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2008-08-20 -Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

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Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2008-08-20 11:52|| || Front Page|| [1 views ] Top

#1 Geeze, the payment on a used mustang has got to be 1/3 of what an E1 pulls down in a month. Combine that with your credit card payment for your laptop so you can email home and you've got a CIA spy-hunter on your ass.

Posted by bigjim-ky 2008-08-20 12:01|| 2008-08-20 12:01|| Front Page Top

#2 I'm not mil/ex-mil, but I wonder if some of this could be mitigated by platoon and company NCOs who would keep reminding their junior enlisted personnel that they should stay away from the payday loan sharks. Just one more thing for NCOs to do, of course.

Posted by Steve White 2008-08-20 12:08|| 2008-08-20 12:08|| Front Page Top

#3 Credit advice and assistance for mils sounds like a great idea. Just one more reason for a young person to enlist, get out of debt free!

Posted by Richard of Oregon 2008-08-20 12:34|| 2008-08-20 12:34|| Front Page Top

#4 I don't know about the other services, but my son had a session on fiscal responsibility when he went through Marine boot camp in San Diego 4 years ago. At the time, I thought that other than at home, that was the only place boys would ever hear that message or learn anything about managing their money.

Posted by RWV 2008-08-20 13:27|| 2008-08-20 13:27|| Front Page Top

#5 I'm decades out of the system but debt was frowned upon by the military even back then. I am sure that that is covered for the troops and their dependents, especially if a deployment is in the offing.

Could more things be done? Possibly. But each case is unique. And these "thousands" are spread throughout the services. I sense a certain amount of hyperventilation here.

Posted by tipover 2008-08-20 14:22|| 2008-08-20 14:22|| Front Page Top

#6 During my early AD years, the shop Chief would have 'discussion' with a financially wayward young man and things would settle down. sometimes that meant that the Chief would drive Junior around to his creditors on payday and take care of bidness.
Over time, however, it came to pass that the Powers That Be decreed that it was not the Navy's place to do that sort of Motherhood and other than a 'fianancial responsibility' brief, all financial affairs were between the service member and the commercial entity.
Tha got extended to civil responsibility; i was rearended by a sailor from NASWI ( unit Id withheld) that had no insurance, phoney tags and then left the scene. called his unit and was told to 'Have a nice day, Senior Chief.' In the old days, his Chief would have had Jr fix the problem and keep the law out of it, instead this clown got busted and had extensive issues with the State.

Posted by USN, Ret. 2008-08-20 15:07|| 2008-08-20 15:07|| Front Page Top

#7 One wonders how this compares to the rate of credit stupidity among civilians of the same age. The credit card companies haunt college campuses looking for kids they can get into trouble.

Posted by trailing wife ">trailing wife 2008-08-20 16:01|| 2008-08-20 16:01|| Front Page Top

#8 It's the law folks. Under the General Article, 134 of the UCMJ, 'failure to pay a just debt' is a crime punishable by fines or confinement. It's a long established precedent within military law and 'good order and discipline'. And, yes, the youngin's get both training in managing their monies and get counseled when the military becomes aware of the debt in arranging payment. As for that E1 monthly pay, its nothing compared to the bonuses they military is handing out now for enlistments and reenlistments.

Posted by Procopius2k 2008-08-20 19:46|| 2008-08-20 19:46|| Front Page Top

#9 my (single) son got the lecture at home and at his foreign posts. He's got $10K+ sitting in a savings acct, but it sure must be a helluva lot harder for married with family though, and we should be paying them more than we are

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2008-08-20 19:52|| 2008-08-20 19:52|| Front Page Top

#10 every new guy who came to my unit got the fiscal speech from me or from one of the former Marines that now worked at the Navy or Marine Federal Credit Unions. The fact is, the young kids make bad decisions...we tell them until we're blue in the face which financial institutions and car dealers to stay away from but then they go out and do the stupid thing. Second, an E-1 to E-5 pay IS NOT DESIGNED to raise a family on. If they were not in the mil they would be in college (presumably) or at an entry level job also prolly not making enough to afford a wife and kids. Or, the new young wife has no concept of responsible financial management and she runs the credit cards through the roof. Again, this is part of one of my welcome aboard lectures yet many still don't listen and then bitch that they are on food stamps as a Corporal w/two kids. Often it's their own fault. Gen Gray had it right, first term enlisted Marines should not be allowed to marry - it would cure a lot of social ills and the stupid shit me and my SNCOs & NCOs dealt w/on a day to day basis.

Posted by Hupusong Hatfield aka Broadhead6 2008-08-20 20:36|| 2008-08-20 20:36|| Front Page Top

#11 Back when the Army authorized credit cards for military personnel and DoD civilians, I was getting swamped with monthly account delinquency reports. I immediately had the command Staff Judge Advocate craft a memo to directorate informing everyone that USG credic card accounts in chronic arrears would result in an immediate report of adverse action to the Defense Investigative Service (DIS). One officer tested the system resulting in his access being temporarily suspended by DIS. Word got around fast. The USG credit card delinquency problem soon ended.

Posted by Besoeker 2008-08-20 20:51|| 2008-08-20 20:51|| Front Page Top

#12 Well done, Besoeker! There's nothing like subtlety in getting such messages across. ;-)

Posted by trailing wife">trailing wife 2008-08-20 22:04|| 2008-08-20 22:04|| Front Page Top

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