The MOAA has created a handy web form in order to contact our ELECTED officials if you want to voice your displeasure:
http://capwiz.com/moaa/issues/alert/?alertid=62956286
http://capwiz.com/moaa/issues/alert/?alertid=62956286
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Government Shutdown - Take action for or against saluting
- Thread starter ea6bflyr
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Boo-fucking-hoo. You can't use a commissary or an exchange. How utterly terrible.
Regardless of you what you might think, that is actually a huge deal for some families.
I think the days of getting a good "deal" at the commissary or exchange are past. Nothing a Walmart or Target (or whatever convenience store you choose) can't provide - usually at a cheaper price.
And I don't feel obligated to let someone bag my shit and then have to tip them like they just spent an hour waiting on me at a restaurant...
I used the form, but re-wrote the letter into what I feel is a stronger argument against the shutdown. The language of that letter was very muted, in my opinion.
How about the families not getting death benefits, or the contractors being able to pay their bills, or the servicemembers who are having to shoulder the load while the subject matter experts in many areas are furloughed.
This isnt about commissary privileges, get off your high fucking horse and realize there is more to this than that. Oh and every time our elected "representatives" (and i use that term loosely because they certainly dont represent the general population anymore) decide to play chicken with our country, the citizens are the ones who suffer. Just wait till shit like this causes quality people to realize there are greener pastures where their paycheck isn't subject to the whims of idiots in office. Even better when the rest of the world realizes how stupid this is and our international credit rating starts taking hits. This isnt about partisan politics. This entire boondoggle is the fault of both parties and both the House and Senate.
Sorry, but if you live in a town of, say >75,000, there's really no justification for a commissary, or much of the non-service-specific items at the exchange. Taxpayer subsidized groceries or goods at a rate commensurate with out in town? One of the first things I'd kill if I were slashing military budgets.
Don't get me wrong, I love not paying sales tax on stuff, but when you're looking to cut, I'd cut there long before gas for aircraft.
/last post was drunk, so ya... tad harsh and from left field.
Don't get me wrong, I love not paying sales tax on stuff, but when you're looking to cut, I'd cut there long before gas for aircraft.
/last post was drunk, so ya... tad harsh and from left field.
I'd start cutting with your bonus.
Pretty cynical post. May not mean much to you, but it surely does to the Marines you lead.
BzB
Why don't you mention that to MOAA? The first thing they mention in their form letter is the commissaries, not folks who aren't getting death benefits or SMEs being furloughed. Seriously? They care about reduced priced groceries more than that other stuff apparently. I let my initial MOAA membership lapse because I think they have their priorities misplaced, this stuff exemplifies it for me.
The form makes it easier to find and contact your elected officials. What you say in your letter to them is up to you...if you don't like the form letter, then write your own in order to voice your own opinion.
Or you can just bitch about the inability of our government to take action while doing the same...
Or you can just bitch about the inability of our government to take action while doing the same...
mtsupilot09
"We lookin fo you. We gon find you!"
Every day it seems we are getting closer and closer to being very effected by this shut down; no more sims (okay that's actually kind of nice at least for a little while) or use of the Training Facilities during certain hours. The limitation (see: elimination) of flight hours seems to be approaching given the state of a current "tactical hard deck" even before this latest circus show and according to DFAS, they don't even know how to interpret the Pay Our Military Act. Their own website, which was updated yesterday, explains:
"Military: Active, Reserve, and National Guard members will be paid on time for pay entitlements earned September 30 or earlier. Military members cannot be paid for duty performed after the expiration of the current CRA on September 30," even though POTUS signed the Pay Our Military Act into law...it doesn't really matter if the people writing the pay checks don't even know how to interpret it.
Luckily the entitlement programs keep on rolling through the shut down, unless there is a true default. I mean how terrible would it be if people had their Obama Phones shut off and stopped getting their food stamps? What a tragedy that would be. For crying out loud, there are Federal prisons that can't pay their guards while the inmates continue to earn pay through their work inside the prison. SMH.
What do we pay these clowns in DC to do anyways? The more they talk the less they do. It's better to be thought of as an idiot than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
"Military: Active, Reserve, and National Guard members will be paid on time for pay entitlements earned September 30 or earlier. Military members cannot be paid for duty performed after the expiration of the current CRA on September 30," even though POTUS signed the Pay Our Military Act into law...it doesn't really matter if the people writing the pay checks don't even know how to interpret it.
Luckily the entitlement programs keep on rolling through the shut down, unless there is a true default. I mean how terrible would it be if people had their Obama Phones shut off and stopped getting their food stamps? What a tragedy that would be. For crying out loud, there are Federal prisons that can't pay their guards while the inmates continue to earn pay through their work inside the prison. SMH.
What do we pay these clowns in DC to do anyways? The more they talk the less they do. It's better to be thought of as an idiot than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
Spekkio
He bowls overhand.
The justification is that there are enlisted servicemembers, typically junior ones not making a whole lot of money, who don't have cars and use base facilities as their closest access to food and other consumable products. And there are some motivated people who do have cars who shop at multiple supermarkets just to find the best deal because those savings can add up over the course of the year.
Besides, you're asking the wrong question. You should be asking why the Commissary needs government subsidies just to match the prices at local value supermarkets while selling produce that could not be called 'fresh' by most standards.
Increase the quality of fresh food at the commissary (produce and meats), remove the obligatory $2 bagger tip, which is particularly annoying when you're picking up just enough items to exceed the self-checkout limit but not enough to drive said tip below 30% of your bill, and remove the mandatory MWR surcharge, and you'd already increase the amount of servicemembers who shop there without altering the prices of any items.
As col said, if you want to axe these base support facilities, you should be ready to have someone take a hard look at bonuses and special pays. Not to mention the GI bill that you can confer to your dependents and retirement obligations which are quickly ballooning as people live longer. Those cost the DoD a ton more than operating the Commissary.
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