CUT military benfits ? By gang of six!

[jms]

http://militaryadvantage.military.com/2011/07/senate-plan-would-cut-80b-in-benefits/

They better be cutting their own pay first!

 

[USMC-Deano]

Funny that one of the senators is named Crapo and another is named Dick.

 

[occunknown]

Why not cut Medicaid and all the handout **** for those whom have never worked a day in their life.

 

[senseiturtle]

Why not cut Medicaid and all the handout **** for those whom have never worked a day in their life.

I would agree, but:

1) Medicaid, while NOT accepted by most physicians, serves as SOMEONE to bill when the hospitals have to abide by EMTALA, which is the largest unfunded mandate in history. We can thank Ronald Reagan for that one.

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA)[1] is a U.S. Act of Congress passed in 1986 as part of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). It requires hospitals and ambulance services to provide care to anyone needing emergency healthcare treatment regardless of citizenship, legal status or ability to pay. There are no reimbursement provisions. As a result of the act, patients needing emergency treatment can be discharged only under their own informed consent or when their condition requires transfer to a hospital better equipped to administer the treatment.

Hospitals waste billions on the indigent by virtue of EMTALA. Stopping medicaid would drive most smaller hospitals towards bankruptcy.

Here's a better idea = Repeal EMTALA and audit every single medicare recipient's ancillary services. I'm at my breaking point for DENYING superfluous diabetic testing supplies, power wheelchairs, and whatever else those a-holes spam the fax machines with.

2) We're looking at cutting government spending across the board. A single congressman's pay @ $XXX,XXX and individual benefits are small potatoes compared to providing lifelong benefits to veterans. A X% cost reduction of veteran's benefits means substantial cost savings.

Bilmes and Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz puts the lifetime cost of benefits for our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans at $663 billion

Which doesn't include Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, ongoing contingency operations, and benefits for homeland-based services, like CIA/NSA/Pentagon, etc.

At some point, we have to cut funding to the things we LIKE, as well as the things we DONT LIKE. Everyone MUST ask for less from the government if we're going to survive. I do love my veterans, and I'm sorry if it bursts anyone's bubble, but NO money comes from the frakking sky, unless you're Geitner.

.....

and finally, without even looking at the article.

SCARE TACTICS WORK ON THE UNINFORMED. Every single year, it's "grandma's gonna be eating catfood" as a standard exaggeration / straw-man argument.

 

[Russo]

i think there are many many other things we can cut before we mess with active/non-active servicemen and veterans... "The list of so-called entitlements that face cuts includes, all forms of retired pay, survivor benefits, Montgomery GI Bill for Selective Reserve, and TRICARE for Life for older military retirees." the topic of this thread is a bit emotionally driven and misleading..

 

[Hitman]

Doesn't matter b/c this was a scare tactic that was shot down.

O'Drama opened his mouth about SS and Military cuts ONLY as a scare tactic and the Republicans have been calling him out on it for the last two weeks.

He really is a pathetic president and definitely is the most incompetent leader I have ever seen.

 

[srscott]

Doesn't matter b/c this was a scare tactic that was shot down.

O'Drama opened his mouth about SS and Military cuts ONLY as a scare tactic and the Republicans have been calling him out on it for the last two weeks.

He really is a pathetic president and definitely is the most incompetent leader I have ever seen.

AND HOW!!!

 

[DuckYou]

It is fine for them to cut benefits for future recruits, just not current soldiers.

 

[dmh]

On the other hand they may need some scrutiny because I know 2 individuals personally who are abusing the system. That takes funds away from those who need it and costs us all more. Of course I feel the same way about any government program.

 

[Hitman]

AND HOW!!!

How what?

 

[brfd557]

How what?

LOL You must not of watched much of the Little Rascals. Don't remember which one said "and how" , but he said it when he agreed with someone.

 

[jjss]

As a veteran who is currently using his GI Bill and services from the VA( but still trying to look at it objectively): first, I don't consider va benefits as entitlements.... They were contractually agreed upon, and some(specifically the GI bill) were invested in while in the service, I believe it was $1200 over a year period) for a possible $36000+ scholarship. I agree with changing new recruit benefits, maybe having to pay more into te fund, but retroactively manipulating an agreement won't fly.

Speaking objectively again, veterans benefits should not be on the forefront of cuts. Entitlements like welfare programs for multigenerations should be audited and cut. I would type more but I'm posting from an iphone

 

[USMC-Deano]

LOL You must not of watched much of the Little Rascals. Don't remember which one said "and how" , but he said it when he agreed with someone.

LOL, it was Buckwheat. Love the movie. Never watched the original TV show Our Gang, though.

Also, yes, stop threatening the people who protect this country. Maybe pull some of that fancy welfare/food stamp funding and things would get better without screwing over people who do for this country day in and day out. Oh, wait, they can't do that because they'd lose votes.

 

[Crimson]

Instead of cutting military benefits they should allow citizens to pay the $200 tax stamp and buy the machineguns that they put out of commision instead of cutting them up. Make them somewhat reasonably priced 2000-3000 for a m16 they would be bought up all day long, that is just one way to help. Another idea I have been thinking about for the deficet as whole is think about how much money gets spent on megamillions and powerball, both of those benefit the state well the federal government should have a lottery too. It would bring in a lot of money.

 

[Leonidas]

It is fine for them to cut benefits for future recruits, just not current soldiers.

Funny, if you change the words "recruits" and "soldiers" to recipients, you get exactly what those of the "greatest generation" have been screaming and voting for eighty years.

 

[Gus McCrae]

Real cuts are going to hurt, there is no way around that. We need them. Too bad what the Republicans are proposing is only a drop in the bucket.

There was some real interesting discussion on what the differences between the Repubs and Dems plans..... its not much. The Repubs are wanting to cut $850 billion over 10 years..... Yeah, that'll make a dent. They are also not talking about actually cutting spending, more of "cut the amount we were going to raise each year anyways" So each year, the government will spend more money than the year before, but since they didn't raise it as much as the originally wanted, it's a cut!

This is why so many Tea Party members are against the Repub plan.