Political Quotes

“I feel compelled to explain the reasons for my vote against this bill in spite of my strong support for the goals for which this bill strives. Clearly, our armed forces personnel deserve the best pay and benefits that this nation can provide for them. I am aware of the recruiting and retention problems being faced by the services, and I know that the Armed Services Committee had those problems in mind as they drafted this legislation. I do believe, however, that we need to look more closely at how we can solve the military recruitment and retention problems. That question has not been adequately studied. Perhaps a pay raise will stem the tide of personnel leaving the military. Maybe people are leaving simply because this nation has enjoyed several years of a strong economy. The reduced pension could be the reason that people are leaving. The point I make is that we are not really sure why the military is having difficulty meeting its recruitment and retention goals, and this bill seems to be a shotgun approach to solving that problem. The President's Fiscal Year 2000 budget makes allowances for the problems that the armed services are facing. The proposed budget would increase military pay across the board by 4.4%, there would be greater increases for mid-career personnel and military pensions would be increased from 40% to 50%. These changes are not minor.”