If government shuts down, so would troop pay

[Admin]

If government shuts down, so would troop pay (http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/03/military-contingency-plan-government-shutdown-031111w/)

U.S. troops could be required to report to work without pay if a budget clash in Congress results in a government-wide shutdown, according to draft planning guidance circulating in the Pentagon.

[Jake the Skillet]

Congress doesn't have the balls

[Wes]

Congress doesn't have the balls

You think they're afraid we will all just quit? Ha.

I'm not a huge fan of decisions made in D.C. lately. Don't ever forget how stupid people become, especially politicians in a large group.

[kleinmi3]

If government shuts down, so would troop pay (http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/03/military-contingency-plan-government-shutdown-031111w/)

U.S. troops could be required to report to work without pay if a budget clash in Congress results in a government-wide shutdown, according to draft planning guidance circulating in the Pentagon.


Psssssh, I almost wish they would to teach a bunch of folks a lesson...it's called having an "emergency fund" in the case that something "bss aackwards" like this happens. No but really, I know that we'd just get a backpay check when congress removes their heads from their asses, so I won't stress. For the folks that don't have a rainy day fund and live paycheck to paycheck (The E-3's with a house that they paid zero money down on and a wife and 5 kids) they might be screwed. We'll see what happens. My personal opinion is that a little fiscal discipline goes a long way for our future generations. Just my .02 cents.

[Associate289]

I hope they all get fucked in the ass with a cheese grater. This is your fucking job. Do it. Both sides of the aisle can eat a big fat dick. Unbelievable.

[Armor_Warrior]

I doubt this will happen again. I think the Republicans learned their lesson the last time. Everybody blamed them for the furlough and considering that they are about to start the run up to the Presedential Election they can't avoid the political fallout. Oh BTW I am not buying this whole "we are broke" cut spending tea party BS they are trying to pull now. All of there spending cuts get rid of programs for the poor and working class, its pathetic, yet they still want to protect tax breaks on the rich. Independant studies have confirmed that the money they are trying to cut out of this years budget is negligible at best in having an effect on the deficit. April 1st will be the last paycheck huh, I bet there will be alot of lower enlisted that will try not to show up to work if that happens.

[airjun]

So how do you say no to an AER loan..... if this happens?

[kleinmi3]

So how do you say no to an AER loan..... if this happens?


I see your point. However, like I stated in my post above, if you are so broke that you're living paycheck to paycheck...it's time to re-evaluate standards of living. As a Commander, I plan on implementing a class for all the incoming Soldiers (although it supposedly is taught at Basic Training) about being wise with their money. When we got back from deployment in '08 I was a Company XO> I had 2 X Staff Sergeants come to me asking for an AER loan to pay their bills. My Commander had a policy that it came to the 1SG and I before it went to the CDR. Well, both Staff Sergeants had just come back from deployment and blew all of their money within the month on new cars, tattoos, computers, and other luxury items they couldn't afford. When it came time to pay the bills, they had no money. So when they came to the 1SG and I for an AER loan, I asked them what happened to their "rainy day" fund. They didn't have one, so before I signed off on anything, I had them create a spending plan for the next year. Did it work? Maybe, maybe not. After that, they didn't ask for another AER loan though.

[Un4given]

My concern would be the lower enlisted. They don't make much as it is. Hell, nobody in the Army does so well that they could just donate their time. I'll be fine and I'm sure most of us on here being senior company grades could probably get by without a few paychecks, but before long your rainy day fund just covered rent/mortgage.

I just think it's funny that state public workers in Wisconsin are protesting because they have to pay for some of their own bennies... Imagine if they had to work for free? Imagine if they had to leave their surroundings, get shot at and blown up all for free? lol Weak people.

2nd and 3rd order effects... Soldiers down range with families and they're barely getting by, combat compounded by a family issue or two, maybe some financial hardship, but now you compound it exponentially by removing paychecks from the equation altogether. How's the Soldier going to perform? How's that going to make that commander's life out there? The 1SG? They don't have enough on their plate? The Soldier doesn't have enough on his/her plate? 20,000 servicemembers/vets lost their homes to foreclosure in 2010 (http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/02/usat-foreclosure-rates-on-servicemembers-increase-020311/), so with that said, think there are a few homes on the line now? Think if they were late or missed a couple payments over the last few months that the lender is going to be generous and say we'll give you 1 or 2 more months? No. So even if we get back pay there will still be Soldiers screwed.

Their own choice not to have a backup plan? Maybe... But they also joined up with the idea they'd have a paycheck.

[airjun]

Blowing all your money and then not being able to pay the bills is different from fulfilling all your financial obligations while living pay check to check. You can teach people to manage their money better but the bottom line is that it is perfectly legal to live pay check to pay check. Not the smartest thing to do but my point is plenty of people will be asking for AER loans and can a Commander really say no when its not really the soldiers fault?

[kleinmi3]

Un4, 20,000 Soldiers with foreclosed homes is a result of E-2, E-3, E4 Joe buying a $175,000 house (living outside of their means) with Zero money down and no plan to cover all the OTHER expenses that go with a house (insurance, property taxes, utilities, etc) on top of the mortgage. As the rest of America that bought the house with minimal money down and lost their Jobs and their homes followed soon after.

Airj, I agree

[Un4given]

Blowing all your money and then not being able to pay the bills is different from fulfilling all your financial obligations while living pay check to check. You can teach people to manage their money better but the bottom line is that it is perfectly legal to live pay check to pay check. Not the smartest thing to do but my point is plenty of people will be asking for AER loans and can a Commander really say no when its not really the soldiers fault?
Nope, they can't.


Un4, 20,000 Soldiers with foreclosed homes is a result of E-2, E-3, E4 Joe buying a $175,000 house (living outside of their means) with Zero money down and no plan to cover all the OTHER expenses that go with a house (insurance, property taxes, utilities, etc) on top of the mortgage. As the rest of America that bought the house with minimal money down and lost their Jobs and their homes followed soon after.

Airj, I agree
I have a house I own and current rent out. The market crashed and the value plummeted. When I bought it I thought I was buying at the market's low point, guess not. I eat about $350/mo with a tennant in it. Sucks, but I write it all off and do what I can. Then there's also months between tennants. There's $1100 just tossed away each month. Joes can't afford that even if they're being responsible. We can't sell the place either, we're upside down. Just ridin' it out.

So all 20,000 are because they spent $175,000 on houses? Reality check. My house was $150,000 just to put it in perspective. Shit happens. I'm all against irresponsibility, but lets not just say fuck the troops, okay?

[Sassy05]

I think when the first single parents shows up to work with kids in tow because they can't pay their daycare, all holy hell will break loose. Klein, I agree with you on 90% of what you said. However, some Soldiers legitimately barely make enough to live on. Granted, it's self-imposed (spouse, kids), but still true.

[Girex]

Congress voted on curtain automatic payments during the mid 90's show downs with President Clinton. SS, Medicare, Veterans benifits and military pay were among the things protected and considered an automatic payment. These were passed as a result of the issues that stemmed from the government shut downs in the 90's. So i guess I am learning something from my Public Administration masters classes lol... I wouldnt worry its an election year, they wouldnt dare.

[kleinmi3]

I wouldn't go as far to say that "F the Soldiers" is what I'm trying to get across. I'm all about helping those who make smart decisions, but get screwed by "the man" and idiots in Washington. And I think the housing market has more falling before the bottom drops out because the market is insanely inflated and oil is trading back above $100/barrel. So now that the stars are once again aligning on a weak economy and my unit is getting ready to re-deploy, I've been counseling my Soldiers against making big purchases in lieu of the economic uncertainty in the air.

Sassy, I completely agree. Once work becomes daycare is a line drawn too far. Also our insane Social Welfare system condones folks (who can't afford it) to have 6 or more kids while tax payers are robbed blindly. Let's not go here. lol. Sorry, I'm done commenting on this thread.

[Birddog]

So... riddle me this? We have switched the majority of DOD housing to a privatized model.
If a complete furlough happened, What happens when the Soldiers don't pay their "rent" to the private company...

As for financial training, Soldiers are given a 20+ hour class in AIT and have a rudimentary class in basic. It's a good start but we need to keep it up at the CO and BN level to drive it home.

I've had several Soldiers with financial problems as of late. I made all of them go through the post's financial course and they were given a custom spending/savings plan. So far, so good. One of them took it to the extreme and paid off his truck, sold it and bought a beater... He's saving the majority of his paycheck and got a part-time job. He will be debt free in 3 months... Wish I had listened early on...

[Sassy05]

Plus, in basic and AIT, they don't have any money yet. It's great to say, "When you get money you need to do X, Y, and Z," but Joe forgets that after he has the money in hand. If someone can sit down with him/her and lay out a budget, "Ok, your cell bill in $XX on average, your car is XX, gas is XX, you can pull out XX for spending money, put XX into TSP, put XX into an investment account," so on and so forth. It would also be great to grab up new Soldiers before they buy a new car, and then they can do some cost comparison. "Well, you can spend $30,000 plus a retarded amount on insurance for a new mustang, or you can spend $8000 on a slightly used Civic that gets better gas milage." It won't always work. You will always have knuckleheads who really just rather have a new iphone than their own home one day. I agree with Klein that ultimately, the downfall of the economy was a) people buying shit they really couldn't afford and b) banks and other creditors letting them do it. All that shit rolls down hill, and people like UN4 pay some of the cost.

Speaking of people buying houses they can't afford, did anyone see the crap in the Army Times about the LTC who had a retardedly expensive house at one base, and then bought another expensive house in Tampa? I get it that on a monthly basis, it was cheaper for him to buy than rent, but oh by the way, he took out a second mortgage on that first house, and he had bad debt issues from earlier in his life. I digress...

[Wes]

Well, we'll at least get paid for the next 3 weeks.