Life for the junior enlisted just got much more difficult…
All members of the military are created equal, but some are more equal than others. World War II veterans learned this the hard way this week, when their access to both the World War II Memorial and the Marine Corps War Memorial (popularly known as the Iwo Jima Monument) was blocked by barricades.
The reason given for the closures was the partial government shutdown, but all members of the Armed Forces — active duty, retired, and former — can rest easy in the knowledge that their Commander-in-Chief has been spared such ungracious treatment. According to The Weekly Standard on Oct. 5, 2013 and Breitbart.com on Oct. 6, 2013, the president’s favorite golf course will not be subject to the government shutdown.
The world-class golf course at the Joint Base Andrews, MD, formerly Andrews Air Force Base, has remained opened. Many of the base activities that low-paid junior enlisted troops, especially the married ones, rely on to make their meager paychecks pay the rent, make the car payment and feed and clothe their families, however, remain closed or have had their hours slashed.
Last week on the eve of the media-hyped “shutdown,” Barack Obama made sure he got in his 35th round of golf this year alone.
According to the official website of Joint Base Andrews, more than a few service facilities have either had their hours cut or been flat-out shuttered. Two notables are the Base Commissary, which has been completely shut down, and the Base Family Child Care, which will be closed every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Even on days when the facility is open, its hours have been cut to 10 AM to 1 PM.
While testifying at a Congressional hearing, the Air Force’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Lt. Gen. Raymond Mason, stated that with the closure of the commissary, base personnel will have to shop “at local stores that cost about 30 percent more.”
According to Kiplinger.com, Washington, DC, is the sixth most expensive city in the nation to live in, with the average cost of living 44.7 percent above the national average.
The annual salary for an Air Force Senior Airman (E-4) with more than 2 years in service is a paltry $24,972.
“Make Life Difficult…”
As quoted by TownHall.com on Oct. 4, 2013, a rather frustrated (and anonymous) Park Ranger who was ordered to close parking lots at the home of George Washington in Mount Vernon may have summed up the feelings of many who have been ordered to carry out the directives from the higher-ups in DC:
We’ve been told to make life as difficult for people as we can. It’s disgusting.
