All_Around_Brown

Apparently there has never before been a tax cut during wartime. Is this policy wise considering the future anticipated costs of our military deployment?

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bmf31c

The Defense Authorization Act for 2007 includes a 2.2% pay for US Servicemembers the LOWEST since 1994.

Here's a link:
http://www.military.com/features/0,1...RC=dodnews.RSS

So it begins. The troops will be the ones to carry the burden of not only fighting two wars at once but to see absolutely no more money in their pocket. By that I mean that the 2.2% wage increase only will cover inflation, they call it ECI or some crap but it's basically the same thing. They will spend 1.7 billion dollars on UAV's though....why? UBL going to be strolling down the sidewalk in Kabul?
Overdeployed, lied to and slapped in the face. The politicains are nothing more than a band of crooks, criminal and liars. F' them!

PatsFanInEaglesLand

Hey I agree with you 100% but the entitlement programs are what is killing the pay raise not the cost of the war or tax cuts, matter of fact tax cuts help because we pay taxes. So yeah it sucks and the politicians suck but what kinda of pay raises are Social Security and welfare recipients getting? How much could be saved by cutting politicans pensions, or making the lazy f-cks drive thier own cars, pay for their own crap I mean they make enough money. There are plenty of ways to cut government spending without getting rid of tax cuts.

bmf31c

I hear you, but the politicians are not going to give up anything. If the tax cuts have to go to ensure, our guys get what they need, so be it. I don't mean UAV's and stuff like that. I mean pay for troops, retention, armor, a shoulder fired weapon that doesn't jam when you sneeze on it, etc, etc.
If the country is at war, the country has to pay for the war. It should not fall on the shoulders of those that are fighting it to fund it.

bmf31c

You know what would help. Make military service tax-free. The taxes that the uniformed service pays isn't a pin drop in the tax collection revenue. That would give everyone a what, 28% raise? Novel idea to increase recruitment and retention!
How about a Senator stands up and votes NO on the congressional pay raise? Do it Jack Reed! You graduated from the long gray line, served in the 82nd, graduated from Ranger school. Don't forget your battle buddies now that you can make a difference.

DarrylS

I read the 2.2% raise this am, seems to be in poor form considering how difficult it is to retain troops and the tasks at hand. There has been a trend in the past 15 years or so to try to balance budgets on municipal, state and federal employees. However, in the case of the millitary there seems to be need to raise their salaries particularly in entry level positions to make the effort and money needed to train them worthwhile for the US.

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sdaniels7114

There's a reason why its never happened before, a tax cut during wartime. I'm not just talking about US history either. Its not like people who don't like to pay taxes at all just appeared 30 years ago, they've just never been pandered to to this extent before.

All_Around_Brown

I suspect the reason why tax cuts have never been done in wartime before is that those who authorize taking countries to war also assume the responsibility to pay for that decision and call on all constituents to share in the responsibility and sacrifice.

Here, we seem to have a system that allows for "war on the cheap", deferring and obfuscating the costs in perpetuity (or until some future sucker comes along and has to bite the bullet and raise taxes just to pay for the interest on the current borrowing).

Meanwhile, inflation is ready to explode...

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Patters

I could see cutting taxes during war as a way to win support for cutting the military budget as well. Of course, this situation would only come up if a corrupt President was confronted by a courageous Congress.

All_Around_Brown

howzaboutabump?

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