Saturday, November 28, 2009

Life since last posting

It's been a while since my last posting here in blogger. Sometimes it seems like there is not enough hours in the day to do what I want to do. Thanksgiving was great. There was 11 of us here. Dan's Mom was here for dinner along with friends of Emma and Dan's. They were a very nice couple. I enjoyed their company, very down to earth people they are. Dinner was great. We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potato's, gravy, fresh asparagus, sweet buttered corn, baked yams topped with toasted marshmallows, cranberry sauce. Didn't get to make my homemade coleslaw though. I will make it for christmas. Speaking of christmas, I am just about done with my shopping. Just have to get a few more things for Rebecca, another gift for my oldest Emma, and cologne for the hubby and I am done. Then I have to wrap it all, which is something I don't like to do. I could use gift bags, but that takes the fun out of unwrapping for the kids.
Well, the weather sure has changed. It is cold and windy here in PA. We have the heat on today. It is just Dan and I and the 4 kids here today. Jim is working and Emma is helping friends move today. Soon we will fix the kids lunch and the 2 youngest will be going down for their naps, yippeeeeeeeee, lol.  Gotta love those afternoon naps they take. Yesterday I took the 3 oldest kids out with me to run some errands. I had to go to the bank and to Wawa. I decided to take them out to lunch. I asked, ok where do we wanna have lunch at? All 3 at the same time said Wendy's, lol, so that's where we went. So, it was a cheeseburger kids meal and 2 chicken nugget kids meals, all with chocolate milk, a bacon cheeseburger and small rootbeer for me and we sat down to eat. Afterwards we went to the park for a while. That trip was cut short because my grandson decided he was going to run through 4 inch deep puddle of water and was cold afterwards with wet sneakers, socks and pant legs. So we came home, he got changed and down for a nap he went.
My sister Lucy is in San Antonio Texas for a few weeks with her boyfriend Joe and his family. I can't wait for her to get back to virginia. I miss chatting with her on im.
So, what is on my agenda today? I am going to fix the kids lunch, then go downstairs to my room and watch Twilight's New Moon. A friend of Dan's got me a DVD of it. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Keep warm, safe and be happy.
GOD BLESS.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

I Salute the men and women serving in the military

---Subject: Fw: Military Pay
















This Cindy Williams is NOT the "Laverne & Shirley" Cindy Williams. She is a Assistant Director for National Security in the Congressional Budget Office...... /////////





Military Pay



This is an Airman's response to Cindy Williams' editorial piece in the Washington Times about MILITARY PAY, it should be printed in all newspapers across America .



Ms. Cindy Williams wrote a piece for the Washington Times, denouncing the pay raise(s) coming service members' way this year citing that she stated 13% wage increase was more than they deserve.



A young airman from Hill AFB responds to her article below. He ought to get a bonus for this.





"Ms Williams: I just had the pleasure of reading your column, "Our GIs earn enough" and I am a bit confused. Frankly, I'm wondering where this vaunted overpayment is going, because as far as I can tell, it disappears every month between DFAS (The Defense Finance and Accounting Service) and my bank account. Checking my latest earnings statement I see that I make $1,117.80 before taxes per month. After taxes, I take home $874.20. When I run that through the calculator, I come up with an annual salary of $13,413.60 before taxes, and $10,490.40, after.



I work in the Air Force Network Control Center where I am part of the team responsible for a 5,000 host computer network. I am involved with infrastructure segments, specifically with Cisco Systems equipment. A quick check under jobs for Network Technicians in the Washington , D.C. area reveals a position in my career field, requiring three years experience with my job. Amazingly, this job does NOT pay $13,413.60 a year. No, this job is being offered at $70,000 to $80,000 per annum........... I'm sure you can draw the obvious conclusions.



Given the tenor of your column, I would assume that you NEVER had the pleasure of serving your country in her armed forces. Before you take it upon yourself to once more castigate congressional and DOD leadership for attempting to get the families in the military's lowest pay brackets off of WIC and food stamps, I suggest that you join a group of deploying soldiers headed for AFGHANISTAN ; I leave the choice of service branch up to you. Whatever choice you make, though, opt for the SIX month rotation: it will guarantee you the longest possible time away from your family and friends, thus giving you full "deployment experience."



As your group prepares to board the plane, make sure to note the spouses and children who are saying good-bye to their loved ones. Also take care to note that several families are still unsure of how they'll be able to make ends meet while the primary breadwinner is gone - obviously they've been squandering the "vast" piles of cash the government has been giving them.



Try to deploy over a major holiday; Christmas and Thanksgiving are perennial favorites. And when you're actually over there, sitting in a foxhole, shivering against the cold desert night; and the flight sergeant tells you that there aren't enough people on shift to relieve you for chow, remember this: trade whatever MRE (meal-ready- to-eat) you manage to get for the tuna noodle casserole or cheese tortellini, and add Tabasco to everything.. This gives some flavor.



Talk to your loved ones as often as you are permitted; it won't nearly be long enough or often enough, but take what you can get and be thankful for it. You may have picked up on the fact that I disagree with most of the points you present in your opened piece.



But, tomorrow from KABUL , I will defend to the death your right to say it.



You see, I am an American fighting man, a guarantor of your First Amendment rights and every other right you cherish. On a daily basis, my brother and sister soldiers worldwide ensure that you and people like you can thumb your collective nose at us, all on a salary that is nothing short of pitiful and under conditions that would make most people cringe. We hemorrhage our best and brightest into the private sector because we can't offer the stability and pay of civilian companies.



And you, Ms. Williams, have the gall to say that we make more than we deserve? You can kiss my royal red a**!!!



A1C Michael Bragg Hill AFB AFNCC



IF YOU AGREE, PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT OF THE AMERICAN FIGHTING MEN AND WOMEN. THANK



YOU.

GOD BLESS THEM ALL AND THEIR FAMILIES.