Why would anyone in the military

[LittleClarkie]

vote for Bush...


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=afp/us_military_reserves

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. Because W keeps giving them pay raises

and war is good for their careers.

Plus, it is not the active duty military that has carried the brunt of this war. That is why W is using up all the reservists instead.

[LynnTheDem]

3. pay raises????!!

Excuse me while I ROTFLMAO!!!

Yearly raise of 1% over inflation.

Subtract "pay cuts"; like bush's attempts to cut hazard duty and combat pay while the troops were in combat.

Veterans' benefits cuts...on-base housing cuts...higher food and milk prices on-base than in off-base stores...increase in uniform costs for new "designer" PTs...

We're like every other American; our real-dollar take home pay is now LESS than it was 4 years ago. And we're dying and losing limbs and brains and eyes. A lot.

[DoYouEverWonder]

10. I got this from an active duty Marine that I know

Then I did some google searches on it, and yes, surprise, surprise, the active duty folks have gotten significant raises every year since W took office.

That was one of the big reasons why this fellow loved W.

[LynnTheDem]

11. Do another google

Pay raises during Clinton's years.

Go compare the price of groceries on-base to off-base. Many soldiers can't get to off-base shops so have no choice but to buy on-post.

Factor in the $200 cost for one set of the new PT uniforms. The TROOPS pay for those out of their own pocket, and they have NO CHOICE but to buy all new sets after bushCabal decided they had to have DESIGNER PT uniforms.

Factor in COLA; forget on-post housing, there's a 3-4 year wait for housing on Ft Hood and good luck to the soldiers making $1200/mth and paying $700/mth for off-post housing.

1% over inflation rate. 24/7 war. Veteran benefits cut 3 times.

NO soldier with ANY common sense and knowledge would vote for bush.

[DoYouEverWonder]

12. Hey, I don't agree with this young fellow

all I'm saying is this is what I got straight from an Active Duty Marine Bush Supporter.

I know that not everyone in the military supports Bush. But Rummie managed to get rid of most of the higher ups that tried to disagree with him.


In the meantime, many of the active duty guys who are feed daily doses of Rush and FAUX and they believe that Bush is God. What can I say, not everybody is well informed and not everybody really cares about politics. There are a lot of kids in the military who just go along with the program and will do whatever they are told to do. That is why they joined in the first place.

[lefty75]

8. yep

I talked with someone who was in the military a few years back and he said they basically tell you to vote Republican.

[LynnTheDem]

2. My soldier hubby

Won't. His entire unit won't.

And they're regular active duty, not reserves or Guard.

Good luck to the R and NG getting new recruits; they were already having problems filling their quotas.

I feel most sorry for those currently enlisted, coz they're conscripted now.

Vote bush and get drafted. It's that simple.

[JSJ]

4. short answer? because they are nothing without a prez who...

...can put into action their affinity for bigotry and greed- the covert but real reasons for invasions of defenseless countries on the other side of the globe- with a dollup of laziness and ignorance thrown in for good measure. Without army pay, they'd surely be doing push-ups in the yard of some maximum security prison- that is, if law enfocement weren't as sympathetic to them or exploitative of them as the Federal parasites in the Oval Office. The prez and his henchmen do it for opposite reasons; greed and bigotry. Go troops!

*removed a word

[LynnTheDem]

5. Excluding my hubby I assume.

And excluding his entire unit. And excluding the thousands of other soldiers who are damn good people and not "lazy" or "ignorant" etc.

Not ALL troops fit into your generalization.

Just as not ALL blacks, not ALL Jews, not ALL Moslems, not ALL Scots...not ALL anyones or anythings.

[JSJ]

7. of course- don't forget there are those who love them nt

[liberal N proud]

6. Because the GOP has painted Democrats as anti military for years

This goes back the Reagan years and even before that.
It is believed by too many military people that the Democrats will dismantle the militatry.
This comes from Republican congressment that fear loosing pork for their state or district.
I have accused by brothers and brother-in law of having been brainwashed while in the military. They keep telling me that Democrats are bad for the military and I keep pointing out that Clinton made the military more efficient.
Past that, I don't understand either.

[LittleClarkie]

14. I think that's one of the bigger reasons

Kerry came out all gungho militarily. He was trying to counter that image.

Of course Rove couldn't have that.

I recently let slip a freudian that the only experience a Democrat has on defense is when he gets defensive about not being strong militarily.

By the way, to the other poster: I'm not down with the "military be stupid" scenario either. That would be my dad, my brother, my brother in law, and my sister you be talking about. Watch it, fella.

My dad was traditionally Dem. We both were Clarkies at first. I hope he's be happy with my choice of Kerry. The war protester part probably would have given him pause. But by now he'd have realized that Bush was no good.

(I lost him in February. Sometimes I think I'm so involved in the campaign because I needed something to do with my time and nervous energy. I used to go see him in the nursing home every day. One thing I gotta say about 9/11. After that happened, they sure do make sure a man has a proper honor guard at his funeral. I hear that wasn't always the case before. 21 gun salute, the works. I really appreciated that.)

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

9. The vets I know aren't.

My brother was in the Army 20 years, with two tours of duty in Viet Nam. As long as I've known him, he's been a Democrat. My neighbor, also a Viet Nam vet, says that most vets he's been meeting with aren't voting Bush-the one guy that was has seen the light and has publicly stated he's voting Kerry.

I feel sorriest for the soldiers who have been deployed and re-deployed to Iraq without adequate equipment, and, more important, without an adequate exit strategy.

[jonnyblitz]

13. no shit. n/t