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The potential for a government shutdown has been creating quite a stir in the last couple weeks.  To set the record straight, the deeply divided House of Representatives voted to approve a three week budget.  This does not resolve the budget issue, but it very clearly demonstrates that fears Armed Forces personnel will be asked to serve the remainder of the month and not receive pay on April 1st are unfounded.

Part of the confusion for Armed Forces personnel is irresponsible reporting.  So let us set the record straight since “military newspaper staff writers” (all terms used loosely) wish to strike fear by releasing deliberately withheld information.

The concern was generated when one such staff writer wrote an article detailing government’s plans to shutdown government and not pay military personnel on the subsequent payday.  The draft planning guidance that was used to generate the article was just that; a DRAFT.  An incomplete idea awaiting further approval and at no time had any policy making or pay impacting merit concerning the troops that were led to alarm by the article.  The draft was presented by our Democrat leadership through the Pentagon in an attempt to put the screws to the Republicans in hopes that threatening military pay would force them into approving a budget that did consist of the deep budget cuts the Republicans are seeking in order to offset some of the damages being caused by the government’s runaway spending. 

However, all that was reported when it came to service men and women was that military personnel were in a situation that that could lead them to not getting paid on April 1st.  This coming from a “military paper” that is highly used by military personnel is reason for concern given the fact that the withholding of their pay was a mere idle threat that was never put into any official form. 

Such draft planning guidance is nothing new for our fellows in the beltway.  In 1995 the government suffered a similar plight under Bill Clinton and some 17 “drafts” were presented by Democrat leadership to call for the withholding of military pay while our troops served with the honor they swore to.  Politicians who are not so honorable sought attack their pay; all attempts which obviously failed much in the manner this one has.

The article blames the division of a Republican House and Democrat Senate that cannot resolve a budget issue while further stating the budget was not passed on October 1st of last year when the fiscal year began.  While the latter is true, look at the dates.  The division of the House and Senate occurred on November 2nd when Republicans won the House and made significant gains the Senate.  The divided budget debates as described in the article did not begin until January when said Republicans took office.  What this should tell the reader is the budget failed to pass when Democrats controlled both the House and Senate; even though the article is written to suggest that today’s division of the House and Senate is the true problem.  Today’s division simply had nothing to do with last year’s Democrat in fighting.

This has been the tone of many writers from 2009 through 2010 where failed government agendas and legislation were blamed on a party that lacked the numbers to block anything in both the House and the Senate.  The problem was the lack of agreement between fellow Democrats; as was the original problem in this case.  Today, the tide has turned and the two parties are far from eye to eye on any and all budget issues.  Despite this, it not the intent of any honorable elected official to see a single service member serve without pay – even if that pay is later reimbursed.  This of course exempts the lesser desirable elected official who would even suggest such a fiscal atrocity of our fighting men and women.  Disclose them and vote them out!

The Federal Times and other military affiliated newspapers have failed their readers in their publishing of such an inaccurate article by a staff writer who either got his hands on very incomplete and thus unverified information, or simply chose to submit portions of information that would incite turmoil amongst the troops in an attempt to gain his 15 minutes of fame.

In as much, portions pertaining to this article are correct, but they are also grossly misrepresented.

What is important to remember is that Enlisted men and women are serving under a service “agreement” and not a contract.  This enables government to effectively not pay them while giving them no recourse against government because a contract will not have not been violated.  In light of such truth, attempts to hold political agendas hostage with military pay have always failed and always will.  A government not willing pay their service members is simply not a government worthy of serving.  This is also to say that an elected official willing to consider a measure like this is not worthy of your vote and person willing to place military personnel through such stress with this poor reporting is not worthy of reading.

“Trusted sources” of information are subjective at best.  Perhaps after this readers will begin to reconsider what their trusted sources of information are.  When a topic like this one comes to your attention, research it before believing it, or ask me and I will be happy to research it for you.  Of all the things our service men and women deserve, honest and credible reporting is the least that can be provided; that much I am more than willing to do for our fighting men and women and their families.

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