Arnold Punaro is a member of the Defense Business Board, an advisory group of executives to the secretary of defense, which has recommended major changes to Tricare and future retirement plans to bring personnel costs under control. Punaro, a retired Marine Corps Reserve major general, said most military retirees are ready to accept reasonable fee increases if told the facts about the department’s soaring health care costs.

“Retirees get it,” he said. “They say, ‘Look, if everybody is sacrificing, we’re willing to pay our fair share.’ They don’t want to see a weak military 20 years from now. They don’t want to see the volunteer force get hollow.”

He's a retired major general - his retirement check isn't exactly small. Fucking cunt.

Exactly. I'm sure he's qualified to speak for a guy getting an E-7 retirement or a someone who got out on disability and relies on his VA medical to pay for pain management and other things. Classy. Not to mention the fact that most times the military member's spouse could never get a well paying job because they moved every few years during their time in service so there isn't usually a retirment check from that side either. Now they want to mess with active duty members Tricare benefits too. But yup, a general with a fat retirement who had political ties through his military life and got a nice job after getting out knows all about living pay check to pay check.

Why is pulling out of two wars not an option to lower the budget? Why can we not tax millionaires more but we can steal from the middle class? I think it is cute when the right talks about class warfare...yes those poor poor rich people.

I don't have the feeling that your government is acting in the US-citizens' favour. (grammar ok? )

Grammar is fine but you used the Canadian spelling of favor

Simply put, this government has completely turned its back on the middle and lower class in favor of making the rich richer. Happy times.

sorry for the Oxford English . that's europe.......

I'm just busting your balls. I actually lived in Germany for four years and visited Austria pretty often. For a second language you're doing better than 99% of the people on this forum.

third language Upperaustrian (unofficial) German English and Latine (not dead)

Pump your breaks, now you're just showing off.

was my intention . I can't speak Latine fluently (only translate it into German)

Although English is my official language, I’m also fluent in Profanity, Drunkenness and Hockey-Speak.

Any room for one more in this language-pissing contest?

was my intention . I can't speak Latine fluently (only translate it into German)

OK, now I'm going to broach a possibly controversial subject. One thing that really gets my goat is the way that so many people who are against government-provided healthcare also think that veterans deserve free medical care for life. (I'm not pointing my finger at any of the veterans here in particular)Their logic usually goes something like "They served their country, they deserve to be taken care of".

I agree with that sentiment. What I don't like is the exclusion of all non-military workers. Something about that language "served their country", just pisses the hell out of me. Not because they didn't serve their country, but because I think to have a functioning society (which we do), everyone, or at the very least most people, have to serve their country. Don't doctors, nurses, taxi-drivers, dishwashers, receptionists, cashiers, garbage and mailmen, teachers, truck drivers, etc. ALL serve their country? I get that the military are putting themselves in danger for the sake of the greater good, but they're not the only ones.

Again, this isn't meant to call out any of you veterans on here, or to belittle the job of soldier. I just wish more people would see the value of treating everyone the way they'd like veterans to be treated (including veterans themselves because though politicians act like they care about veterans, veterans are still often treated like shit).

OK, now I'm going to broach a possibly controversial subject. One thing that really gets my goat is the way that so many people who are against government-provided healthcare also think that veterans deserve free medical care for life. (I'm not pointing my finger at any of the veterans here in particular)Their logic usually goes something like "They served their country, they deserve to be taken care of".

I agree with that sentiment. What I don't like is the exclusion of all non-military workers. Something about that language "served their country", just pisses the hell out of me. Not because they didn't serve their country, but because I think to have a functioning society (which we do), everyone, or at the very least most people, have to serve their country. Don't doctors, nurses, taxi-drivers, dishwashers, receptionists, cashiers, garbage and mailmen, teachers, truck drivers, etc. ALL serve their country? I get that the military are putting themselves in danger for the sake of the greater good, but they're not the only ones.

Again, this isn't meant to call out any of you veterans on here, or to belittle the job of soldier. I just wish more people would see the value of treating everyone the way they'd like veterans to be treated (including veterans themselves because though politicians act like they care about veterans, veterans are still often treated like shit).

Well, I'm probably the exception to the rule, but I haven't received any free health care. Maybe because I don't know it's available to me?

I don't think if I spend anything less than 20 years in that I should receive free health care for life (outside any service-related injuries); even those who serve 20 years and retire still have to pay for health care unless they hit some magic number for % disabled, IIRC.

As far as retirement wages go, I 100% believe that vets who serve 20+ years should get their retirement. Many that I know end up getting jobs working at Home Depot or other working-class jobs because while you may be the shit at what you do in the military, it doesn't mean there's a direct civilian correlation.

Not sure what the policies are, but I think if you find yourself without insurance, you can get treated at the VA Hospital. I know that's not the best care, but it's free.

As far as 20 years in the service before getting care...I disagree if you're a combat veteran. I had a great uncle who didn't serve for 20 years, but his brain never really came back from WWII. They used to call it shell-shock in his day. Now they call it PTSD. Just a little combat can result in that as far as I can tell. So I think if the government is willing to put people in that kind of danger, even for a day, they ought to be there to care for them later in life, whether it's an ailment of mind OR body (they are really the same after all).

Don't doctors, nurses, taxi-drivers, dishwashers, receptionists, cashiers, garbage and mailmen, teachers, truck drivers, etc. ALL serve their country? I get that the military are putting themselves in danger for the sake of the greater good, but they're not the only ones.

Not sure what the policies are, but I think if you find yourself without insurance, you can get treated at the VA Hospital. I know that's not the best care, but it's free.

As far as 20 years in the service before getting care...I disagree if you're a combat veteran. I had a great uncle who didn't serve for 20 years, but his brain never really came back from WWII. They used to call it shell-shock in his day. Now they call it PTSD. Just a little combat can result in that as far as I can tell. So I think if the government is willing to put people in that kind of danger, even for a day, they ought to be there to care for them later in life, whether it's an ailment of mind OR body (they are really the same after all).