Less than 1% of us are military. Is cutting our benefits the answer?

The idea of these types of cuts, or increases, usually are born at the Pentagon (executive branch). Requests are made and suggested for congress to consider. The question gives the impression that congress wants to cut benefits, when in fact it is the White House.

Here is the simple reality, as less serve, less will be interested in hearing our cause. We talk about cutting corporate welfare, okay nice idea, but what does a lot of that corporate welfare do? keep civilians employed, we are irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Only when we come home horizontally out the back end of an aircraft in Dover do we count. Recall a few years ago when Congress was fighting to keep to engines for a particular aircraft, even though the DoD and AF didn't want the second engine. But it kept an assembly line open in somebodies district. Consolidation of the two shipyard that build Navy Destroyers won't be done because somebody losses. If a base is slated to close people fight it not because they want to keep it, because of the jobs lost. If their was a way to have a base with out troops, and pay the civilians to work (of course what work would there be, I don't know) it would stay open for years. The reality is few really want us in there back yards, but they want the cash we bring.

Makes me sick to hear that they are trying again. If they really want to save - why not just make the potus pay for his /her own transport on AF1? See how quickly they are able to find another way to cut back the deficit! Maybe a few less golf getaways?

Hell no take some money away from the part time members of Congress

I think we are easy to abuse. You know I love my Country I served for 20 years. The military has a two house leadership problem. We the military are always on the cutting block and somebody needs to re-think what they are doing before they make decisions. These days deployment's are constant and multiple. I understand about check and balances of the budget, there are no reason whatever to cut benefits from the one percent of the military.

I've written both my Congressman and Representative, John McCain and Martha McSally respectively. Neither one of them have answered me. They will NOT get my vote next election.

We are an easy target, we make up 1% of the population of American Citizens, we have been trained to put others ahead of ourselves and we are taught not to speak out when someone of higher Rank tells us how we are going to take our disappointment. I'm getting pretty depressed at how many benefits that those appointed above me have cut from me just in my short life as a Veteran, I remember my father who is a WWII, Berlin Airlift Veteran getting a ton more benefits than I receive and watched as those got cut from him even during my enlistment. We have all these groups that say they Lobby for us but in reality they are just allowing congress to keep the axe sharpened so that when the media starts talking about how huge the defense budget is, they can cut more retiree benefits and say look we are cutting the budget. I'm no longer silent in how I'm being treated as a non-combat Veteran / Retiree even with the recent changes to our Tricare Prime for Retiree's they don't cover nearly what they covered just 5 years ago. Before I digress any further I'll end my rant by saying No it's not the Answer, there are more important places to cut budgets than taking it out on those who faithfully served their country!

I Say give the house and senate minimum wage and see how many of them are in it to actually help people. We also need to cut foreign aid. How much sense does it make to borrow money from China then give it to someone else. Just think of how much money those 2 cuts will save.

Cutting the military's benefits (the main selling point for many of new enlisted) will only serve to keep people from wanting to join, and keep others from wanting to re-enlist.

I know that defense spending is high, but I don't think that cutting benefits is the answer. There are plenty of other places that the budget can be trimmed. 4 plus uniforms per branch? Rediculous contractor costs? I'm sure there are more.