Quote:
Originally posted by bilmore
I'll agree to that, as long as you don't counter discussion of the elderly by making it about soldiers. I'm not overly fond of the VA cuts myself.
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I didn't think I was - you made the point that the elderly were the wealthiest group, I made the point that this really thrilled one elderly person I know on a limited income. The limited income measure I happened to use was a military pension.
Others turned it into being about the soldiers.
If we want to talk military wages, I'd tell you none of the folks I know in the military have done it for the money, though I do think there are many, especially at the enlisted level, who do.
The military never will (and probably never should) challenge civilian salaries for professionals, though the tax-free side of it is an advantage. I have one family member who went through Med School ROTC and then served in Iraq; his salary jumped 10 fold when he left the military, but of course the military also paid for Med School.
What the military should offer is a solid living wage and some damn good benefits, especially medical and retirement. If someone gives their whole life to the military, they ought to have a comfortable retirement and they ought to know they will be cared for.
