Members of Congress will be paid average of $477 a day even in shut down

Here's a great update for you.

ANGRY REACTION

Many U.S. troops live paycheck to paycheck, with the average junior enlisted member -- typically with just a high school degree -- drawing a salary of about $43,000 per year.

Troops are political dynamite in budget battle
By Phil Stewart
WASHINGTON | Fri Apr 8, 2011 3:07pm EDT
(Reuters) - A looming government shutdown would be felt thousands of miles away by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and there could be a high political cost for the lawmakers who let it happen.

Soldiers will not get their paychecks for the duration of the shutdown, leaving their families at home struggling to pay the bills.

Some relatives are already furious.

"Thanks for sending my husband to war and not paying him in return," the wife of one soldier exclaimed on a website, fearing delayed pay in the case of a shutdown.

The sharp reaction among military families underscores the political dangers for Republicans and Democrats if they fail to reach agreement on funding the government for the remainder of fiscal 2011 by midnight on Friday.
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Troops are political dynamite in budget battle

Bachmann, along with other members of congress, are saying they will give up their paychecks during a shutdown. Bachmann went so far as to say that her pay will go to organizations serving military families. While this is a great publicity stunt, she does not mention which charities she plans on giving to any more than she says which ones she normally donates to in the first place. Remember she is the same person wanting to make huge cuts in the VA and stop disabled veterans from getting Social Security along with disability benefits from the VA. This could very well be another stunt to redeem herself in their eyes, but it won't work. Add up the number of days the troops won't be paid and then ask yourself if her pay or the pay of any of them is worth what they will have to go through. Try telling them that this is just a "slowdown" and not a shutdown when they don't get to slow down in Afghanistan, slow down dying, slow down being wounded and their families don't get to slow down worrying. This all adds to the burden they have to carry because people like Bachmann want to have it all their own way.

While she is at it, maybe she could even explain it to the wounded veterans waiting to have their claim processed that they have to slowdown eating and paying their bills so what little money they do have left lasts longer.

Bachmann would skip pay during shutdown
12:03 AM, Apr. 8, 2011
Written by
Larry Bivins
Times Washington correspondent

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann announced Thursday that she would forgo her congressional pay if the federal government is forced to shut down because of a failure by lawmakers and the White House to reach a spending agreement.

Bachmann’s statement came as President Barack Obama continued to meet with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to find enough common ground to keep the government from shutting down at midnight tonight.

“I have serious reservations about the fact that Congress and the president will continue to receive a timely paycheck during a government slowdown,” Bachmann said. “Unfortunately, current law prevents our military men and women from receiving their pay on time if government services are interrupted. Because of this discrepancy between the troops and members of Congress, I will personally be donating my pay to a nonprofit organization serving our military families.”

The annual salary for members of Congress is $174,000, meaning Bachmann, R-Stillwater, would give up roughly $477 for each day the shutdown is in effect.
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Bachmann would skip pay during shutdown

Defense Department will have no funds to pay service members

How a shutdown would affect troops, families
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Apr 7, 2011 17:48:56 EDT
If the government shuts down at midnight on Friday, what are service members and Defense Department civilians expected to do? How will they be paid? What installation functions will remain open?

The intensifying budget crisis on Capitol Hill has sparked many concerns throughout the military community. While some details remain unclear, Pentagon officials have put out guidance in a number of key areas. Here’s a rundown of what is known:

REPORTING FOR DUTY
Uniformed service members are not subject to furlough and must report to duty as normal during a shutdown. Reserve component personnel should refer to the DoD Contingency Guidance document and to their chain of command for specific information.

DoD civilian personnel must still report to work on their next scheduled duty day at their normal time and await further instructions.

The military will continue to conduct operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Japan, Libya-related support operations, and “other operations and activities essential to the security of our nation,” Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn said in a message to the DoD workforce Thursday.

PAY
If the government shuts down, the Defense Department will have no funds to pay service members or civilian employees for the days during which the government is shut down.
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How a shutdown would affect troops, families

Marines try to make the most of Thanksgiving in Afghanistan

Marines try to make the most of Thanksgiving in Afghanistan
By Geoff Ziezulewicz
Stars and Stripes
Published: November 25, 2010
ADRASKAN NATIONAL TRAINING CENTER, Afghanistan — If he were back home Thursday, Marine Lance Cpl. Chad Berry would have eaten turkey and ham at the home of one of his sets of grandparents in Tennessee. If it was his father’s side of the family, they’d go deer hunting after dinner, then come home and eat some more.
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Marines try to make the most of Thanksgiving in Afghanistan

Our troops need more time between deployments

Our troops need more time between deployments

A Marine is reunited with his family at Twentynine Palms after a fifth tour of duty to Iraq. (Lance Iversen / The Chronicle)

Ellen Tauscher

Thursday, February 12, 2009
Having fought two wars on two fronts for more than seven years, our troops are tired and our military's equipment is worn out.

The demands of multiple deployments in quick succession have taken a toll on our troops, who suffer on a personal level, experiencing higher rates of suicide, divorce and post-traumatic stress disorder. This has hampered the military's ability to respond to another crisis somewhere else in the world to protect America's interests.

That's why Congress must pass legislation making sure the military services guarantee "dwell time," a period of time to rest and regroup, for our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.

Active-duty troops should have at least a month of rest for every month they were deployed in a combat zone. Reservists and National Guardsman should have at least three months of rest for each month of deployment.

The pace of deployments needed to sustain combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan has taken a toll on our servicemen and servicewomen, who silently endure emotional fatigue and distress. They have missed their children's births, their parents' funerals and learned of divorces on blogs and Web sites.
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Deployed soldiers are paying attention to election, but wish someone paid attention to them

Is the economy important in this election? Absolutely! But imagine being in Iraq or Afghanistan right now and noticing how little coverage there is in either place. Would you feel as if anyone cared anymore? It keeps getting forgotten that everything that happens here affects them just as much as it does us because they have family here dealing with it and know they will have to return to it as well. They just have the extra burden on their shoulders trying to do their duty and stay alive. Why have the politicians forgotten them?

McCain, well he still wants to use them to sell his "I know how to win wars" but never addresses the simple fact the surge of troops had little to do with it and it was the rest that went on to reduce the violence and our troops dying as well as the Iraqis. Obama is focused on the economy and says that he wants to bring the troops home from Iraq and build up forces in Afghanistan. Aside from that, they are hardly mentioned.

One other missing subject in this election is the veterans, especially the wounded veterans needing care. McCain says he cares about them but his votes have proven he really doesn't. Obama serves on the Veterans Affairs Committee and has been part of the changes for the better in the VA, but we are left to wonder why it is Obama never really brings any of this up. Why wouldn't he be proud of his record on veterans issues compared to McCain? While they will say there are only so many hours in the day, it would be a wonderful thing if some reporter interviewing them would at least bring the subject of the troops deployed and the veterans who have been wounded at least once in a while. They noticed.

Soldiers see wars, economy as key election concerns
European edition, Friday, October 31, 2008



For Staff Sgt. Derek Detherow, based in Baghdad’s Sadr City district, the Iraq war is by far the biggest issue in the upcoming U.S. elections.

After all, the decisions that the future president will make on the war will directly affect him.

"The biggest thing in my life is here in Iraq," Detherow, who is with 1st Battalion, 35th Armor Regiment, said recently. "I can’t see too much beyond that."

Detherow said he doesn’t like how little attention is paid to his soldiers who are out working every single day. Yet he also acknowledged that there was some good in not being such a hot topic this year.

"The way I look at it, there are pros and cons of both the Republicans and the Democrats, and I don’t really favor either side," said Pvt. Gabriel Esquero, 25, of Alamogordo, N.M. "I’m just for whatever presidential candidate is ready to build the economy back up."

Esquero added that he believed both candidates had failed to talk enough to voters about what is at stake in Afghanistan.

"I think a lot of people fail to know what the issues are here," he said. "A lot of people think this is a wasted effort here."
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