Pay the troops--they are doing their job. Don't pay Congress--they haven't done their job in a while

[Horse with no Name]

That's what needs to happen.

[Common Sense Party]

1. Well said.

Congress should be paying US.

[Uncle Joe]

2. I find it incredible that they don't consider troops in battle to be "essential."

The entire Congress can go one of their multiple vacations for weeks at a time and the nation doesn't miss a beat, troop's in battle can hardly do so and if they all did, they would call it desertion, somebody has to remain on the wall, that seems "essential" to me.

Thanks for the thread, Horse with no Name.

[orwell]

3. Don't pay anybody...

...then see how fast these Con clowns hold to their ideological positions.

[Horse with no Name]

6. I don't agree and the rest of the country won't either

They are stuck in a war that they can't just resign from.

I bet there is a good chunk of these brave men and women who did NOT sign up for this.

They already make shit salaries anyway--their families stateside are burdened with being single parents and ALL that that entails.

I do NOT think it is in the national interest for our soldiers to be worrying about their families being evicted and lights being cut off while they are in a war. That kind of distraction KILLS people.

My family is over there fighting. For those that think that the soldiers don't need paid--let MY family members come home and replace them with yours.

[Bragi]

10. You wrote:

"I bet there is a good chunk of these brave men and women who did NOT sign up for this."

Sign up for what?

[Horse with no Name]

11. Endless wars without being paid

Face it. The rich aren't the ones fighting these wars. Many of these young folks did it for college or because there weren't any other jobs anywhere else. In other words...people that NEED the money.

[Bragi]

16. Yes, but so do the other workers

Other people working for the government also need the money.

[Bragi]

7. Agreed

Don't think troops should be paid if no-one else on federal payroll is paid.

[Horse with no Name]

12. People on the federal payroll won't have to go to work

Troops don't have a choice. There is a difference.

[Bragi]

9. dupe (deleted by author)

[Jmaxfie1]

4. Great post! n/t

[emulatorloo]

5. "While Slamming Obama For Opposition To ‘Troop Funding Bill,’ House GOP Votes Down Troop Funding"

While Slamming Obama For Opposition To ‘Troop Funding Bill,’ House GOP Votes Down Troop Funding — Twice

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/07/house-gop-troop-funding-cut/

oday, House Republicans pushed through their stopgap measure in a 247-181 vote. The bill, H.R. 1363, quickly came under fire for demanding a series of non-budget related policy riders, including an anti-abortion policy restriction banning D.C. from using its own local funds for abortions and anti-environmental restrictions to limit the EPA from regulating green house gas emissions, on top of an extra $12 billion in cuts. “With an eye to protecting themselves politically” from blame, the GOP quickly redefined H.R. 1363 today as the “troop funding bill.”

Slate’s Dave Weigel noted that five minutes after the White House declared H.R. 1363 unacceptable, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) slammed President Obama for threatening to veto a bill to “ensure that our troops are paid.” Minutes later, Rep. Tom Latham (R-IA) ripped Democrats for “girding to oppose a ‘troop-funding bill.’” Republican lawmakers quickly picked up the rallying cry. Reps. Mike Pence (R-IN) and Harold Rodgers (R-KY) called it “astonishing” and “inexplicable” that Obama would, as GOP shutdown architect Newt Gingrich put it, use the troops as “bargaining chips for budget negotiations.”

There’s only one problem with this talking point — it’s the opposite of true. Today, the House Democrats tried three times to pass a measure that would ensure the troops received pay. The Republicans overwhelmingly opposed every single “troop-funding” opportunity:

<MORE AT LINK>

The Republicans infuriate me. Which is the understatement of the year, I guess.

[Wait Wut]

13. But...this is what our military is hearing.

In the past month I've had to send my son several links PROVING that it isn't the Democrats that are trying to screw him. Each time, he calls back and says he gets it. A week later...some other idiot spouts the same crap and I have to do it all over again.

At this point he says he doesn't give a fuck WHO is responsible, just get it taken care of. I don't blame him for his frustration. He just spent over $4000 to get his wife's Visa in the works and now hears it may not get done if there is a shutdown. They spent all they had saved to get it rolling.

[emulatorloo]

14. Yeah his frustrations are justified. And it must be frustrating to you

to have to counter his Limbaugh listening friends.

[Bragi]

17. Many non-military federal workers have the same problem /nt

[Wait Wut]

18. Yes, they do.

But, my son and the rest of the military still have to go to work even if they don't get paid.

[liberal N proud]

8. It sure is twisted, isn't it?

Goes to the black is white, up is down world the GOP has created.

[KatieW]

15. AMEN to that!!!!

[AsahinaKimi]

19. VETERANS should get paid also.. those who are on disability

eom