Military Pay

[Brandi]

OVERALL, how would you rate military compensation? When you take everything into account... the hours they work, the benefits such as medical and other perks, housing allowances, deployments, the advancement system, etc. When you look at the big picture and everything overall, how do you feel about military compensation?

If there are things that bother you or that you think should be modified, improved, added, taken away, etc., please elaborate

[Sarah]

I think we are slightly underpaid. I think we deserve a decent payraise and the BAH should be raised. The amount of mortgages and rent are still on the high end, and I think the BAH should be raised to match it. Otherwise, I am pretty satisfied.

I think we are slightly underpaid and this is why.

So far my husband has gotten PAID to go to school and get 25 college credits. We do not pay for any of this training or materials. I know how expensive this would be for us if we had to pay for it ourselves! If he were not in school than we would be underpaid, not grossly underpaid, but pretty damn close. It all equals out to slighty underpaid for us now, but I know it'll pick up in the long run.

eta- If you average out the people who don't do their jobs, or do the minimal amount of work with those that bust their ass- it still comes out to slightly underpaid overall. If you do that math!

[Joy]

It really depends. They have COLA in some areas to compesate the difference but some areas that should have it have none. The compensation when they are gone seems about right but for the hours they work on a regular basis, they are grossly underpaid. Honestly, our politicians need to get paid less and our military men paid more. As of January 1 2005, members of Congress make $162,100.

Why do these people get paid this much?


Executive Branch

• President: $400,000; $50,000 expense account; $100,000 nontaxable for travel; $19,000 official entertainment account; free housing
• Retired president: $150,000 pension; plus $150,000 to maintain staff
• Former first lady: $20,000
• Vice president: $208,100; $10,000 expense account; free housing
• Presidential Cabinet member (i.e. secretary of defense, attorney general, etc.): $157,000

Legislative Branch

• Speaker of the House of Representatives: $208,100
• Senate president pro tempore: $180,100
• Senate and House majority and minority leaders: $180,100
• Other senators and representatives: $162,100

Judicial Branch

• Supreme Court chief justice: $208,100
• Supreme Court associate justices: $199,200
• Circuit judges: $171,800
• District judges: $162,100

Compared to a district judge our military members risking their lives are GROSSLY UNDERPAID. I do not compare our "income" to the general public because the military is not part of the general public. They are getting paid by the federal government. So to me, compared to these guys, our men get the shaft.

[luvmysailor81904]

I think we have really great advantages with the military benefits but with that on top of the hours, I think we are still severely underpaid

Oh, if you count WHERE we live right now- We are GROSSLY underpaid living in SD with NO COLA!!!

I think we are underpaid.. andi just dont know how some larger families do it on one income and we struggle just as much...

I mean yeah we got medical care.. but it stil doens help with living costs these days.

[wb3690]

Originally Posted by RockstarMom Oh, if you count WHERE we live right now- We are GROSSLY underpaid living in SD with NO COLA!!!

you know what I TOTALLY Agree with you. My friend moved from Hawaii to SD area and said how much of a change it was. Said she is paying about the same prices for things in SD as she did in hawaii.......however in Hawaii we get cola.....

honestly I think we do well, but think overall we are slightly underpaid. I also think Hawaii is a GREAT place to save money. We put away our cola every single month and never even touch it.......so that totally rocks!

[Caimbrie]

Originally Posted by Janetrivs I think we are underpaid.. andi just dont know how some larger families do it on one income and we struggle just as much... I mean yeah we got medical care.. but it stil doens help with living costs these days.

We are a family of 5 on a single income AND my husband payes child support to his ex each month... It's VERY hard and we barely make it check to check... sometimes we don't. Here is Va the COL is high and we don't get any COLA here. We recieve the Newport News BAH rate which is less then Norfolk also.. that makes it suck just that much more.

[MichelleB]

Underpaid in every way possible! It pisses me off when civilian friends say, "but he gets all that extra BAH and stuff!"

Yea, and if he didn't we would be below the poverty line!!!!!!!!!