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The latest outrage from the DOD: DoD seeks plan to shut all U.S. commissaries

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posted on Nov, 23 2013 @ 09:40 AM
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Mods: I think I am in the right place. If not move to where appropriate.

These commissaries offer our enlisted men and their families commodities at a discounted price. Some of the lower grade enlistees qualify for food stamps. This is supposed to be a benefit to the men and women that serve. It is so disgusting to me that this would even be considered. I guess the DOD needs to spend billions of more dollars on planes that can't fly. The only place that the Pentagon can find to trim is in benefits for our soldiers. Jesus!! I need to go look at funny cat pictures or something. I am getting so depressed.



Defense officials have reportedly asked the Defense Commissary Agency to develop a plan to close all U.S. commissaries — about three-fourths of its stores, according to a resale community source familiar with details of a meeting with representatives of the Joint Staff and Pentagon comptroller’s office.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the meeting was held within the last few weeks and was part of preparations for the fiscal 2015 DoD budget request that is due out on February.

That DeCA has been asked to prepare such a draft plan does not mean commissaries would close anytime soon. Even if such a plan was included in the defense budget request for fiscal 2015 — almost a year away — it would have to be approved by Congress, where many lawmakers would oppose it.


Source



posted on Nov, 23 2013 @ 09:43 AM
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When I was in the Army, I shopped at the commissary a lot.
The prices were MUCH better than the grocery stores.
And considering my enlisted income .... every penny helped.

When living in Japan, it would have been impossible to shop out on the economy.
Tokyo prices for food ... YIKES!
The commissaries need to stay open. At the very least, the overseas ones do.



posted on Nov, 23 2013 @ 09:51 AM
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It sounds a whole lot like attacking the Food Stamp program (70-100 billion) in a 6 trillion government budget. Inflicting pain seems to be the point, not saving money. The Pentagon spending hovers between 600 and 700 billion dollars........and they want to attack pennies on the dollars within something that actually WORKS and makes a quality of life issue for the men and women?

Shame on every last one of them. It could almost be called aid and comfort to people we aren't supposed to be comforting when we do things that directly brings down the morale of our side while hostilities are still very much ongoing. (on both sides).



posted on Nov, 23 2013 @ 10:08 AM
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Am I right in thinking the Comissaries are similar in operation to the NAAFI's used by our own military?



posted on Nov, 23 2013 @ 10:16 AM
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As a prior Staff Sergeant, I find this reprehensible. When the government shutdown occurred, it became obvious that the Executive was moving to do everything it could to "hurt the people" as a form of punishment. It was their way of saying that if we don't allow them to continue what they want to do without opposition, they are going to start removing things that benefit the people. Notice that it was the Commissaries that closed down during the shutdown, the National Parks, the services for Veterans, etc.

The military has been paring down entitlements and benefits since I joined the service way back in the 90's. Closing Commissaries is just one more stab in the back to military members and their families by a government that doesn't care about them at all.

This is getting worse though. We have another potential government shutdown in February. This will be coming after the holiday season (that I predict will present abysmally awful numbers economically) when people don't have any money to put toward anything. That's when you'll see some truly negative things happening to military members, their families, and the American public as a whole.



posted on Nov, 23 2013 @ 11:12 AM
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reply to post by GrantedBail
 


%^$#@&ing-*^#@&ers what a crock of *&#@!!!!!! That would be one of the dumbest moves the DoD ever made.

I'm wondering though if Wal-Mart has made inroads into the pentagon somehow. I know that they have been for decades trying to get a contract with the DoD so they could put Wally Worlds on bases but were always denied.

I always found the prices at the commissary to be on par with your average supermarket, though the price of alcohol (The Class 6 store) and meat were always a lot cheaper. Another thing you can always find in a commissary is foodstuffs from other parts of the world. If I want KimChi, I would have to drive an hour to get it nowadays. But the commissary always had that on hand in different varieties and oh so much more.



posted on Nov, 23 2013 @ 11:15 AM
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bpg131313
Notice that it was the Commissaries that closed down during the shutdown, the National Parks, the services for Veterans, etc.

The military has been paring down entitlements and benefits since I joined the service way back in the 90's. Closing Commissaries is just one more stab in the back to military members and their families by a government that doesn't care about them at all.

This is getting worse though. We have another potential government shutdown in February. This will be coming after the holiday season (that I predict will present abysmally awful numbers economically) when people don't have any money to put toward anything. That's when you'll see some truly negative things happening to military members, their families, and the American public as a whole.


People have seemed to have already forgotten that the can was only kicked down the road by a few months. 'Muricans have short attention spans. This winter may just be one that at least temporily wakes them up.



posted on Nov, 23 2013 @ 11:37 AM
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This is a DoD tool to put pressure on Congress to end sequestration. Since they can not close them without congressional approval and we all know Congress will be flooded with letters from groups like Legion and VFW etc. they will not even touch it. The DoD well knows this as well but, it is going to do whatever it can to put pressure on Congress to end the entire sequesration fiasco. Because right now the DoD will have to wait until the elections next year when the GOP loses control of the House before it will end and that is far to long in their eyes. You can expect the DoD and other agencies to keep doing things like this that will keep the sequestration in the publics mind and thr pressure on congress.



posted on Nov, 23 2013 @ 11:41 AM
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A thought, following the flow of information regarding the downsizing of the military against the constant increase of civilian soldiers(DHS)....Could this be just one more tactic to limit the power of the military bases and posts? The concept that i had at work with a co-worker was that a base could secure itself and act as a defensive structure if a SHTF scenario plays out. My friend had the concern that military could be made to follow martial law in an unethical scenario due to having control of their families. I responded that the posts and bases had resources and would solidify together if something occurred that they found immoral or unethical. I do understand that the posts have other nutritional resources on hand, but this would hurt that overall stock pile hindering the posts longevity.

Edit-I know this is a small thing, but the last 25 years of the long con have been just that...a strategic nickle and diming of our liberties and money. We have become the frogs in boiling water wondering what happened.
edit on 23-11-2013 by pointr97 because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 23 2013 @ 01:28 PM
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reply to post by GrantedBail
 


Imagine you are a drug cartel boss and you have several "security guards".
You cut these guards pay and they outnumber you by the thousands.
How long until these "guards" will turn on ElGuapo?
Bottom line, if you hire and train men with guns, you had better keep them happy.



posted on Nov, 23 2013 @ 01:43 PM
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reply to post by MrSpad
 





the DoD will have to wait until the elections next year when the GOP loses control of the House




That's a good one! Obviously the dems are in a great spot. You must be selling the idea that if you like your seat in the house you can keep it?
edit on 23-11-2013 by Helious because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 23 2013 @ 01:52 PM
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reply to post by MrSpad
 





Because right now the DoD will have to wait until the elections next year when the GOP loses control of the House before it will end and that is far to long in their eyes


A wise view would be to also consider next year there is a very good chance that the GOP retains the House and captures a majority in the Senate. Then the President can continue his coast down hill to 2016.



posted on Nov, 23 2013 @ 02:26 PM
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reply to post by g146541
 


During the decline of Rome including the loss of real value in its monetary system the one constant that could be counted on was that the Emperors guards would be paid regularly and their pay was increased to match their loss of buying power.



posted on Nov, 23 2013 @ 02:32 PM
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If Unsympathetic is right about the commissaries being like the other NAFIs (in terms of funding) - it makes NO sense to shut them down, there's no benefit on the budget since the NAFIs fund themselves through sales, not tax revenues. The Class 6 stores, tire stores, garden stores, AAFES & NAVRESSO stores all operate on a self-sustaining budget (no tax revenue funding) and contribute their "profits" back to the various military MWR funds for improvements to base facilities for children, amenities and family recreation (really more like "dividends" rather than "profits" in my book since the sales "profits" came from those same military families).

On the other hand, if there were significant base closures and draw downs in various regions, it only makes sense to reduce the commissary services as well. It could be that DeCA gets decommissioned and the NAFIs' expand their scope of services. Or it could be that this is just another public twerking of your tax dollars at work, attempting to portray that some effective effort is being expended to solve budgetary issues rather than spin them (and failing miserably).

ganjoa



posted on Nov, 23 2013 @ 02:42 PM
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Well they basically killed Tricare Prime, so it doesn't surprise me that commissaries, BXes, and a number of other social benefits that our military has enjoyed will disappear too.



posted on Nov, 23 2013 @ 02:46 PM
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reply to post by ganjoa
 


The Commissary itself uses its sales to fund the store, but the employee pay comes from the taxpayer. At least some of the employees are military personnel, while others are civilian government employees.
edit on 11/23/2013 by Zaphod58 because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 23 2013 @ 02:51 PM
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I've been out of the US Army for 40 years, but this seems like a very cruel move by the Pentagon. One can only wonder why on earth they want to do this? Only money?



posted on Nov, 23 2013 @ 03:03 PM
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reply to post by Salander
 


It's a political game. "Look, the Republicans forced Sequestration on us, so now we're having to cut funding to the commissary. What next?"



posted on Nov, 23 2013 @ 03:39 PM
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whywhynot
reply to post by MrSpad
 





Because right now the DoD will have to wait until the elections next year when the GOP loses control of the House before it will end and that is far to long in their eyes


A wise view would be to also consider next year there is a very good chance that the GOP retains the House and captures a majority in the Senate. Then the President can continue his coast down hill to 2016.


Not even the GOP thinks it will keep the house anymore. The President despite the current drop in his rating still polls heads and shoulders above the GOP as does the rest of DNC. The Tea Party and anyone tied to it polls at the absolute bottom. By the time of the election the computer health care sign up problems will be forgotten and the economy will continue to improve and the end of Americans in combat will be what the race will focus on. The GOP plan is hope do as much as possible to keep the traditional GOP in power by, show casing Republicans who poll well nationaly like Chris Christie and their ties to him while trying to remove the Tea Party by tying them to national pariahs like Ted Cruz. The GOP sees the scarifice of the House in 2014 as acceptable to purge the party of unpopular elements so they can get back into the national race in 2016.

And make no mistake the Military blames the Tea Party for its sequestration budget problems. Neither the traditional GOP nor the DNC would ever touch the sacred cow that is the defense budget at this level. And they will use whatever public outrage they can muster to help restore that budget.



posted on Nov, 23 2013 @ 05:25 PM
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reply to post by GrantedBail
 


'Austerity' is the key word premise here...

cutting Commissary locations both overseas and in the homeland would affect both Active Duty families and the retired-Military communities that are huddled around bases here in the homeland


at one time the base commissaries were a boon to retired military households... meats and smokes were drastically discounted from the civilian economy prices for the same things --- which stretched the retired pay so they too could be considered 'middle class'


those days are gone... snake-dragon people like the ingrate in the WH have made decisions to punish the retired military(under the false stance of economic necessity) to severly slash the 'rewards' that were implied for generations


make no mistake... 'commissary' prices, although reduced from the civilian gouge rate... were actually reflecting the acceptable price for a product--- without the 200% profit mark-up the producers would like to enjoy


 



but, a little deeper...

i think the slime in the WH is carrying the purge of the 'Top Brass heavy' military to extremes when his scoialist mindset has a dark desire to punish ALL the levels of the Armed Forces with this 'foot-in-the-door' tactic of targeting the Commissaries (to make life miserable for ALL levels of the troops & families~~~maybe BO is looking for a lot of lifers to quit the service

 



In reply to:

whywhynot
reply to post by MrSpad
 

Say it 3 times really fast and maybe you will believe it. But, back on topic, it is all just the military chiefs messing with the politicians. The Commissary is not going to get shut down. Just being used as a pawn.



the snake-dragon WH occupant is deliberately messing with some +8 Million or more peoples' quality-of-life
(Active-Reserve-Retired) just to rub-it-in that HE is the dictator-in-charge or else the one that can circumvent laws/rules/traditions/Constitution as HE wishes
edit on 23-11-2013 by St Udio because: (no reason given)




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