Right Wing talking point/email of the day is....

[TennesseeDem]

"President Obama has proposed a 1.4% pay increase for active duty military in 2011. This is the LOWEST SINCE 1973! Nice to know that during a time of rampant inflation, while war is fought in 2 theatres, our men and women in uniform get A LOWER PAY INCREASE THAN WELFARE RECIPIENTS!"

Any counter to this?

[Mz Pip]

1. I demand to know how

Congress is going to pay for this increase!!! Get Jim Bunning on this right fucking now!





:sarcasm:

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

2. Rampant Inflation

That is stupid even by RW standards

[mediaman007]

3. Sounds ok to my 0.7% pay increase. I'll bet it sounds even better to the

laid off 50 somethings!

[denimgirly]

4. Morale of the Story: Don't join the Military (everyone wins)

[GoCubsGo]

5. Throw their own canard right back at them:

"They volunteered for the job." That's what they said when those of us on the left were protesting their entrance into two wars, and every time one of these troops was killed or maimed.

During Idiot Boy's eight years, many of our troops were being forced to take food stamps and other public assistance to support their families. YET, not one peep from these assholes. Now they're complaining??? Fuck 'em.

[Dappleganger]

6. Oh yeah, well they're lucky compared to most Americans who got...

no pay increase
laid off
working at lesser paying job
reduction in salary AND benefits


So FUCK them!

[damonm]

7. I assume your "F them" was aimed at the Rethugs, and not at the troops?

Your post was a little ambiguous...

[Dappleganger]

9. Of course it was.

*shakes head*

[damonm]

12. Just clarifying - could be read either way.

[alcibiades_mystery]

8. Here's the article from which they're getting this information

http://www.military.com/news/article/white-house-offers-14-pay-raise-in-2011.html

Some points:

"White House officials said the 1.4 percent figure, which will be included in the fiscal 2011 budget to be unveiled Monday, is based on projected private sector wage increases for next year. By law, the administration’s pay increase proposal is restricted to no more than the Employment Cost Index, which for 2011 is the lowest in more than a decade."

"housing allowance increases, new retention bonuses and specialty pays will drive troops’ actual compensation up about 4.2 percent next year."

The 2011 budget will also include a 3 percent increase in spending for family support programs, including $1.3 billion to cover child care shortages and $1.9 billion to provide more family counseling options.

"The budget plan also calls for the replacement or renovation of 103 Defense Department schools by 2015 -- many of which are overseas, officials said -- and $262 million for veterans employment and training programs, $6 million more than in the last budget."

[zulchzulu]

10. Of course, there are increases supporting the troops... but that's not what Hannity would notice...

The Right Wing College Dropout Windbag Machine will scream that "it's showing how Obama doesn't care about the troops", but with a 14-second Google and a link to the ARMY, you get some prize nuggets of info showing there are many INCREASES in spending on the troops...

If approved by Congress, it would be the smallest annual military pay raise since the birth of the all-volunteer force in 1973, a reflection of the lingering recession’s dampening effect on wage growth and living costs. The next-smallest raise in the volunteer era was a 2 percent increase in 1988.

In contrast, the pay raise for this year, which took effect Jan. 1, was a robust 3.4 percent.

The proposed 2011 raise would match the projected increase in the Employment Cost Index, a Labor Department measurement of private-sector wage growth. For 11 consecutive years, including this year, Congress set annual military raises half a percentage point above the increase in the ECI in order to whittle a perceived gap between average military and private-sector pay that supposedly has existed since 1982 and peaked in 1999.

The point paper, issued in advance of a speech on military family initiatives by first lady Michelle Obama to an association of military spouses, also envisions an average 4.2 percent increase in Basic Allowance for Housing rates next year.

In other budget highlights noted in the point paper, Obama will seek:

• $30.9 billion for the Defense Department’s medical program, an increase of 5.8 percent above 2010 levels. About $669 million would be devoted to treatment for traumatic brain injury and other mental health issues, while $250 million would go to fund continued research on mental health issues among service members.

• $1.36 billion to expand the availability of military child care services, an increase of $87 million over 2010 funding.

• $1.9 billion for expanded counseling and assistance services, to include financial counseling and transition and relocation assistance, an increase of $37 million over 2010.

• $84 million to fund programs designed to expand career and education opportunities for military spouses through tuition assistance and internship programs, an increase of $12 million over 2010.

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/01/military_2011_budget_012610w/

[tanyev]

11. Gosh, it seems like only yesterday they were shrieking about the deficit.

[HughMoran]

13. Not many out of the military are getting raises - why should the military expect more during a

recession?

Salary increases in 2009 were the lowest in 33 years - someone needs to tell the moronic Republicans to snap the fuck out of it.

[NC_Nurse]

14. I thought inflation was negligible at this point? They do get free healthcare...

the rest of us got more taken out of our paycheck for shitty insurance - which negates any sliver of pay raise was given, if any.

[karynnj]

15. There is no rampant inflation

[boston bean]

16. I have no idea if true, but seniors got no COLA and were just denied a one time $250 to make up for

it.

[Zynx]

17. "Rampant inflation"?

What the hell?

[MadMaddie]

18. Here's your counter

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/01/military_2011_budget_012610w/

They conveniently forgot to add the rest of the positive items that impact the military.

In contrast, the pay raise for 2010 year, which took effect Jan. 1, is a robust 3.4 percent.

The point paper, issued in advance of a speech on military family initiatives by first lady Michelle Obama to an association of military spouses, also envisions an average 4.2 percent increase in Basic Allowance for Housing rates next year.

In other budget highlights noted in the point paper, Obama will seek:

• $30.9 billion for the Defense Department’s medical program, an increase of 5.8 percent above 2010 levels. About $669 million would be devoted to treatment for traumatic brain injury and other mental health issues, while $250 million would go to fund continued research on mental health issues among service members.

• $1.36 billion to expand the availability of military child care services, an increase of $87 million over 2010 funding.

• $1.9 billion for expanded counseling and assistance services, to include financial counseling and transition and relocation assistance, an increase of $37 million over 2010.

• $84 million to fund programs designed to expand career and education opportunities for military spouses through tuition assistance and internship programs, an increase of $12 million over 2010.

[golfguru]

19. 1.4% beats ZERO% raise seniors received on social security in 2010

[seattle_blue]

20. 2010 Military pay chart

I googled it....3.4% raise this year. It's a lie like every other thing loony republicans say....What's new?

[win_in_06]

21. Yes, there is a counter to this.

Triple that pay increase. I think we all like the idea of an all-volunteer force. Not only that, but I don't think we want to have to defend that we passed the lowest pay increase for soldiers since the early 70s--while we are fighting two wars.