safeguard their existing social

security but do away with it for the younger people

who had paid into it for years. They didn't realize

that people paying into their social security would

dry up, and the next round of tax cuts would

then effect them, because they would then be in

a minority. The final trap will have been sprung.

And that's what it's all about. Divide and conquer.

The military is the next group to demonize.

Split off one group after another, due to budgetary

considerations, and eventually there will not be

enough people to put up an organized defense

against the ultimate goal of the far right-- Plutocracy.

Isn't that the way all democracies have fallen?

They start of with noble intentions of equality and

liberty but once the middle class has been destroyed

and converted to serfs, the instability arises. That is

why Jefferson championed capitalism, but warned

“unregulated capitalism is a catastrophe”. The same

fate ultimately awaits dictatorships. Consider the

current Arab Spring revolutions.

Is that what is going to be next for us, when the middle

class continues to fall headlong down the economic

ladder and the military can no longer feed their families?