Stop undermining your message folks... it's hard enough for the American people to keep up as it is.
Troops don’t need bigger pay raises, White House budget officials said Wednesday in a statement of administration policy laying out objections to the House version of the 2008 defense authorization bill.
The Bush administration had asked for a 3 percent military raise for Jan. 1, 2008, enough to match last year’s average pay increase in the private sector. The House Armed Services Committee recommends a 3.5 percent pay increase for 2008, and increases in 2009 through 2012 that also are 0.5 percentage point greater than private-sector pay raises.
The slightly bigger military raises are intended to reduce the gap between military and civilian pay that stands at about 3.9 percent today. Under the bill, HR 1585, the pay gap would be reduced to 1.4 percent after the Jan. 1, 2012, pay increase.
Here's a tip for any candidate running. Yes, any. Once elected, remove all income/salary tax for serving military men and women. Commissioned officers, not so much unless they're deployed internationally in a war zone. Make all of their income tax free. It "reduces taxes" and shows true support for those willing to fight and to die for even the dumbest of causes.
Use liberally.
Posted by kerry at May 22, 2007 02:33 AM