Navy cancels deployments, Air Force cancels air shows

[nittany03]

IE...this can't be a bluff. We can't ask guys who just came off deployment, surged, and then returned from surge to short notice turn to the crisis du jour.

Tell that to CAG-7 . . .

 

[lowflier03]

If senior leadership (both POTUS, Congress and all the folks with "The Honorable" as titles) wants to play these games fine, but they need to realize that if there is another Katrina, tsunami, earthquake or uprising in a foreign country, all we can do is watch it happen on CNN/FOX/MSNBC, etc and say, 'remember when we could have done something to help'?

You mean most of the same individuals who have not actually passed a budget since before the iPad was a reality, but seem to be able to give themselves pay raises. Yeah I really trust them to make logical choices based on the real world when they can't even do their damn job.

 

[MasterBates]

Tell that to CAG-7 . . .

CAG-7. We deploy so you don't have to!

(yes, I have that on a patch)

 

[HuggyU2]

DoD civil servants are also looking at being furloughed once a week from April until 30 Sept for a total of 22 days meaning they will lose a month of pay out of 5.

A 20% pay cut.
My neighbor across the street works for the CA gov't, and he had a similar thing happen 2-3 years ago. And most of them found work arounds.

Why this is such a major emotional item for folks is unfortunate.
How many industries have given 20% pay cuts to their employees in the past few years? Tons
And none of those pay cut situations involved getting a day off. No, everyone I know of worked the same amount for less.

Of course, there are plenty of airline pilots out there that would have loved to take a 20% cut in their flying schedule for a 20% cut in pay, instead of getting furloughed for 10+ years.

 

[wink]

And that's why some people are saying that if the cuts go through, it would have been better for us to have been hit with them at the "cliff", so the effects aren't just now compressed into half a year.

OK. This I see as a big problem and an unintended consequence of legislation that intended for this to be resolved the first time through. SO, it can be fixed by legislation. Maybe even a simple resolution. Just prorate it. They would still get their 10 year cut. Where is the problem?

And it's more than just some line items being sacred cows, even if we decided some stuff really wasn't absolutely vital, we (even the top levels of DOD) don't have budgetary authority to turn, say procurement or R&D cuts into OMN money to keep the lights on, planes flying, and ships at sea. Which is why CJCS is asking for reprogramming authority to be able to do just that.

So to go back to your household 10% budget analogy, it's more like if you got hit with a 10% pay cut, but now you could only adjust the food budget to realize those savings because even though there are other things you would probably want to touch first (utility usage, luxuries) can't be adjusted this year.

Which is why the country will go broke. Most of our expenses are entitlements that are virtually untouchable.

 

[BigRed389]

OK. This I see as a big problem and an unintended consequence of legislation that intended for this to be resolved the first time through. SO, it can be fixed by legislation. Maybe even a simple resolution. Just prorate it. They would still get their 10 year cut. Where is the problem?

Which is why the country will go broke. Most of our expenses are entitlements that are virtually untouchable.

Yeah, but without real world consequences being held hostage, the Congressional games of political brinksmanship wouldn't be nearly as fun.

Of course, the peasants get to deal with not being able to execute plans. This is also how we'll end up with a magic bucket of money for a spending spree at the end of the FY. I used to always wonder how when we complain about being underfunded all the time, we could end up with a stupid big chunk of money at the end of every year that we try to burn through like drunken sailors. Now I get it. Still stupid, but I get it.