• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

<Michelle and the military

Big Muddy rancher

Well-known member
Michelle O was at Fort Bragg the other day showing her concern for military families and saying she was taking up their cause. She was concerned that some families were using food stamps.
Now I do not know how much the military pays and I am sure that soldiers deserve every penny they earn. However since I have a nephew at Fort Bragg this peaked my interest. My Nephew a Sargent has a wife, three kids, two nice vehicles and a couple mud bogging jeeps. A pool in the back yard. What would be so different that some families with one member in combat be so different?
This soldier was in Afghanistan, blown out of his vehicles as well as his boots. has had surgery on both feet and wants to go back and support his fellow troops.
 

Steve

Well-known member
facts are sometimes hidden beyond the "screaming headlines"...

and while 4000 families on foodstamps is 4000 to many, and I have always felt the service was underpaid.. and had McCain had his way they would have zero troops on food stamps.. and all families would have seen a modest increase in pay..

while I didn't post the entire articles they show how the fed has worked towards eliminating the problem, from a $500 cash payment to working to increase allowances..

A survey conducted in 1999, showed that about 6,300 military families were on food stamps. That was a dramatic drop from the 12,000 who received aid in 1995 and represents less than 1 percent of the 1.4 million men and women in uniform.
http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/moneymatters/a/foodstamps.htm


but the interesting part of the story is.. that the leadership at the time felt it was wrong and made sure that the eligibility was "increased" and that the families could recieve additional help

when the republicans took over they worked to increase pay and benifits to lower the need for service members to need food stamps.. then in 01 they worked to provide more cash to the lower paygrades to adaquatly support thier families..

Even after accounting for the shrinking military, the number of troops receiving such aid has slid from 0.9% to 0.45% over the past decade. (About 8% of Americans are on food stamps.) The Pentagon predicts that scheduled pay increases for troops will by 2005 trim the total military personnel on food stamps to 4,000.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101000508-44022,00.html

so if the number is rising..since 05 then,.. I guess in 2006 that military support in congress has plummited and now more soldiers need foodstamps..

BTW who took control of the congress in 06?
 

Steve

Well-known member
Michelle O was at Fort Bragg the other day showing her concern for military families and saying she was taking up their cause. She was concerned that some families were using food stamps.

Maybe a larger pay raise would help? or an increase in allowances?

notice the differance..
The proposed 2009 raise is almost equal to the 3.5 percent increase for this year that was finalized Jan. 28, when Bush signed the revised 2008 Defense Authorization Act.
The Bush administration is seeking a 3.4 percent raise for all service members next year (2009)— an amount that advocacy groups are already saying is too small.

Obama's proposal.. 2.4% and send his wife for a photo op, to whine about how badly the troops are paid..
 

TexasBred

Well-known member
A little hard to read but hopefully you can get the idea. Add to this various allowances, (housing, food, COL, combat pay, etc)

Annual Salary

Paygrade <2 2 3 4 6 8
E-9 - - - - - -
E-8 - - - - - -
E-7 - - - 59,089.87 60,415.66 62,692.26
E-6 47,975.87 50,733.24 52,062.74 53,341.55 54,678.66 57,670.71
E-5 43,361.16 45,053.17 46,351.01 47,678.08 49,741.65 51,897.32
E-4 39,321.22 40,449.68 41,681.86 42,906.85 44,059.40 44,059.40
E-3 37,555.17 38,790.73 40,052.98 40,052.98 40,052.98 40,052.98
E-2 36,174.97 36,174.97 36,174.97 36,174.97 36,174.97 36,174.97
E-1 33,870.55 33,870.55 33,870.55 33,870.55 33,870.55 33,870.55
E-1 w/less than 4 months 32,567.87
Paygrade 10 12 14 16 18 20
E-9 - - - 83,347.80 85,110.09 87,989.89
E-8 - 70,895.91 72,274.95 73,766.20 76,449.87 77,807.07
E-7 63,962.78 66,218.31 68,041.68 69,284.75 70,596.46 71,106.93
E-6 58,819.55 61,040.91 61,718.83 62,209.58 62,783.37 62,783.37
E-5 53,648.61 53,866.54 53,866.54 53,866.54 53,866.54 53,866.54
E-4 44,059.40 44,059.40 44,059.40 44,059.40 44,059.40 -
E-3 40,052.98 - - - - -
E-2 36,174.97 - - - - -
E-1 33,870.55 - - - - -
 
Top