Dear Conservative,
Today is the Big Game, and it doesn’t get any more American than watching football. Friends and family will gather to watch two teams battle it out on the gridiron for a chance to lift the Lombardi Trophy and return home as champions.
While the advertising campaigns have historically focused on humor, there has been a growing trend to make Game Day commercials just the opposite. Many commercials now feature our men and women in the armed forces in an attempt to grab at your heartstrings and appeal to your emotional side.
The truth is that every day should be a reminder that for everything that we enjoy here at home, our servicemen and women are currently deployed around the world in 150 countries. They are fighting to protect the very freedoms we take for granted every day.
Yet on this day, we are reminded of more than just our military’s sacrifices… we are reminded that Congress still has not restored our veterans’ military pensions!
Back in December, as part of the Ryan-Murray budget deal, Congress agreed to slash military pensions by 1% every year in order to save $6 Billion over a decade. The veterans’ pensions normally grow every year to account for inflation, but the budget deal actually cuts the rate of growth by 1%.
One percent may seem like an insignificant number, but over the course of an individual’s retirement, it can translate into tens of thousands of dollars. An enlisted-man stands to lose upwards of $72,000 in retirement income thanks to Congress’ cuts. Commissioned officers stand to lose much more: upwards of $124,000.
While the Congress and President are so focused on raising the minimum wage for federal employees and giving amnesty to illegal aliens, no one has even bothered to ensure that our brave servicemen and women receive the pensions that they have earned!
Think about all the money that Democrats spend to pander to their supporters. The unions and illegal immigrants all get their “fair share,” but there never seems to be anything left over for our military veterans! In fact, the Democrats always seem to be trying to balance the budget on our Veterans’ backs. That is unacceptable!
Our military veterans earned their pensions. They fought and bled for it. They went off to war with the understanding that when they returned, they would be fully compensated. Now, with the War in Iraq in the rearview mirror and the War in Afghanistan (hopefully) winding down, Congress has renegotiated the deal on its own.
Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have agreed that our veterans’ pensions must be restored. So, what are they waiting for?
Congress is waiting for the right time to use our military veterans’ pensions as leverage! Nothing gets through Congress without the right leverage, and Congressional Democrats know that our military veterans can be a powerful bargaining chip.
What the Democrats fail to understand is that every single breath they take and sentence they speak was bought and paid for by the countless servicemen and women who sacrificed themselves for this great nation. These men and women are not pawns in some political game. They are heroes and it is about time that Congress started treating them as such!
So, as you gather with friends and family to watch the Big Game, please take a few minutes to tell Congress that it is time to restore our military veterans’ pensions. Our servicemen and women are not bargaining chips. They are the heroes that sustain our great Constitutional Republic, and it is time to start treating them that way!
Sincerely,
Joe Otto
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