I've got a better idea

Last week, Mr. Obama suggested freezing the pay of Federal employees to reduce the Federal government's spending and lower the budget deficit. Shortly afterwards, the NationalJournal.com reported in Hoyer Calls for Military Pay Freeze that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D - Maryland) suggested that military pay be frozen, too.

Apparently, Hoyer believes that our military men and women can afford a pay freeze. According to a website, www.TodaysMilitary.com, I would argue that they cannot. I found the following information regarding the compensation for first year enlisted personnel entering the military without a four-year college degree :

• If single and no children, they receive a base pay between $16,794 - $18,824 plus medical and dental insurance. How many of us could live on that ??
• If married or have children they receive the same base pay ($16,794 - $18,824) plus medical and dental insurance. In addition, these personnel receive a housing allowance ranging from $9,036 - $25,008 depending on where they are stationed, rank, and number of dependents. So, a married service member with multiple children could expect to receive a maximum of $41,802 ($16,794 + $25,008). However, that would only be if they live in an area of the country with the highest cost of living. How many people with families do you know that can live on that ??

The next logical question is, "How much does a member of Congress make per year ??" According to the www.TheCapitol.net, each member of Congress receives at least $174,000 per year in 2010. If they hold a leadership position, their annual salary is much higher. For instance :

• Speaker of the House - $223,500
• Majority and Minority leaders of both chambers - $193,400

As you can see, our full-time military personnel and their families who put their lives on the line and futures on hold every day to protect us don't get paid squat. However, the politicians who spend their days screwing our lives and our country up get paid very well.

Therefore, I have an idea of my own to present to Congressman Hoyer. The total salaries of all 535 members of Congress come to over $93 Million (535 x $174,000) annually. We could cut a ton of spending and a nice chunk out of the deficit if we evened things up a little. Let's cut Congressional pay down to the level of our military men and women. To make the math easy, let's use nice round numbers. Let's lower Congressional pay to $17,000 per year like first year enlisted personnel. If we do, we cut "wasteful" Federal government spending by nearly $84 Million [($174,000 - $17,000) x 535] per year. Maybe then the idiots in Washington, D.C. would understand how our military personnel struggle to make ends meet. Maybe then they would even learn a little respect for these heroes. Instead of freezing military pay, we should be increasing it - period.

Lately, Congress has been intent on "redistributing the wealth." How about we redistribute a little from them to our military personnel ?? Who's with me ??

Related articles

• Hoyer: Military should also see pay freeze (thehill.com)
• Obama demands 2-year pay freeze for federal workers (washingtontimes.com)