It isn’t that we mind saving money – it’s the sloppy way we’re doing it.
That’s because sequestration was never actually supposed to happen. It was supposed to scare lawmakers into action. But instead it did and instead of trimming the DoD budget in a way that makes sense, we’re stuck with this.
If you’re a DoD employee at the commissary, medical facility or somewhere else you may be reading this on your furlough day – and seeing less money your paycheck. If you’ve recently had to make an appointment at the DoD clinic you know firsthand the extra long wait time and trouble getting a spot. If you’re a gay military spouse you don’t yet have the benefits to which you are entitled – because the system that makes them possible, updated and run by furloughed civilians, isn’t ready yet.
And yet I’ve been hearing a lot of news reports about how sequestration hasn’t caused the hardships in the civilian world everyone excepted. But it has caused those problems in the military world. And while everyone goes on their merry ways thinking this is working out better than they had planned, we’re stuck with the burn.
So here at Military.com’s SpouseBuzz we’re partnering with the National Military Family Association (NMFA) SpouseBuzz contributor Macho Spouse and our friends at the Military Partners and Families Coalition to get your sequestration stories straight to Congress and in front of the American public.
Military spouses like the idea of duty and service. We build our lives around those concepts, after all.
But is not our duty to silently bear the burden of the nation’s debt. The across the board budget cuts have touched every single one of us – and we need to let them know.
"The time is NOW. You’re frustrated, we’re frustrated, even the Secretary of Defense is frustrated, and there is still no end in sight. No matter how many articles are written, interviews done, or blogs posted, Congress still isn’t stirring to do something about the budget cuts that are hurting military communities,” Joyce Wessel Raezer, executive director of NMFA recently wrote. “The National Military Family Association says: 'It’s time to #EndSequestration!' The only way we can accomplish this goal is for all of us to take a united stand.”
So what are we going to do? We’re not just going to tell Congress how this is hurting families – we’re going to show them. NMFA wants you to send photos demonstrating ways sequestration has impacted you. They suggested you take photos of:
-- "Closed" or “reduced hours” signs at commissaries, clinics, or other installation facilities
-- Extra-long lines at installation gates
-- Unpaid bills because of furloughs
-- Military equipment in disrepair
-- Canceled school programs
-- A picture of your family holding a sign that explains how sequestration has affected you.
NMFA plans to make a book with your photos and personally deliver one to each member of Congress. They’ll also post the photos on their website so everyone can see exactly what we’re dealing with.
But they can’t do it without you. Help end sequestration and submit your photos to social(at)militaryfamily(dot)org. Let America know exactly what is going on.
