If I hear one more Congress critter say they support our troops…

For the first time, our Troops are considered “non-essential” in the event of a government shut down ~ per their community-agitator-marxist-progressive-teleprompter-reading-enemy-in-chief.

I spent yesterday morning calling my elected reps as well as a few others and as usual all I got was a staff member who couldn’t have cared less and knew less than that.  As usual, even the military liaisons weren’t “available”.

“Non-essential”.

Just think about that 19 year old kid who gave up being home with his/her family and friends, to face a murdering enemy who plays by no rules and uses women and children as shields.

“Non-essential”.

Think about the mil-spouses at home with one, two, three or more kids, living from paycheck to paycheck, some on foodstamps (because we pay our boots on the ground so much! *snort*), who has enough to worry about with their loved one in harm’s way.

“Non-essential”

Hell, deployed Troops aren’t even guaranteed getting their votes counted.

Mike Flynn over at Big Government has a good post about this:

Will Obama Administration Hold Military Paychecks During Government Shutdown?

According to draft guidance from the Pentagon, the Obama Administration will require military personnel to report to work…but, will hold their paychecks until the impasse is resolved. As Government Executive explained in a March 15th article:

Military personnel and exempt Defense Department civilian employees are required to continue working without pay during a government shutdown, according to guidance from the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

In a memo prepared earlier this month, Defense officials noted that service members and some civilian workers, including those involved in national security and the protection of life and property, still must report for duty but will not be paid until Congress appropriates funds to reimburse them for that period of service. All other employees will be furloughed, the memo stated.

Military personnel are not subject to furlough.

This is new.

Read it all here.

Another post from Erick Erickson (Red State) explaining why this is:

Barack Obama Takes Our Soldiers Hostage to a Shutdown

“…our troops fighting a non-essential non-war in Libya are reclassified just like the non-war.”

From Hot Air:   At a town-hall meeting held by Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA)

The real question that Moran should answer isn’t why he was off the clock last night. It’s why he and his 77-seat Democratic majority couldn’t bother to pass a budget when they had all year to do it, and full control of Washington DC. Heck, you could even ask that question nicely, and I’m pretty sure Moran would react in his predictably irritable manner.

“And if you served your country in the military for 27 years, I thank you for that service, sir.”

Oh yeah, I really believe his “sincerity” in that statement.

Yep, Non-Essential.

How dare he?!

(Followed by thoughts not suitable for this blog)

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Tags: Congress, government, Military, paychecks, shutdown, troops