The following is from the VetVoice newsletter http://www.vetvoice.com/and is a potpourri of events that impact the lives of veterans and active duty personnel.
Click on the part in BLUE for addtional information:
Source: http://www.vetvoice.com/
Veto Threat over 0.5% Military Pay Increase
Posted: 17 Sep 2008 09:02 AM CDT
Right now the administration is threatening to veto the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009.
Want to know one of the reasons why?
The Administration strongly opposes section 601 of the bill, which provides an additional 0.5 percent increase in 2009 above the President's 3.4 percent across-the-board pay increase.
The cost?
The cost of increasing the FY 2009 military pay raise by an additional 0.5 percent is $293 million in FY 2009 and $2.5 billion from FY 2009 to FY 2014.
Compared to all the bailouts of the last week, $293 million is frankly, nothing.
Would someone turn this into a televised advertisement?
Losing our Way in Afghanistan
Posted: 17 Sep 2008 10:21 AM CDT
Spencer Ackerman--who is currently embedded with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan--has a great piece in today's Washington Independent about the way in which Afghan corruption is killing our ability to make progress. Key quote:
As Robertson said earlier that day, the police and the army are the only long-term strategy for securing Afghanistan. The U.S. troops have two missions: to hunt down the Taliban and Al Qaeda elements, and to prepare the Afghan security forces to take over security duties. Today, the second mission appeared to imperil the first.
You can read the entire article here.
Pakistan Orders Troops To Fire On US Soldiers
Posted: 17 Sep 2008 09:01 AM CDT
So, just to review, Pakistan is harboring Al-Qaeda terrorists, has WMD (including nuclear), and has a horrible human rights record. Now, they are even showing open hostility against US forces.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) Pakistan's military has ordered its forces to open fire if U.S. troops launch another air or ground raid across the Afghan border, an army spokesman said Tuesday.
The orders, which come in response to a highly unusual Sept. 3 ground attack by U.S. commandos, are certain to heighten tensions between Washington and a key ally against terrorism. Although the ground attack was rare, there have been repeated reports of U.S. drone aircraft striking militant targets, most recently on Sept. 12.
Pakistani officials warn that stepped-up cross-border raids will accomplish little while fueling violent religious extremism in nuclear-armed Pakistan. Some complain that the country is a scapegoat for the failure to stabilize Afghanistan.
How is it that Pakistan is considered our "ally"? And why is it that we need to attack Iran?
Thursday, September 18, 2008
BUSH ADMIN TO VETO PAY RAISE FOR TROOPS
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2 comments:
In usual Vetvoice fashion they have missed the whole truth, this time by a country mile.
The Bush administration proposed a 3.4% raise back in Feb 2008. Congress, just like the year previous proposed the current 3.9%. The only discussion about the .5% difference occurred in April - after that Nobody has argued the 3.9% raise.
The link from Vetvoice to the Whitehouse document opposes the portions of the bill that riders/pork spending has been added. About one week ago the Bush Admin lifted its Veto threat (Vetvoice left that part out) and the bill was approved 88-8 by the Senate, yes, with an addition $5 billion in pork spending that if applied towards pay and benefits instead of "bridge to nowhere" type projects would make us all better off.
Thanks for your input and service to our country.
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