Budget cuts to hit military school districts first

[unhappycamper]

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/21442220/budget-cuts-to-hit-military-school-districts-first

Budget cuts to hit military school districts first
Posted: Saturday, March 2, 2013 3:24 AM EST Updated: Saturday, March 2, 2013 3:24 AM EST
By WILL WEISSERT
Associated Press

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) - While public schools everywhere will be affected by the government's automatic budget cuts, few will feel the funding pinch faster than those on and around military bases.

~snip~

Others already have axed sports teams and even eliminated teaching positions, but still may have to tap savings just to make it through year's end.

The losses will come from cuts to a federal program known as "Impact Aid" that supplements property tax losses for districts that cover federal land, including military posts and Indian tribal areas.

That means about 1,400 school districts serving roughly 11 million children nationwide - including nearly 376,500 students from military families - could lose about $60 million this school year.

[4Q2u2]

1. DOD Cuts

That is why you can not just blindly ask for the MIC to be cut. Those of us who have served know and knew that the balancing act will fall on the backs of the troops. Senior Leadership (AKA Perfumed Princes) will always protect their Fiefdoms and make the junior personnel shoulder the burdens. Both parties Will hold military members hostage to push forth their agendas no matter the consequence to individual troops or overall effectiveness.

In this time of cuts, the Navy just stood up a new command, Navy Office of Hazing Prevention. Even though each Command all ready has CMEO personnel that report strait to the CO and higher. This will no doubt be lead by a Flag Officer with all the trappings and a bunch of Zero's that will add no value to leadership and command.

[unhappycamper]

2. Well, 'defense' contractors have been extracting ever larger $$$ for 'stuff' for the last

10 ~12 years.

The Navy's ship-building programs are taking a huge amount of bucks to produce things like the Littoral Combat Ships (too small, too undermanned, armed with Bofors and a 5 inch pop gun), $5+ billion dollar stealth (Zumwalt-class) destroyers, $5~$7 billion dollar Virginia-class submarines, and my personal favorite, the $16~$40 billion dollar Ford-class aircraft carrier. (Arleigh Burke-class destroyers cost at least $1.8 billion dollars; Nimitz-class aircraft carriers averaged around $4.5 billion dollars each prior to the $6.6 billion dollar USS G. H. W. Bush.)

The Air Force has also lent a hand spending $$$$$. Some examples include: the $243 million dollar F-35, $418 million dollar F-22s, $100+ million dollar Ospreys, $100 million dollar F/A-18 Super Hornets and the $$2.1 billion dollar B-2.

The Army wants to replace all it's Hummers with $200+ grand Ground Combat Vehicles, new networks, new camouflage uniforms, and my personal favorite, $89 grand precision 155 rounds.

I think sequestration is stupid, but I also think it may be a chance to stop some of this war and war preparation nonsense.

Taking schools away from kids to keep weapons production going is also stupid, IMO.

[4Q2u2]

3. We knew

That is where the money would come from. We also knew that none of the Sexy big boy toys would get slashed. Troop training and quality of life would go first. Base housing will not be improved, Medical costs will be passed on, pay raises will be eliminated.

I agree that a lot of the weapons system are way over priced and need to be held to better standards. Who is driving these, who is the Face of the Contractor that is at the Pentagon pushing. Not the little guy, it is the retired Star talking with his buddies.

The MRAPS did great in Iraq, but a lot were to heavy for Afghanistan, so the Army's answer is a bigger, heavier APC. Good thinking.

The Slimmed down crews of the Navy ships were the result of the Brass' "Forward Thinking" to reduce cost. Again cutting personnel not systems. They are enamored with their toys, when they should be enamored with their people.

The cost escalation of the destroyers was based on infighting between Senior Leadership also. The old guard and new guard were busy fighting each other on what the future Navy needed. Thus delaying production which adds to the cost. Other factors are the QE that the Bernake has instituted. A dollar today is not worth what a dollar was yesterday. So for them to get equal profit they raise the prices to match the QE.

My main point is the debate should be targeted cuts spelled out directly to Senior Leadership. Not just tell them a flat number of cost savings they have to meet. If not the troops will suffer the burden of the loss of money.

[unhappycamper]

4. Sequestration was created to be painful when the Super Committee could not agree

on where to cut $1.2 trillion dollars. (This is also known as kick-the-can-down-the-road.)

Republicans insisted on cuts to social programs while Democrats wanted more revenue from the 1%. Teabaggers just wanted to shut down government spending in any way possible.

It appears we will be having these austerity wars for a long time to come.

[4Q2u2]

5. I also did read

That these austerity measures were here for a while. I thought Teatimers were red blooded Americans that love and support the Military. The new NIMBY is NFMW (Not From MY Wallet). What a mess. I bet if you cut the WIC program the first two Senators that would scream and scream the loudest would be Repubs from Texas. Since the Dallas milk cartel controls over 25% of the milk produced in America. WIC is a guaranteed freebie for them in stable and sustained Government payments, but it is so much easier to vilify the poor single mother in America getting some help from the American people.

There defintely was nothing Super about that commitee.

[Angleae]

7. Problem is that cutting any of those programs would not have an immediate financial effect.

Due to the fact that all those purchases are in written contracts, it would be a year or two at a minimum before any savings would be seen. Sequestration requires budget cuts immediately.




PS: LCS doesn't have a 5" gun, just the bofors 57mm.

[MADem]

6. IMPACT AID is a HUGE deal--it puts a ton of money into local economies.

Many of these communities--with a tendency towards homeporting/homebasing--are double dipping, in effect, as some military personnel buy homes in these areas, pay property taxes, and Uncle Sam is also paying a 'bonus' to the school for the child(ren) of the servicemember.

It also--aside from the property tax bennies for large swathes of undeveloped land--pays "by the child" for the "impact" that military families have on local school districts, and fully funds the additional "teacher power" required to teach those students, as well.

It does provide tangible benefits to communities and it is going to hurt.