News

Apparently we've missed a lot these past few months. Thanks for keeping us up to date on the current events.

I'm not going to complain about my choice to be ignorant to the evils of our world but this is deffinately a wake up call. I need to at least pay a little attention to what is going on in the world.

The recent tragedy in Japan has broken my heart. I feel terribly for the people that have lost their homes are faced with a dire situation as they fight to control their damaged nuclear reactors due to the recent earthquake. While I do not agree with sticking our nose in the middle of another feud NATO has asked for our help and we've agreed. As with any war, I hope the soldiers make it home to their families once the feuding politicians calm down.

The most annoying of news that we've somehow missed is the one that will have a direct effect over us, and many other American citizens. Miah brought home the news today that there is the potential for a 2 year freeze on military base pay and housing assistance. The full story can be found on Navytimes.com in the financial section. At this point the news may be a bit outdated, the story is from the early part of march but I can't find anything else more recent. The pay freeze is to start April 1st so we will know in a few days if there has been a resolution. As far as I know all that needs to be done is for our government to find a solution to the 2012 budget. If they cannot, all government employees will have to deal with the mandatory pay freeze.

What angers us most about it is that all military are expected to continue to come to work regardless of pay. This may not be a big deal for the single sailors living on whatever boat they're assigned to. What about the families of deployed sailors and those serving at shore commands? We will not have a way to pay for our housing, utilities, groceries, cars, etc... It's worse than unemployment. We won't be able to afford the cost of living and won't be able to find any form of employment to pay the bills since our time is taken up by a job that isn't paying the bills... Let's not forget our healthcare, how will we afford the cost of pediatricians, dental, OB/GYN, hospitalizations and ER visits (let's face it, they're unavoidable with active kids!)

So there's my two cents on an issue that I don't know If it will come to pass. Regardless we've already tossed around our worst case scenario contingency plan in the event that something needs to be done. Yes, I'm worried about our way of life but I know we have a savings that can float us for a while if need be. I'm worried most about the families that I know can't afford to take this hit because let's face it, most people don't have a whole bunch saved up.

Xoxo, A. Scott