Compensation for Military Families
submitted by Jerry W. Krupinski – 4/1/2003

Dear Editor:

Congress is now working on President Bush’s $75 Billion budget for the war in Iraq. Members on both sides of the political aisle seem to be falling all over each other to give the president more than requested. “Nothing is too much for the troops” they say. The one who really caught my attention appeared on a Sunday morning talk show. He said that he was even willing to introduce legislation to prevent banks from foreclosing on an activated reservist’s mortgage. After all he reasoned, most reservists take a pay cut while risking their life to serve our country and their families should not be penalized.

Pardon me? I don’t know what planet this congressman is from but I’m relieved to say he’s not an Ohioan. If Congress really wants to help the troops and their families, they should promptly, and retroactively to the date of deployment, square the difference between their military and civilian paychecks. This would immediately restore lost money back into our lagging economy and preserve the dignity of and well-being of our troops and their loved ones. So where would the money come from? Why not start by looking at the so-called peace dividend? After the Berlin wall fell in 1989, a huge budget savings of $364 Billion was realized for the 1990-1995 period. Granted, a lot of this money went toward the deficit, but much of current savings can still be attributed directly to having fewer personnel in the regular military and substantially more reservists who are now activated. Legitimately, this would simply amount to a time limited Deferred Compensation Program. Is this all we can do for our troops and their loved ones? In my judgment, it’s the least we can do.

Jerry W. Krupinski
Former State Representative