Retirees 2.3% cola raise
Given Gas Prices, Retirees Say 2.3% Cola Doesn't Compute
It's nice to know, as a disabled military retiree, that I will receive a whopping 2.3 percent cost-of-living increase in January based on the government's Consumer Price Index. I appreciate every red cent.
Oh, has anyone at the Bureau of Labor Statistics [which maintains the CPI] purchased gas in the past year? The price of gas alone has far surpassed 2.3 percent and it has side effects including raising the cost of groceries!
MARK HARRIS
Chief Master Sergeant, USAF-Ret.
Via e-mail
I retired from the military after 26 years. I am disabled and receive VA compensation. I also receive my military retirement and a moderate state retirement. All that combined, I still live payday to payday.
The 2.3 cost-of-living adjustment is a slap in the face. My cost of living in 2007 rose 10 percent over 2006. With 2008 staring us in the face, the word "dire" comes to mind.
I would like to thank decision-makers in Washington, D.C. -- for nothing. While they live "high on the hog," veterans young and old are struggling to get by with our little stipends.
That 2.3 percent figure is not a true one if you are sitting in my house or in the homes of other veterans.
WARREN OLIVER
Panama City, Fla.
Has anyone in government completed Mathematics 101? Let's look at just two commodities for the past 12 months: gas and corn.
Gas has risen higher and faster than any other commodity in our nation, I believe. The COLA is supposed to adjust for this, no?
Corn, which is used as an alternative fuel source, also has risen way beyond the 2.3 COLA planned. That would include anything with corn in it.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize this COLA is a slap in the face for government retirees, veterans and Social Security recipients.
VICTOR SCOTT HICKOK
Staff Sergeant, USA-Ret.
Via e-mail
The 2008 cost-of-living adjustment for federal retirement plans, social security, veterans' compensation and several other entitlement programs is set to reflect the change in average prices for a market basket of goods and services from the third quarter (July through September) of 2006 to the third quarter of 2007.
The tool used to measure that change is the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). It tracks prices for more than 200 categories of goods and services directly purchased in the marketplace. They fall into eight major categories: food and beverage; housing; apparel; transportation; medical care; reaction; education and communication; and an "other" category that includes tobacco, haircuts and other personal services.
A look at price changes captured by the CPI-W from September 2006 to September 2007 shows gasoline rising 8.8 percent, exceeded only by a 13.4 percent jump in dairy products and a 9.4 increase in educational books. Prices fell over the year for information technology, computers and apparel.
The price changes might not square with what any individual experienced personally. It's only what I found in Table 6 on page 26 of "CPI Detailed Report Data for September 2007" on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website. The link is www.bls.gov/cpi/cpid0709.pdf -- Tom Philpott
It's nice to know, as a disabled military retiree, that I will receive a whopping 2.3 percent cost-of-living increase in January based on the government's Consumer Price Index. I appreciate every red cent.
Oh, has anyone at the Bureau of Labor Statistics [which maintains the CPI] purchased gas in the past year? The price of gas alone has far surpassed 2.3 percent and it has side effects including raising the cost of groceries!
MARK HARRIS
Chief Master Sergeant, USAF-Ret.
Via e-mail
I retired from the military after 26 years. I am disabled and receive VA compensation. I also receive my military retirement and a moderate state retirement. All that combined, I still live payday to payday.
The 2.3 cost-of-living adjustment is a slap in the face. My cost of living in 2007 rose 10 percent over 2006. With 2008 staring us in the face, the word "dire" comes to mind.
I would like to thank decision-makers in Washington, D.C. -- for nothing. While they live "high on the hog," veterans young and old are struggling to get by with our little stipends.
That 2.3 percent figure is not a true one if you are sitting in my house or in the homes of other veterans.
WARREN OLIVER
Panama City, Fla.
Has anyone in government completed Mathematics 101? Let's look at just two commodities for the past 12 months: gas and corn.
Gas has risen higher and faster than any other commodity in our nation, I believe. The COLA is supposed to adjust for this, no?
Corn, which is used as an alternative fuel source, also has risen way beyond the 2.3 COLA planned. That would include anything with corn in it.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize this COLA is a slap in the face for government retirees, veterans and Social Security recipients.
VICTOR SCOTT HICKOK
Staff Sergeant, USA-Ret.
Via e-mail
The 2008 cost-of-living adjustment for federal retirement plans, social security, veterans' compensation and several other entitlement programs is set to reflect the change in average prices for a market basket of goods and services from the third quarter (July through September) of 2006 to the third quarter of 2007.
The tool used to measure that change is the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). It tracks prices for more than 200 categories of goods and services directly purchased in the marketplace. They fall into eight major categories: food and beverage; housing; apparel; transportation; medical care; reaction; education and communication; and an "other" category that includes tobacco, haircuts and other personal services.
A look at price changes captured by the CPI-W from September 2006 to September 2007 shows gasoline rising 8.8 percent, exceeded only by a 13.4 percent jump in dairy products and a 9.4 increase in educational books. Prices fell over the year for information technology, computers and apparel.
The price changes might not square with what any individual experienced personally. It's only what I found in Table 6 on page 26 of "CPI Detailed Report Data for September 2007" on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website. The link is www.bls.gov/cpi/cpid0709.pdf -- Tom Philpott
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"""President George Bush on Wednesday overruled a pay raise required by law for federal employees, decreased "due to 'national emergency or serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare.'""""
www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7009298254
Federal Govt. is Bankrupt. Pee poor job of handling the money......and oh yeah....NAFTA failed.
They need to start axing DOD Contracts. We used to have young Americans in military uniform do alot of things like clean the latrines, mop the floors, mow the grass....now it's all contracted out. $10 million to mow the grass for 5 years on a typical military installation? 10 pee on E-2's mowing the grass would cost far less. $200,000 a year for wages and $1,000 for 10 $99 push mowers.
DOD is a mess and needs to be audited in every single office. We used dry erase boards to mark inbound/outbound aircraft. This new O-5 comes in and has them throw them away. He bought flat screen tv's and had them put on the walls to replace the cheap simple boards. Nobody mans the computer to input the data so nobody knows what the heck is going on. Big fancy flat screens sit blank now. Just another waste of tax dollars.
So take that pay cut retiree's. We gotta buy more electronic crap that we don't need.0 -
There was a time when military retirees did not receive cost of living adjustments. They received a percentage of their base pay adjusted to the number of years they had served their country based on their pay AT the time of retirement. I am a military retiree and we military retirees get to retire far earlier than most of our counterparts in the civilian sector. When you factor in the tax free status of VA medical disability payments you have another freebee that is unheard of in the civilian sector. I truly am most grateful for ANY cost of living adjustment. Any body who complains about the tiny nature of the COLA needs to get a life. We had the priviledge of serving our country and the priviledge of receiving a relatively generous retirement for that service.....I'd really hate to see retired military personnel start behaving like a bunch of union pansies over their rights! Beach
P.S. I do wonder sometimes what would happen if the government went bankrupt and defaulted on military retirement pensions....maybe we elderly warriors would have to take over Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Harbor and develop it into some kind of tourist location.0 -
quote:Originally posted by beachmaster73
There was a time when military retirees did not receive cost of living adjustments. They received a percentage of their base pay adjusted to the number of years they had served their country based on their pay AT the time of retirement. I am a military retiree and we military retirees get to retire far earlier than most of our counterparts in the civilian sector. When you factor in the tax free status of VA medical disability payments you have another freebee that is unheard of in the civilian sector. I truly am most grateful for ANY cost of living adjustment. Any body who complains about the tiny nature of the COLA needs to get a life. We had the priviledge of serving our country and the priviledge of receiving a relatively generous retirement for that service.....I'd really hate to see retried military personnel start behaving like a bunch of union pansies over their rights! Beach
Well said, Beach! I retired at 38. How many civilians do you know that retired at that age with the benefits that we have? Thanks for the raise, whatever it is! I know many other retirees about my age and NONE of them live on their retirement alone.0 -
quote:$200,000 a year for wages
Obiwan where do you get your info? I am a contractor working in Iraq and there isnt hardly anybody over there making that much!! I run military convoys outside the wire carrying military supplies. Why do we do this? Because on any given night there is several thousand trucks on the roads supplying US military bases in theater. Now folks are all pissed at GWB for for us having these jobs but let me remind you of one thing, Daddy Bush and Lord Clinton cut the military causing a man shortage that HAS to be made up somewhere and if contractors are needed to do certain jobs then that is how the jobs are done.
Sure I make more over there than I do here in the states but not much more, I sure aint getting rich, bout all I really get is the tax free status. If you must really know what I make with KBR I make $18.37 an hour, how am I going to make $200K a year?
There are jobs to be done over there and the military does not have the personel to do it, period. Pull KBR and some of the other companies out of there and the Army will fall flat on its face.
Before you say "join the Army" there are a few people here that will tell you that I spent two years trying to get into the Army for one reason, so I could go to Iraq. Since I was unable to enlist a member form this forum who is an active duty Marine and who was in Iraq when I got there got me hooked up with KBR, yes an active duty deployed Marine got me in Iraq with KBR.
For the most part the military we work with is glad we are there, only those full of resentment for one reason or another condemns us for being there but the oever all majority of the military is glad we are there helping out doing a job they do not have the personel to do.
In short, we run the war, the soldiers do the fighting, the way it should be.0 -
At least you GOT a raise! I haven't had one in 4 years. [:(] 0 -
Beach,
Check these facts.
The average military retiree gets $1500 a month after retiring. Taxable Income of $18,000 annually.
The average home price is $211,000. The ratio of average home price to retiree annual income is 12 to 1.
In 1969 the average home price was $15,000. The average monthly retirement check for a GI was $300. So he had $3600 in retiree annual income. The ratio of average 1969 home prices to retiree income was 4 to 1.
Today's military retiree's are much poorer than yesteryear.
Retiring out of the US Military is the only place you retire from....homeless.
(there are a few exceptions such as people that were stationed stateside for long periods and were able to have Uncle Sam pay off their homes before they retired...but this is rare)
1969 is a good comparison to today's housing market. From 1963 to 1969 homes prices doubled. '69 was considered an expensive year to buy a home.0 -
PA Redneck,
The $200,000 in wages is a rough figure of the base pay of 10 military pee-on E-2's.
My comparison was using 10 low paid GI's to mow grass as we did back in the old days versus paying a Contractor Multi-Millions to do the same thing.0 -
"Uncle Sam" didn't pay off anyone's house. The service member payed for it themselves. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by guntech59
"Uncle Sam" didn't pay off anyone's house. The service member payed for it themselves.
Incorrect. Back in the day when we were smart with our money US military members had to live on the military installation....base housing or barracks. Today they have the option of living on the local economy. They receive ADDITIONAL income when they make this choice for BAH/OHA (basic allowance for housing/overseas housing allowance).
Right now...there are E-4's getting $2000 a month to stay offbase here on Guam. The local realtors realized if they keep raising the rent then GI's have to pay out of pocket on top of OHA/BAH.....the military will increase the allowance for housing...every year.
GI's don't pay for their homes via mortgage or rent while Active Duty. They are given an Allowance....unless they are on Guam where the local scammers know the system...then the GI's may have to pay a little out of their pocket.0 -
quote:Originally posted by beachmaster73
There was a time when military retirees did not receive cost of living adjustments. They received a percentage of their base pay adjusted to the number of years they had served their country based on their pay AT the time of retirement. I am a military retiree and we military retirees get to retire far earlier than most of our counterparts in the civilian sector. When you factor in the tax free status of VA medical disability payments you have another freebee that is unheard of in the civilian sector. I truly am most grateful for ANY cost of living adjustment. Any body who complains about the tiny nature of the COLA needs to get a life. We had the priviledge of serving our country and the priviledge of receiving a relatively generous retirement for that service.....I'd really hate to see retired military personnel start behaving like a bunch of union pansies over their rights! Beach
P.S. I do wonder sometimes what would happen if the government went bankrupt and defaulted on military retirement pensions....maybe we elderly warriors would have to take over Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Harbor and develop it into some kind of tourist location.
+1 VERY WELL SAID!!!!!!!!!!!!0 -
I retired just about ten years ago to the day. Thirty one years ago when I entered service the BAQ/VHA were payed in the same manner they are today. Plenty of soldiers were buying homes or renting off post. The allowances were given because there was no housing available on post and that is still the way it works today. The money belongs to the soldier, not the Government. The VHA (if that is still what they call it) is based on the local economy. 0 -
In 2000 half of Andersen AFB was contracted out. Since half of the GI's left almost a decade ago you can ride around military housing and look at a ghost town. All homes still look like they are brand new. Back in 2000 I had two of those homes....they were just remodeled. (One house was for the first wife and the 2nd house was with the 2nd wife.) 
Even tho military housing sits vacant they allow GI's to reside on the local economy if they want to. Same goes for many other military installations where units were A-76'd or BRAC'd out.
Currently if a GI is residing in military housing the rules state he must stay there for 12 months before he can move offbase and receive OHA or BAH.
NICTAMS, a navy installation on Guam has plenty of military housing also that is vacant. They also have another military housing site called "Andy South", it was given to the Marine Corps and has had about every window, door, and everything else stolen from the homes in the past few years. Someguy even got electrocuted there stealing live powerlines for the copper.0 -
Maybe things have changed and they DO have an option but, the money STILL belongs to the service member, not the goverment.
Back to the original subject.....any pay raise in my retirement is welcomed. I do not feel that I am ENTITLED to it.0 -
I'm not sure what the formula is for calculating the retirement COLAs for retired service members but chances are it is based on what is now called core inflation. Core inflation automatically excludes items with volatile price changes like energy and food. Since the price of gasoline can (and has) bounced up about $1 per gallon over the past year it would be hard to figure fuel costs into a COLA since it is possible (though doubtful) that the price of fuel may well drop again. 0 -
Beachmaster73 again you have given us an insight into what makes a true patroit. Thank you. 0 -
We'll see Beach's response when the '09 Defense Bill comes next year.
Do ya know what retirees are going to have to fork out to keep Tricare when they are retired when they do get the new increases enacted?
In '09 Retirees will have to pay just to enroll in Tricare Standard...let alone Prime. Deductibles are going up and co-pays for meds as well.
Pay cut for retiree's in '09. They bucked it the last 2 years but it is coming.
Beach will be paying $1500 to enroll in Prime for his family or $600 for Standard. His Deductible under Standard will be $600. His copays for drugs will double.
Start saving Commander. [:D] Retiree's didn't get Champus until '67...time to lose that benefit....or pay for it.0 -
Hey ObiWan/Red223:
See you're still pizzed at the government. If you're so unhappy, why don't you quit?
A 2.3% raise is more than some people in the private sector will get.
Sure, I'd like more -- but like a lot of my friends I bought a home several years ago, and moved in when I retired. It all depends on how you use your money.
You can buy a good sized house with 4 bedrooms for less than 100K in Texas, and a lot of other places as well.0 -
Spot on, Beach.
Obiwan, your facts are as you like them, your whining typical of peope who cannot and never will be able to take care of themselves; always looking for the 'easy' job, the freebie.
When a serviceman retires he FULLY expects to work another full time job for 30 years. His retirement should not be a factor in his immediate financial planning---it's an annuity that should be added to monthly and drawn on when he retires for good. Take that 1500 you offer (deflated to suit your arguement) and put that in a well managed fund for 30 years, making 6 to 9 percent and----you do the math. Add that to the money he's invested in Social Security, his 401k, and maybe a company pension plan he's paid into for 30 years. Add to that the SS his wife can draw on his contribution. And what do you have? Security! EARNED security, not some handout as you seen to need.
I could go on, but all this will go right past you.
Clouder.. Retired, secure and pleased with his pension plan.0 -
I don't get a COLA adjustment on my retirement. It is a fixed amount. It is higher than average in the early years because future value inflation has been estimated. As inflation rises over time my buying power becomes less but the high payments in the early years is supposed to offset that.
I don't know if the military calculates it differently from a civilian government pension but my father's COLA is not adjusted directly on actual inflation but out of a pool of money. The COLA authorized is dependent on inflation, number of retirees participating and a number of other factors. This might not bode well in upcoming years as the War on Terrorism has increased the number of participants at a greater rate than the increase in the pool.0 -
quote:Originally posted by ObiWan
PA Redneck,
The $200,000 in wages is a rough figure of the base pay of 10 military pee-on E-2's.
My comparison was using 10 low paid GI's to mow grass as we did back in the old days versus paying a Contractor Multi-Millions to do the same thing.
Way wrong! In cost comparison rules as mandated by the Congress via OMB-A-76 Circular, you need to use composite rates, i.e. for 1 USAF E-2 it is $41,606 per year. See link ...
http://www.defenselink.mil/comptroller/rates/fy2008/2008_k.pdf0 -
quote:Originally posted by whiteclouder
Spot on, Beach.
Obiwan, your facts are as you like them, your whining typical of peope who cannot and never will be able to take care of themselves; always looking for the 'easy' job, the freebie.
When a serviceman retires he FULLY expects to work another full time job for 30 years. His retirement should not be a factor in his immediate financial planning---it's an annuity that should be added to monthly and drawn on when he retires for good. Take that 1500 you offer (deflated to suit your arguement) and put that in a well managed fund for 30 years, making 6 to 9 percent and----you do the math. Add that to the money he's invested in Social Security, his 401k, and maybe a company pension plan he's paid into for 30 years. Add to that the SS his wife can draw on his contribution. And what do you have? Security! EARNED security, not some handout as you seen to need.
I could go on, but all this will go right past you.
Clouder.. Retired, secure and pleased with his pension plan.
+1. I retired 1 Sep 2007 but have been working as NSPS civil servant while on terminal leave (10 Jul). I have been investing on IRAs 10 years before I joined the military and have taken advantage maxing out my TSP as soon as it was offered. To count on military service retirement alone is nuts!0 -
Beach, I think I'm pretty much in agreement with you in principal mostly, but on a few points, not so much. I'll take the 2.3% and glad to get it, but I don't see it as a great largess from the government.
There was a time when military retirees did not receive cost of living adjustments, but during that same period of time active duty military didn't get pay raises either. Inflation has been around as long as money has been around, but until the late 1950's, early 1960's it wasn't such a big factor in retirement planning. In the early 1960's inflation took such a jump that it all but wiped out retainer/retirement pay for a lot of retirees. Add to that the painful base pay of active duty personnel (My pay at the time was $68.00 per month) and advancement being locked up tighter than Dick's hat band, recruitment and retention was damn near impossible. The big pay raise in the early 1960's went a long way to help recruitment, but when the sailors saw how retirees were getting the shaft, it didn't do much for retention. COLA didn't come about because the government wanted to be nice to me, it was a necessity for the Navy (and probably the other services) to stay in business.
There are several reasons we "get to retire far earlier than most of our counterparts in the civilian sector." Not the least of which is the simple fact that twenty to thirty years of "haze gray and underway" wears out the human body. After thirty years of service your value to a military organization starts decreasing at a fairly fast rate. This brings us to the "tax free status of VA medical disability payments".
Before I retired I was told I could get 10% disability for my loss of hearing and this constant ringing in my head, if I wanted to jump through all the hoops and do all the paperwork. I said What the hell, a 10% pay raise has to be worth a few physicals and filling out a few forms. Then I was told, Oh, no, no, no, that's not the way it works. I would get a check from the VA for 10% of my retired pay. The amount I received from the VA would be deducted from my Navy retired pay. The portion I received from the VA would be tax exempt. I could be looking at a benefit valued at almost $200.00 per year. Maybe I should have done it, but I didn't.
Believe it or not, I was one of the few who actually read my shipping articles and I don't recall them mentioning getting paid. I joined the Navy on 10 April 1961 and retired on 1 July 1989. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I'd go back tomorrow if I could talk the Secretary into taking a crippled-up old man. I figure the Navy got their nickle's worth out of me and I don't figure I got cheated out of one red cent. However, when anybody mentions what a great deal I got, or something about my "welfare" check (retired pay), I usually ask them if it's such a gravy train, why don't you hop on for a little ride?
I'll take the 2.3% and glad to get it, but grateful to the government? No, I don't think so.
P. S. You can have my share of the Alcatraz deal unless we can find a way to get it out of California. [:D]0 -
Congress has now voted itself a total of $16,700 in raises over the last six years. Since 1990, congressional pay has increased from $98,400 to $154,700 in 2003.
President Bush supports legislation that would increase federal judicial salaries by 16.5 percent.
A 16.5 percent increase will yield an average of approximately $25,000 per judge across all levels of judicial offices.
The President joined with Chief Justice William Rehnquist in calling upon Congress to pass a 16.5 percent increase in judicial salaries.
S. 1023 and H.R. 2118 would provide for a 16.5 percent increase in judicial salaries. Similar legislation is also expected to be introduced as part of a broader bill.0 -
Be greatful they didn't factor in the drop in houseing values. They might have had to have a negative cost of living adjustment. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by ObiWan
quote:Originally posted by guntech59
"Uncle Sam" didn't pay off anyone's house. The service member payed for it themselves.
Incorrect. Back in the day when we were smart with our money US military members had to live on the military installation....base housing or barracks. Today they have the option of living on the local economy. They receive ADDITIONAL income when they make this choice for BAH/OHA (basic allowance for housing/overseas housing allowance).
Right now...there are E-4's getting $2000 a month to stay offbase here on Guam. The local realtors realized if they keep raising the rent then GI's have to pay out of pocket on top of OHA/BAH.....the military will increase the allowance for housing...every year.
GI's don't pay for their homes via mortgage or rent while Active Duty. They are given an Allowance....unless they are on Guam where the local scammers know the system...then the GI's may have to pay a little out of their pocket.
Interesting...I lived on base at Nas Agana in the early 60's. There was no option then to live anywhere else. Actually, there wasn't much of anyplace to live except on-base.
Yes, times have really changed. I would like to get back over and see all the new stuff (hotels, etc.) that have been built. I have fond memories of the island.[:)]0 -
Paulie,
Did you know a Master Chief Jones at NAS? He spent almost his whole career there. He passed away in '05.[V]
He made wheel barrows of money after retiring. Turned NAS into the Guam Airport. He taught himself CAD and designed the dang thing...travelled around in the States to look at other airports for ideas...materials...brilliant man.
As for today's military...I stand by my opinion that inflation now has you military retiree's making less than a military retiree in 1969....but you are dang better off than a Chinese or Russian military retiree......[:p]0 -
I too retired at the age of 39, still wasnt enough money to even get by, had to enter the work force full time, and still worked for 25 more years. Never did get the FREE medical the gubment promised for retirees, still paid into Surviverors benifit, and Tri-Care for the wife. The retirement money for military is peanuts compared to the retirement money for some congressman that spent 10 years in the gubment.. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by FEENIX
quote:Originally posted by ObiWan
PA Redneck,
The $200,000 in wages is a rough figure of the base pay of 10 military pee-on E-2's.
My comparison was using 10 low paid GI's to mow grass as we did back in the old days versus paying a Contractor Multi-Millions to do the same thing.
Way wrong! In cost comparison rules as mandated by the Congress via OMB-A-76 Circular, you need to use composite rates, i.e. for 1 USAF E-2 it is $41,606 per year. See link ...
http://www.defenselink.mil/comptroller/rates/fy2008/2008_k.pdf
Almost $42k? I love how A-76's and those GAO figures end up biting the military in the rear.
They contracted XYZ out at a military base. A contractor now performs XYZ with the alloted contract budget at this installation for say 5 years. The military in it's wise choice took a Non-contracted GI unit at this installation and put it under another Command by merely renaming it so that it is now a "Tenant Unit"....of that installation. The contractor still gets paid XYZ.....but no longer has to support that Tenant Unit under the Contract....because when the contract was written there was no Tenant Unit to support.
If the Tenant Unit wants support now...it has to pay the Contractor additionally over the contract that they now hold to only support that installations internal agencies.
With brain childs like this costing America more money, that E-2's A-76 annual income needs to be raised from $41,606 to $90,000 for "brain farts" that end up costing the military more and more every year to do work.
Yes...at the end of the contract the military can "readjust" the contract for the change...or try to amend the contract mid course which is a long and lengthy process and they usually don't do it. With the increase in military exercises OVER the contract requirements over the last few years the contractor also made alot more money....GI's don't get paid overtime....Contract holders/contractors do if the work requirement exceeds the contract.
My cousin is the contractors corporate attorney in Philadelphia that handles their books/contracts/taxes....and I as a uniform wearer was thru A-76's twice at two different installations with some experience of the whole process.
You could say I have a good inside connection to get a contractor job that pays much, much more...robbing you suckers.[:p]
Oh crack a smile you old fart. I ain't going to work for the devil....but I laugh about the whole crooked A-76 process. It ALWAYS costs more. But as long as you all don't mind that contractors are robbing you and America and you are happy with the status quo....
Be happy with your Retiree 2.3% COLA that doesn't match inflation of over 4% for '08. It's actually a pay cut and loss of your benefit.
Contracts to replace GI's take in inflation and are paid their 5 year estimate of inflation on the contract.
You are some gooood soldiers. That make less and less every year as your benefits disappear.0 -
OBIWAN: I understand what you are saying about the contracting out of work on military bases.. I worked as a GS-9 in the procurement end of business at FT. Knox Kentucky back in the late 70s. There was even a contract for local cab companies (only one was ever authorized to enter the base) at that time.. We also had a contract for "Common Grounds" upkeep, that was grounds that were away from the contonement area, acres and acres of it to include the grounds around the Gold Vault.. A woman seemed to get that contract every year to the tune of 1.5 million dollars..HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
They contracted outside companies to maintain gubment quarters,, It was my job to inspect their work and have their paints and chemicals they used tested at the lab. Some of those contracts exceeded 50 million a year.. Good Old boys bidding of contracts club..[:(]0 -
Shhhhh Classic....
Patriots don't think.0
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