Military Retirement Cuts: Prelude To Coming Social Security Changes

Forbes ^ | 20 Dec 13 | Robert Laura

[SkyPilot]

As someone who is constantly researching retirement, I find the recent funding cuts to military retirees very disheartening. Worse yet, I see this as a move to establish ground zero for the testing of changes to Social Security benefits.

On Wednesday, the Senate passed a bipartisan budget that scales back cost of living adjustments for working age military retirees starting in 2015. Several sources including Military.com suggests that qualified participants could lose between $3,700 and $6,200 per year, or an aggregate between $83,000 and $124,000 before they retire based on rank, age and years of service.

Despite some protests, a few web articles, and assorted angry Facebook posts from former military personnel, it’s pretty much a done deal. The message seems clear: if you’re young (under the age of 62) and capable there will be no perks for you.

Whether you support the decision or not, the rapid process by which these benefits were stripped and seemingly limited public and media anger, may just be setting the stage for related actions within the Social Security program. It’s well documented that the Social Security fund is set to go bust by 2033, with some experts suggesting it could happen sooner. Whether it’s ten, fifteen or even twenty years away, that insolvency date needs to change for the system to survive, and the logical and now accepted way to do it is on the backs of those who can, and already are paying into the system.

[SkyPilot]

"Similar to military retirees’ cuts, expect changes to Social Security to happen quickly, with politicians explaining the bad news in percentages and the good news in dollars and cents. For example, on the campaign trail, the candidate’s message to military families is that this is just a small, simple 1% cut for a few years. However, when touting their leadership in deficit cutting and spending reduction, it’s portrayed as part of an important two-year, trillion-dollar deal. No one, however, talks about how military families may have to earn and/or save an extra $308 a month for the next ten or fifteen years to make up for the reduction.

I believe the author of this article, Robert Laura, is dead on with this theory (i.e. some in Congress think that using the military cuts, it will pave the way for Social Security cuts). Particularly Paul Ryan.

I agree there is something very tangible about his theory, because the slashing of COLAs for our retired military and currently serving military makes almost no fiscal or political sense whatsoever. By cutting cost of living raises for all retired and future retired military, the government (that spends $10.46 Billion per day), "saves" $6 Billion over ten years.

Is is really worth it? This betrayal of our military (right before Christmas) has set off a political time bomb, and even the general public is outraged. Paul Ryan's reputation among pro-military and many Conservatives has plummeted. His Facebook page comments are a disaster. Comments to news articles are overwhelmingly negative. Letters to expressing outrage are pouring in. Anyone with a conscious realizes that cutting pensions for military retirees (while we are giving away hundreds of Billions in new spending to ObamaCare takers, illegals, and the rest) is pornographic.

Disabled military retirees are not even exempt from these cuts. A proposed "technical correction" that both parties are proposing in January won't help most of them either - they only want to exempt those who retired early for injury, or even for non-combat or non-duty related illness. VA rated disabled or our severely wounded veteran retirees are not even mentioned - their retirement pensions are still to be cut (that's another story.....Hagel and Ryan don't want to exempt them because they want even more cuts to VA disability - exempting them from pension cuts won't help in their quest to screw our military even more in the future).

So why do it?

I believe some in Washington think they can parlay these cuts into general Entitlement cuts, but there are problems with this proposal:

1. The Democrats in the House and Senate have no desire to reform Social Security; even when a chained CPI cost of living proposal was sent to Harry Reid during the Fiscal Cliff negotiations last year, Reid literally threw it in his Senate office fireplace (really)

2. Using our military (including combat disabled retirees) as a pawn in the Washington game of entitlements and spending is beyond wrong

3. The military retiree and currently serving men and women in uniform should be the last group targeted for spending cut - NOT THE FIRST.

[SkyPilot]

Nice salute there Paul.

[2ndDivisionVet]

E-mail I received earlier about an anti-veteran union leader:

This was on facebook and of course created a huge response. facebook keeps deleting the pic and information and posts of what she said about vets.

Pass it around, get it out there.

I saved the pic, here is a link to a screenshot uploaded to photobucket.

Despicable woman.

http://s1360.photobucket.com/user/mellycoo22/media/1530418_635905939800226_539785827_n_zps539185e9.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

[Venturer]

What amazes me about this is that the same people who want to cut military pensions are pushing for a huge raise in the minimum wage.

Set the minimum wage increase on the cost of living increase and give them 1%.

[Irenic]

Wow. The best I can say about her, probably shouldn’t be said. What a cold and empty beach! Send her out on a ship and never let her hear anything of her country again.

[SkyPilot]

Nice.

What a beautiful human being.

[SkyPilot]

Jan Vrotsos creates page to bash Military Vets/Disabled; Labels page Republican Family Values

[maine yankee]

How many retirees are not paying attention to this news?

They will only notice when their check is smaller.

Notice this doesn’t kick in until after the next election.

[babble-on]

Thank GOD for Paul Ryan

[PLD]

these are the jerks that passed the bill to take money away from our troops..and don't forget the Muslim he wants it passed most of all..I guess to pay for his group vacations..REMEMBER THESE NAMES IN November.

[PLD]

She is a miserable old hag..she will be the one who dies a miserable death..

[PLD]

[Himyar]

As a legacy military family, this piece of filth needs to find out what sacrifice is. As far as useless, what’s more useless than some welfare skank with her daddy less kids. I don’t see them taking ANYTHING away from them.

[M Kehoe]

Imho, Jan Vrotsos is an ignorant, and ungrateful pos.

5.56mm

[SkyPilot]

Thank GOD for Paul Ryan

Letter slamming Paul Ryan over cut to military retirement benefits goes viral

[SkyPilot]

He kind of speaks for me here.

[RetiredArmy]

I’ve told every young person that I have been asked, NO. Do not go into the military. You are only going to be screwed and used and abused and tossed aside. It has taken me TWENTY ONE YEARS (21) TO WIN MY FIGHT WITH THE VA. I only just now, in my 60’s won and got my disability on FIVE surgeries that I have had in the past 6 years because of damages to my body in the military. Only now have I received what I should have been receiving for 21 years. At least from here to death (or Rapture of the Church) I will get something for the pain, suffering and disabilities of my damaged body. I tell these kids that IF they just have to go in, to go in for 3 years, learn a skill they can sell outside and GET OUT!!! NO FULL MILITARY CAREER. GET OUT. THEY WILL LIE TO YOU, SCREW YOU AND YOU WILL IN THE END GET BARELY ANYTHING THE LYING GOVERNMENT AND PENTAGON SAYS YOU WILL GET AFTER YOUR RETIRE!!! Tell all your young family members and friends this!!!

[SkyPilot]

It has taken me TWENTY ONE YEARS (21) TO WIN MY FIGHT WITH THE VA

Good for you. Unfortunately, your story is typical.

Thanks for your service, and I believe I speak for all your fellow brothers and sisters in arms when I say that it should never, ever have taken this long for the Federal government to recognize your injuries. Not in an age where people can walk to a booth in the street and walk away with 15 ObamaPhones in the pockets. Not in an age where illegal immigrants can bilk the taxpayers out of $4.2 Billion in child tax credits (each year) that they are not entitled to. Not in an age where 49 Million Americans walk around with plastic EBT SNAP cards they get reloaded with cash - each month.

At least you are in your 60s and are exempt from the cost of living cuts to your regular retirement pension. Again - good for you.

Do me a favor. Say a prayer for all the disabled retirees who suffered combat and service related injuries who are also VA disabled, but are not exempt from these pension cuts. Even with the "fix" that Ryan-Murray are attempting to snake oil peddle to the American people, those disabled warriors who were not medically retired early are not exempt.

Pray to God that His hand protects those veterans, those currently serving, and all military retirees from these Washington DC traitors.

[blueunicorn6]

Maybe they will cut the COLA to the social security recipients. They’ll just give them a bonus check. That’s what they did the last time we had a “shared sacrifice”. The military took the cut and the social security recipients took the checks.
The purpose of the Democrat party is to elect thieves into office so they can loot the public treasuries.

[PLD]

I never did drugs and could not and still cannot stand the taste of liquor..but we all sin every day and need forgiveness for a sin..so I go to God and ask..I don’t do many sins just when I get angry and wise someone bad and that is often..LOL