Thursday, October 03, 2013

I'm Not the First or the Only Person to Ask, But...



... if these people workin' for the gub'mint are "non-essential," why were they ever hired in the first place?
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6 comments:

  1. Anonymous03 October, 2013 18:04

    NBC had a picture of a Major standing next to empty shelves at the commissary. The first thing that came to my mind, was why have commissaries in the states?? This is stupid!

    Close them down and put the money in cost of living pay or what I think is called subsistence pay. By giving the troops the pay offset you don't need a multi-million dollar warehouse and all the people it takes to run it. Am I being unreasonable with this thinking??

    Same with overseas, if troops are stationed in Paris or Frankfurt I know a lot of nice stores there keep the French and Germans alive. Just give them the pay offset.

    I know in Afghanistan they probably do need a commissary...

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    Replies
    1. Buck04 October, 2013 11:57

      I think you're being unreasonable from a retired guy's perspective. Retirees don't get a subsistence allowance... so eliminating commissaries in the US would cost me money. I use the commissary about three times a month and I estimate the savings are around $50.00 a month. Not a substantial amount of money to lose, but money, none the less.

      Secondly, if you spread the savings from eliminating commissaries across all personnel equally the junior enlisted people... those who need commissaries the most... would get the short end of the stick. Even if the savings were targeted at enlisted people only (eliminating the officer corps) I don't believe the additional pay would offset the negative effect on morale. The commissary benefit is rated very high when active duty and retired families are polled on the worth of their benefits.

      Delete
    2. IT (aka Ivan Toblog)04 October, 2013 13:02

      As I remember it, the commissary is where Officers Mess and Ward Rooms get their vittles because they can't just requisition the stuff like the enlisted mess can
      The officers have to pay for all of their meals out of pocket ...or did once upon a time
      The Commissary was opened to all personnel because the economics of scale meant they'd have more purchasing power
      One thing I do know is that the Commissaries look a whole lot nicer now than they did back in the day

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    3. Buck04 October, 2013 13:11

      @ IT: You're right about commissaries bein' a lot more spiffy today. The selections in every category are a whole lot broader, too. As an example... I buy ALL my Asian cooking ingredients (like sauces, spices, etc.) at the commissary, simply because the stuff just isn't available elsewhere in the local area.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous04 October, 2013 11:47

    This is the hard question . . . is someone getting the B Ark ready? I'm not sure I want to know the answer.

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Just be polite... that's all I ask.

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