willbeurdaddy -> RE: Pentagon considering changing retirement benefits (8/17/2011 9:45:31 AM)
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ORIGINAL: outhere69 quote:
ORIGINAL: willbeurdaddy quote:
ORIGINAL: tazzygirl Sad. These men and women promise their lives... and get this shit. Its unlikley to happen unless all Federal workers retirements were changed, which really aint gonna happen. How do you figure? Feds use the TSP just like the proposal, and part is matched. BTW, willbe, a lt col would get around $45000 if it's based on basic pay and 3 years at that rank, according to the DoD pay scales. I can't see how the enlisted dudes in particular could participate for awhile, and they wouldn't get much of a pension. Master sergeants would get a bit under 30k under the existing plan. So, consider the guys that would pull down similar money after 18 years of service, compared to no pension at all. That's still a shitload of money. It was awhile before I could afford to contribute to a 401k, as a blue collar worker. I can't see how the enlisted dudes in particular could participate for awhile, and they wouldn't get much of a pension anyway. Master sergeants would get a bit under 30k under the existing plan. I think I responded before your edit. First, I think its wrong to characterize what the Pentagon is proposing as a "401(k) plan". They are not proposing that contributions would be required. The problem is that youve got three different classes of "employees" in the military. Youve got the guys who enlist and never re-up. They dont get much out of any retirement plan. Then youve got the guys who stay in the service to build a resume transferable to the private sector, and are in for 5-10 years. They would benefit more from a defined contribution plan like is being proposed, and then youve got the career soldiers who benefit far more from the current retirement plan. Because the career soldier is far more prevalent than career employees in one company are these days, replacing their benefits with a defined contribution plan is a terrible idea. In fact, Im not sure that its not just posturing. If the defense budget comes under the kind of pressure that it might from the Gang of 12 this kind of proposal might be to highlight that you cant do it on the backs of career soldiers. You have to reduce the size of the entire military, and bring down the costs of the current structure, not change the structure.
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