This Shit is getting out of control!!! Congressman Walter B Jones & Senators Burr & Hagan will hear from me in the morning!!! Every Retired Military person Better be burning up the phone lines about this!!! I will start a recall on any one that votes for this Bullshit!!!! Little by little these asses have been taking from us, 1st it was Medical Not it is actual cash out of Pocket!!!!! WTF!!!! My name is John R Martin, Retired Marine, 3rd Congressional District NC, & I approve this message!!! Semper Fidelis!!!!

I think it should be the current administration should have their pensions taken away and not our veterans!!

Please keep your word and pay veterans,active duty service members and their families.

I agree with the Military as my husband is Retired and I have 3 Active Duty Children with families.

I beg of you, all Senators do not let this happen to our military personnel and their families. They have taken one cut back after another. Do not let this happen to their future. The United States called on our men, women and families to fight for us and other countries. They answered your request with no hesitation at all.
DO NOT take away what they have worked so hard for our country.

I feel our congress has it pretty easy and I do not feel they would except this offer if they were a military personnel. Could they live on what our military makes?

i think you need to rethink this bill because these are the people that insured your right to be free . when it came time for them to go to war for this gov. they wrote you a blank check for any amount and to include there life !!!!! and this is not the way you thank them for there service . you better put the cuts on some one else or you will lose your seat as a sen.

It is unthinkable that ‘our’ government would even entertain the notion that the men and women who have served a ‘life’ sentence for their America, Home of the Free, because of the Brave… to reduce a promise we made to them?! They don’t even GET that much! Remind me; Why do you, senators, etc. deserve a raise? What kind of job are you doing for us right now? DO THE RIGHT THING.

Impeach OBAMA the American people are tired of WASHINGTON It’s time for Washington politics To start working for AMERICA We the people of United States of America will clean house and vote in people who care about the people and this great nation

These men lay their lives on the line every day for each and every one of us. We need to stand behind our military and retirees. If anything, they should be given more than they are. They are earning a smaller salary than the average businessman. Don’t take away or reduce our retirement. My husband spent 26 years in the military, our son was in the military and now our grandson is serving. We are very proud of all they do but don’t chastise them for the choices they have made for their country.

Hey lets make all retirement equal everyone on the same thing (Americans) Medicare and social security even for the politicians. Then things would get straightened out in a hurry. They are no better than you or I. I served my time and have to scratch for a living let them scratch and see what happens. Also don’t send money to other country’s that hate us, keep it home and feed our poor. No special retirement for the big shots!!!!!

This is truly disheartening to me. I am an Air Force Wife. For the last 16 years we have had our blessings and our struggles. My husband has worked hard, earned a living and given up many basic freedoms for our Government & our Country. We don’t ask for much in return. We don’t expect hand outs or take anything for granted. Work Hard and you reap the benefits. We raise our sons with Responsibility, Respect, Compassion & above all pride in oneself when they have gone above and beyond. I feel as if the American Government is failing my family when it comes to taking Responsibility, Respecting it’s Citizens & being Compassionate to our Service Members & their families.
I ask that our hard earned benefits stay in tact. We aren’t asking much, just that the contract our honored. It breaks my heart to look at my Country & my Government & realize that the very Freedoms & Rights my family signed on to protect are now being stripped away from us as if our sacrifices were nothing to them, never appreciated, never honored. Disheartening doesn’t seem enough to express my feelings anymore.

Support Amendment 28

” Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators or Representatives.
Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States.”

THIS SHOULD BE A NEW AMMENDMENT. TO PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS AND STOP PAY RAISES
FOR CONGRESS WHEN OUR DEFENDERS DONOT GET ONE TOO!!

Shame on you congress- These young men and women are in the line everyday- Shame on you-
Maybe if you had served you would understand the scarifies our troops and families endure everyday.

My mom supported my dad for over 30 years while he was a Marine- Our troops need to know you have their 6-

I think you should strongly urge your fellow senators not to rethink think this bill but to completely shoot it down considering these men and women have fought and paid dearly for all of us to continue to live as free as we are with no questions and the understanding that they would receive certain benefits and compensations while knowing that there are risks that they would have to take for people they would never and some who could careless what happens at all. Then there are those that continue to profit off of these fighting heroes and now want to take more from them than just the days that they have spent away from their families, it’s just a disgrace to see that in anyway justifiable. I would like to read that explanation.

Who do you think protects the government!! It’s our men and women who serve in the military! They do the hard job when the government sits in their offices!! Let’s take care of our military. If any people deserve it ITS the MILITARY!!!

Please rethink this. Why should someone who has dedicated 20+ years get less than he was promised when he decided to spend his life protecting you??? My son, a Marine for 13 years, has just turned down a buy out so that he could serve his country and support his family for you. Please don’t take away any of his pension that he was promised in just 7 more years. He has sacrificed a lot in these past 13 years and deserves all he was promised.

If you have never served you have no right to take away from those that have. Without those who have served you would not have the office that you sit in.

Here’s the response I got from Sen. Durbin of Illinois
Thank you for contacting me about military retirement cost of living adjustments (COLA). I appreciate hearing from you.

Members of the active duty military are paid based on their rank and the length of their service. Increases in pay reflect increases in wages and benefits for workers in the private sector. The intent is to keep the military competitive as an employment option.

Military retirees, on the other hand, receive a COLA based on changes to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which indicates an average increase or decrease in price among a wide array of goods.

There has been discussion about whether to provide increases in pay for military retirees that more closely resemble the increases for active duty members. There currently is no legislation that would change the COLA for retirees to the same as active duty. I will keep your thoughts in mind as the Senate debates the issue of compensating military retirees.

Thank you again for contacting me. Please feel free to keep in touch.
Sincerely,
Richard J. Durbin
United States Senator

cut your pay, use your car, buy your on gas, use your on money to stay in office to do nothing.

You people in congress are losers. If you cant do your job and support the poeple who voted you in GET THE HELL OUT. You guys and gals dont deserve your pay. Military families deserve everything they are promised. They gave their country a blank check while you guys take advantage of it. If you cant support them you dont deserve to be in office or this country. Your games are old. Pay the military, and do your job.

I am a 28 year Army veteran. I devoted all of my adult life to protecting this country. I am married to another retired Army Soldier who also devoted his adult life to this country. Because of the requirements levied upon us by this country we have left our child without either parent while we defended this country. We have more than upheld our portion of the agreement and expect our country to keep its word to its Military retirees. We deserve better.

Very frustrating to find out the Military Retirement is getting cut. All of the people we have voted in is putting themselves on a pedestal and I have no respect left our elected officials!! Elected Officials have lost sight of what this USA is…and who has truly fought for our Freedom!

To all my misguided ill advised Senators and Congressman “”””Your “””vote put us in Harms way , “”Your””continued votes keep wasting BILLIONS of dollars in in countries that support terrorism with uour knowledge .And now “You”want to Reneg on Your part of the Contract .You proved what a GRATEFUL NATION you “”aren’t durable the Shutdown .You proved it denying burial expenses to those that paid the ultimate price doing what you freely voted them into .You proved it by keeping All Veterans from showing Respect to their fallen comrades who paid the ultimate price “”again””doing what you and your predecessors voted them into. Those that may have saved their life doing it .Those of us who are Vietnam veterans and career military serving this country look back now and wonder why given your stance on our sacrifices of 2 and 3 decades of service ,24 ,48 ,72 or more hours nonstop some without families some with .In the most inhospitable places in the world , at all hours without fail while you’re home comfy in bed eating whatever you want whenever you want with thosen6ou love .Not a worry in the world knowing “”you’ll””wake up in the morning , live another day .Now you’re saying you’re sorry we lived we fulfilled our commitment so “”You””no longer have to .Patriotism isn’t fleeting , doesn’t come when it serves a campaign promise or election result every 2 or 4 years .WE LIVED UP TO OUR COMMITMENT , LIVE UP TO YOURS.GO TO THE FRONT LINES EXPERIENCE REALITY , GO TO ARLINGTON EXPERIENCE YOUR END RESULT .TALK TO THOSE WHO SACRIFICED IN THE PAST , THOSE IN THE PRESENT .WHAT HAVE YOU SACRIFICED ? BESIDES””BILLIONS OF TAX PAYERS DOLLARS NEEDLESSLY .

The people in the military and retired from it worked hard for this retirement pension. How would you in congress and the president like it if we took away your pension? Most of the people in Washington dc haven’t done a 1/8 of what the military has done for this country, yet their pensions are never at jeopardy. Do away with some of the do nothing and over priced things that the government spends money on.

How dare you people vote to take money away from our soldiers! look at the money you make for doing nothing while most of these people put their life on the line everyday. If any cuts need to be made it’s you in Washington who need to make them. You’re already the most over paid under worked people in our country! This is a disgrace and we won’t take this lying down. My son served our country for 20 years and he deserves every penny he was promised! You people on the other hand if you were paid what you’re worth would be middle class at the most. This is the sorriest bunch we’ve ever had running our country in my lifetime! Anyone who votes for this will be on our chit list and we won’t stop til you’re run out of office!

There is always money for wars, but not or the troops when they need help…

Please don’t cut the promised benefits to military families. Many military spouses aren’t able to have careers since we move around so often, thus many families depend on one income. We often move to areas where the cost of living is so high that we have the cost of living allowance doesn’t cover even the rent, and it has never covered the utilities. My husband has been in the Air Force for 20 years. He often works 10 hour+ days like many of his servicemen. We depend on those benefits, please don’t cut them. Please support military families!

James Morgan: get your civics straight. It’s NOT the administration, which I presume you mean to put the blame for this disaster on President Obama, but the CONGRESS that is perpetrating this on our military heroes and deflecting the rhetoric to anyone but themselves with the help and complicity of Fox and the Koch-heads. Put the fault where it belongs and that is NOT the White House despite the spin you are repeating falsely.

Steve Mayville: remember one important distinction: “sending them to war by this gov.” was NOT the current administration… Assigning the fault of this travesty is on the heads of CONGRESS, not the current White House.

What the hell is the matter with you people. Trying to cut veterans benefits….stop it!!!! look in the mirror once in a while and ask when you lost your soul?

Please rethink this bill. All military men and woman risk their lives for us. How can this injustice be done to them and their families. Where is our government conscience?

Almost 28 yrs I the Corps and 10 deployments. 3 of those deployments were 10-12 months. Fought in Somalia, Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan. I am also a Purple Heart recipient. I can not fathom how much more I have to sacrifice. I think I have done my part, Congress have you! I can’t believe you could even come up with this a solution.

That is a nonsense! The current White House has been sending troops to Afghanistan for six+ years! Barack called it the good war or something similar. He has escalated the war, it is hisvwar in Afghanistan. At he same time this white house has placed conditions of engagement on the forward operating troops that no other military conducting a war has been expected to deal with. Obama is presently failing to negotiate a status of forces agreement … Just as he failed in Iraq! The fragile gov’t and hard won security in Iraq is now doomed for that reason (among other factors, of course) The same will happen in Afghanistan without an agreement to keep some troops there.

Please keep your promise that. Our military will not lose retirement money
That they so deserve. These men & women have sacrificed their lives for our
Country, it would be a disgrace and a big fat lie to take away money they were promised. They
Deserve it being away from their families and children. If anyone is more deserving
Of their retirement money it’s our military!! It’s a disgrace
And a slap In the face to take away money they earned.
Don’t do This to these men & women who selflessly gave
Their lives to our country. I’m truly appaulled at this! Disgusted!
These men & women are devastated after serving our country and
Making a career out of protecting our Great Country!
Keep your promises, or we will lose alot of our military!

It is just one more sign of the Gov. fucking over the people that protect them. They have been doing it to me since the day I left the military disabled. They sit on there ass and think they grants them huge paychecks. While those in the military who dodge bullets and hope not to be blown up and hope to get back to their family in one piece. Those of us that come back broken are treated like trash and are given as little as possible and hope that we will take it and go away. If we want is due us we have to fight tooth and nail. I myself have gone from everything from DR.’s that lie to Dr.’s that threaten. I have had to resort to lawyers to get me my money. Which at the end they will take 30% of my back pay but it will be worth it. I have been fighting the VA system since Oct 2006 if that tells you anything. Also I have talked to Vets that have fought the VA system for 30+ years. Which is truly BS.

The American people will never let those clowns in Washington cut anything from our military retirees. You earned it, but in fact Congress should have their retirement cut by 1/2, their pay cut by 2/3, and have to pay for their medical…no perks. They do not want more money to spend on the American people, but want to give more tax breaks to wealthy people, and corporations. I’m madder than hell…2014 is the year to start getting rid of these fools! WE HAVE YOUR BACKS, and the only way they will cut your pay and benefits, if we, the people, roll over and play dead. WAIT to 2014!

Having la husband and son buried in Arlington and coming from a military family I have very strong feelings about this. My how the military man and woman would love to have the benefits that congress and fed. employees have much less the working hours that they have. Why is it that when you decide that you are spending to much money the first thing you cut is defense.stop the spending in Afganistan, ground Air Force one, and could you all please just get to work and quit worrying about being elected again. I pray you are all thrown out of office.

Please of all things to cut would be anything to do with the Military, I can’t believe anyone would even think of doing that, It looks to me everything is being cut but the people wages who run our country, Not many people even have respect for you any more, This country used to be a proud country, its not any more, The people that worked used to be better off than the ones that didn’t, that’s not true anymore, I see people going on disability that shouldn’t be, and the ones who need it can’t get it, You can’t find a job with 40 hours a week, no benefits, no retirement, and than they say you should have a big saving before you retire, that in it self is a laugh, Our Country is in trouble and EVERYONE has to work to get it back on track, you all are not doing a good job, LEAVE OUR MILITARY ALONE,

These men and women didn’t join the Services to get rich, powerful, or for the prestige. They serve our country out of DUTY. It is the duty of those who don’t serve to SUPPORT them. It is YOUR JOB to support America’s backbone.

Please consider the many hardships many veterans face. My father, Retired Air Force, has since been diagnosed with ALS. My mother has had to quit working in order to care for him as he is now 100% disabled. Between Retirement and Disability funds, my father has a good quality of life. The sacrifices inherent in serving in the Armed Forces take a toll. To take a penny of their retirement is an insult to every American.

Please keep your promises to our military and pay them what they deserve for keeping us a free nation!

Please rethink this bill…Don’t cut the military benefits to the families. These people give their lives or risk their lives for each and everyone of us!

What The FFFFF is this taking from the military familys i have an idea Lets take a portion of your retirement and wages and see how you like it. The military familys are usually not swimming in money now lets just put them out on the street . you legislators need to come up with a way to get the money elsewhere..I know maybe look into the 50.00dollar nuts and bolts and 500.00 dollar toliet seats let cut the spending that is out ragous

Hell yes, lets cut their benefits after all what do they do for us, why should we care about them hell we can sleep in a warm safe bed at night and stuff our guts with delicious hot food and go to our social events and most of the time work only a few hours a day. Hell i have a nice warm shower every night and sit on my back porch and visit my loved ones when i want to, why should i care about them— YOU BUNCH OF MINDLESS, GREEDY A–HOLES SHOULD GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES EVERY NIGHT AND SHED TEARS OF GRATITUDE FOR WHAT OUT MILITARY DOES FOR US. ECEVR ONE OF YOU MAKE ME WANT TO PUKE JUST THINKING ABOUT HOW YOU TREAT THOSE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN THAT WILL FIGHT TO THE DEATH TO PROTECT US. HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT?

This bill is not OK; I believe and agree with the above commentary and that this cut is generally insignificant to solve problems that exist in our national economy, however the damage it will do is highly significant to the well being of our retired military personnel who sacrificed so much for so (relatively) little, and also it is highly significant to continue to degrade the integrity of the US congress. Keep your promises Congress; your retired military kept theirs!

Maybe they would get the point if all the military families who will be at risk of losing their home pack their stuff in uhaul’s send it to their state senators with a note saying we will have to live somewhere you make enough to support a few families .. Ill be there in the morning hope ya have half your house cleaned out for me

GOD BLESS our military,,, GOD DAMN this govt,,, what bunch of back door middle of the night ,,thieves ],,,its goin get to the point where the tax paying citizens of this country start hunting politicians,, PEOPLE SHOULD NOT FEAR THEIR GOVT. GOVT SHOULD FEAR THEIR PEOPLE what bunch of useless PEICE OF SHIT THEIVES,,, we should line the POTOMIC , wiyh wood chippers,,, we would end up with an abundance of blue crabs,,, wich is better than any politicians

Do NOT cut benefits to the Military and/or their families. You could give yours up and still be well; those of us who worked for a living & signed a blank check to the country, up to and including our lives, will not be. YOU need to remember YOU too volunteered for service and promised to work for us. A Soldier does, you on the other hand…well you do not.

Hang your head in shame. These men and women put there lives on the line for us. Give them there retirement they were promised when they agreed to protect us all. We will never be able to give them what they are rally worth but to take from them is unforgiving action.

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

It is typical of all these politicians.
They save money by taking money away from all of us who put on a uniform and serve this country
All these politicians should take a pay cut and decrease in benefits
They just have to serve 2 years and they get 95% of the base pay and all their benefits
A member of the military who serves 20 years of faithful and honorable service gets only 50%
That is not right

Once again you congressional lowlifes that go on and on about “Supporting the Troops” find yet another way to stick to those that risk their lives doing what their government orders them to do. How do you sleep at night? Have you no shame?

Every time I see an ad for a Veteran’s charity, most of which do amazing work for our former soldiers, I ask myself this question, why do they need to even exist? Because the Congress of this nation takes the support those Veterans need and MOST OF ALL EARNED from them.

And now you won’t even let them retire but you’ll get yours, YOU SUCK.

Ok….to be honest….I didnt even read the article. Why? Because I already heard about this on WLS radio in Chicago. Everyone is like so dumbed down today. Ask our Senators and Congress and whoever the heck else….???…..and being nicey nice about asking them to stop taking from the poor?…yes, our service men and women are just above poverty. Why ask nicely?….what I want to know is why the hell no one has been shot yet?!!!!!!!!!!!!….seriously?!!!….there needs to be blood drawn in order to get these stupid fucks to wake up and notice they arent invincable and that Americans are fed the fuck up!!!…writting letters and blah blah blah hasnt helped anyone in the past who thinks it will help now??….I really dont mean to be a downer here folks but I live in reality. And reality is were all screwed unless blood is drawn….and its coming folks. too many people are pissed off!!!!!!!!!!…..peace out and God bless.

it is time to stop the harm that is being done to our military OUR FAMILIES they protect us home and abroad while the stinking pigs in congress take everything from everyone. SHAME to you all and to those who sit back and watch how the teabaggers are doing only harm. you will pay too. SENATORS you can stop this today this can be stopped today we want those in congress to work for us as that is the promise they made when elected. they are all liars from the beginning and should be taken out of office as soon as possible they are the enemy of our nation our people and the PRESIDENT they do only harm and that is a treasonist act. done to us all. W E want them out of office.

I would like my original comment shown

My husband is retired Army after giving 20+ years of his life to it! This is so unfair! Maybe our President should give a little of his pay up! He makes a hell of a lot more money than military retiree’s & what’s he given to his country but to ruin it!

ITS CONGRESS, NOT OBAMA!……LETS GET THAT STRAIT!!

I Have had it with government taking away!! We see homeless vets on the street corners , not enough in the budget to care for our vets YET the idiots keep giving themselves RAISES???? I am appalled that this is what we call AMERICA. It Needs to stop NOW! let them go on the precious obamacare and take the cuts every one else is and see how it feels . It disgusts me the greed and ignorance of these buffoons.GET WITH THE PROGRAM , enough is enough the nation needs REAL heroes and yet you think you need to take away from the ones we have???

I enlisted in the United States Army Air Force in Feb 1947 and was told by recruiter that I would have free medical care for the rest of my life. I retired in 1967 and am now paying $104 for medical ins. I now find that my Congress has voted to take away my Colas from my fellow servicemen that fought and died for this country. That is outrageous. It is time for Congress to start taking care of our retired veterans.,

I agree this is getting real old . Most of these representatives never spent a day in the military in their life. The only thing that they would put their life on the line for is their own pension, they have everything handed to them, including healthcare free of charge for we are the people who get to pay for the congressmen and senators pensions and healthcare they never gave nothing up in their life, I think it’s a shame that every time they talk about spending cuts it’s always the military, how about Mr. Sen., Mr. Congressman, you take a cut in pay and also give up your free medical because you can afford to pay your own medical care and get off the backs of the paying public and off the backs the military, if you want to help your congressional districts. How about doing your job and bring these young people jobs that they can support a family with instead of messing around with our military. I think the reason everybody plays with the military is because you don’t know what it’s like to serve and put your life on the line.

It is a sad day when I, devoted most of my adult life to protecting this country from all enemies foreign and domestic. Just to find out that all I did was for nothing, just to get a small retirement check, that still puts me way under the poverty level. I’m not completely dissatified with the USA but am completely dissatified with the leaders of this great nation. Only a handful of our elected officals served in the military. For the ones that did serve (whether they are republican or democrat) they are forgetting where they came from ( the trenches like me). All being said the leaders of this great nation need to look in the mirror and choke back some if not most of there pride, they sit behind a smoke screen and don’t realize what is going on around them. If some of our higher ups including our command in chief would take a pay cut, our country’s deficiet would go down. Who needs to make 6 figures a year to sit behind a desk. Oh then to mention this get a 6 figure a year retirement check for life to do nothing but make a few speeches a year and to have personnel protection for the rest of there life. CEO’s of major coorperations don’t get this type of treatment, so why should our elected officials.

Sincerely
Retired Marine

Jane, how in the world is it President Obama’s fault? He doesn’t make the laws, it’s Congress and they have done a lousy job this year and last! Hey your facts straight!

Amen to that! My husband is retired Air Force, also a Vietnam veteran. He’s drawing his social security and is going to get a whole $28 a month raise! My raise its a whopping $11. I wonder how much Congress is getting?

Talk about “White Collar Crimes”, To take earned benefits from members that sacrificed their lives in support of our nations freedoms. Many of these members and their families spent years on food stamps and low pay while honorably serving our country. They put their lives on the line, spend years away from their families, and suffer with physical and mental issues from years of a career that demands sacrifices. Career military personnel and their families know these sacrifices each time they reenlist, it’s stated on the contract to obey the orders, in return they will receive retirement benefits that may be enough to make a mortgage payment, because they weren’t able to purchase a home and sustain geographic stability due to being moved every 2 to 4 years.. Congress, you steal from the men and women that sacrificed their family and lives to ensure you have the freedom to stab them in the back. We wonder why public opinion of congress is at an all-time low.

unbelievable…now its a mistake, an oversight…here we go again, do they even read what they pass. heads should roll, whoever wrote this bill and voted to pass it should be gone in the next election