Are our brave men and women getting paid too much?

[I did a little research on the web to find out if this was true, and found out 2 things: 1 - it was NOT Cindy Williams the actress who wrote the article, it was a different Cindy Williams, and it was published in the Washington Post, not the Washington Times in 2000, I believe. If anyone has other information, please let me know, I do not like to post things that are not true. --Tracy]

Somebody has started to straighten some of these thoughtless and ungrateful people out. And I am even more grateful that it was someone serving in one of the branches of military.

Military paid too much ? You be the judge !
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.

On Nov. 12, Ms Cindy Williams (from Laverne and Shirley TV show) wrote a piece for the Washington Times, denouncing the pay raise coming service members' way this year -- citing that the stated 13% wage 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. 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 our 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 opined 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? Rubbish!

A1C Michael Bragg Hill AFB AFNCC

Thursday Quote

"God believes in us. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He has equipped us with everything we need to succeed. All we have to do is learn to believe."

--Dan R. Dick
Devotion for Dieters

It's a shame really

It's a shame to have it so easy! I mean, I like a small class as much as any teacher, but I'm dealing with 2 (or 3 depending on the day). Academically it'll be good, especially as I have one that may need some extra time, esp in the beginning, but socially, it's not very good at all. Can you imagine having only one play mate the entire school year? So far they seem to be playing well together, so I am encouraged by that.

I don't mean to complain, because it really is nice, but it's bad for our school to have so few students and I worry about later in the year when they start getting tired of each other, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Happy hump day!

The Night Before School Starts

And all through the house...everyone was scrambling...It really frightened the mouse

OK....So school starts tomorrow. The toys are out, the puzzles are ready, the books are on the shelf. Names are on tables, lockers and mailboxes. Tomorrow I will have 3 (yes, only 3 :-( ) bright new faces, eager to learn and wreak havoc on my classroom. Alright, so with only 3, it's probably not going to be too crazy in my room, but they are all boys. *L*

Lesson plans are ready, classroom is ready, Kids are ready (I hope), I hope the teacher is ready..*L*

It's been a long weekend...we had power outages all around the area with strong storms..we were out from Thursday to Saturday. It was rather difficult with my dad being on Oxygen 24/7...but with a friend's generator, we were able to keep him plugged in the whole time.

Ok...off to put a few finishing touches on things and then relax for a while.

Ah-Ha Moment....How do you look?

If you are an Oprah fan...you know what I'm talking about.

I had one today while watching her show. Her show was actually about other people telling their stories about their "ah-ha" moments after watching Oprah...lol so this kinda fits.

This dad was on talking about how he was forced to watch her 20th anniversary DVD and he had one of these moments while watching Toni Morrison talk about how you look around your kids. We all know how much we love our kids or in my case, my students....and even how much we love our friends/family/loved ones. Does it show when you walk into the room or when they walk into the room? I like to think that the main reason my classroom is a good place to learn is because of the attitude I have with my children. Even i know there are the mornings I don't really want to be up that early, or I had a bad commute to work, or things just aren't going right. But my challenge for this school year is to make sure I have a smile on my face each morning when they walk into the room to start the day. Kids, like adults, pick up on our verbal cues...but even more so, they pick up on our non-verbal cues...even if we aren't mad at them, they will see that we are mad and think that it's their fault. Now, by no means can we keep a smile plastered on our face the entire day, that's just impossible. But for those who work, or after you pick up your kids from school, or when they walk into your classroom, does your love show on your face?

Day off

Even though school hasn't started yet, it's been a long week. I had some things I wanted to do today, but my body decided not to do anything at all today but keep me lounging around. I guess I needed it today. I also felt a little under the weather, so I just relaxed. I've been off track with my new healthy lifestyle...but I think I was able to get back on track today :)

Midnight Snack

But for once, I'm not actually eating one. :) I'm actually dealing with some issues that has me with trouble breathing and so no sleep right now. The mistake I've made is that I'm watching the Cosby Show...one of my favorite shows...and always makes me laugh! But right now, laughing is a bit painful...

I came on thinking I would have something witty to say at 1 in the morning...but nothing is coming to me...*L* So, goodnight one and all...I hope you have a good weekend...I know I'm planning on it!

Quote for Thursday

"Whoever wants to reach a distant goal, must first take small steps. --Helmit Schmidt

Tag? 10 Things I hate

I guess I've been tagged...and from reading my cuz's blog, I figured out what I had to do...:) But, I don't know anyone else on here to tag...

Food: Seafood. Any and all. oh, and sour cream makes me yak.

Fruit: I like most fruit I've ever tried so far...guess I don't really like Grapefruit...don't go for sour.

Veggies: Broccoli...sauerkraut...cauliflower...a few others

Celebrity/People: Anyone who can't be responsible for their own lives and treat it so carelessly

Event/Situation/Incident: shopping the day after Thanksgiving

TV Shows/Movies: Two words....reality TV

Music: Elevator music...music that demeans women

Household Chores: Dishes! I HATE doing the dishes

The World: any where and everywhere there are people who can't learn to live with their neighbors, have to hurt them

About Myself: That I let my emotions get in the way of doing something simple - losing weight...it's a battle I have been waging for forever and a day.

Don'tcha just love it!

For the second time this week...I am in a pair of capris that I haven't worn in at least 2 summers because they were waaay too tight to be comfortable and look good. It doesn't get much better than that. :-)

A New Challenge

I guess that since school hasn't started yet, this has been mostly about me, but that's ok. I have been dealing with weight for as long as I can remember. In November of last year, I started doing Jenny Craig and as of a week and a half ago, lost 21.1 lbs. It seems I go up, I go down, but overall, I'm still going down and so I keep fighting. Will it ever get easy?

Even though I get on again, off again with the food, I haven't yet been able to really get on with the exercise. I may start and go a week or two...but then it flickers off for several (or 6) months and I don't do anything. I'm not really sure why, but I want to change that. I have started a challenge for myself to start walking every day for 30 min. I did it last night for the first time in a long time, and I did about a mile. Walking is nothing new, and it's not that tiring although it was a bit slow, but it's just a matter of getting my butt out the door every day to do it. I probably could have done more, but it's a start and that is my challenge to myself...30 min every day (or at least 4-5 times).

So, if you are up to it, I challenge you to do something new to create a healthier you. Maybe you don't eat enough veggies and want to add a serving every day (4-5 times a week is the goal), or you want to drink more water, or exercise, or get rid of chips or whatever it is...for the next month. You can tell me, you can not tell me, whatever you like, but I challenge you to change something about your lifestyle for at least the next month (hopefully longer!!).

What a weekend!

Well, I guess that's misleading, for the most part it was quiet. My birthday was friday, and most of the day was wonderful! Many well wishes, and the VBS director surprised me with a cake and had had all the kids make me a card for my birthday! Very sweet! After that, it just went downhill! I was supposed to meet up with my sibs and because of VBS, I was running a little late. By the time I got there, not only had they bowled, but were getting ready to leave! Well, since the whole thing had been my idea to get together, I was gonna bowl anyway, but I was a little pissed. Then, on top of that, had to pay for my own bowling, and not one person, save my best friend, even had a gift for me. Now, I'm a quiet sort of person, I like to help where I am needed and do my thing and don't think I ask for much. But, I would think, at least for my birthday, my family would have done something, even a little, to make it special. And that just didn't happen. It was disappointing and I was quite hurt (still am I guess) about the whole thing.

The rest of the weekend was quiet...working with mom in building her room and cleaning my own room. Today, I went to a networking conference, tomorrow I have to do payroll, and faculty meeting on Wednesday...school starts in less than 2 weeks!!! There's still soooo much to do!!

It's Friday! (and my birthday!)

Teachers, as well as students, LOVE Friday! Now, I won't speak for them all...but I know I love it! I love my job and I love my kids, but there's something about Friday that is just fun! Today is extra special because it is also my 29th birthday! I've received many well wishes already and it has really boosted my week! I have had a horrid week with stress, disorganization and binging and I am so glad that it is almost over. I want to put it behind me and never think on it again!

The best part is that I think I have finally snapped the binging streak. I ate so horrid yesterday, I can't even believe it. But I heard something this morning on Oprah that I am going to commit to memory, for the next time a binge attacks. It was from a woman who had struggled with weight for years and has a book out, not about losing weight, but how to stay there when you get there. And she said something...simple, but I was never able to put it into these words before to help me out (and this isn't an exact quote because my memory sucks):

You don't get fat from one binge. You get fat for what you do after..generally starving yourself because you ate too much earlier so that in a couple hours, you're ready to binge again. (and the cycles continues) Once you have a binge, put it behind you as if it never happened and have your next meal as you would normally have it (not binging or starving yourself) and move on.

Like so many other people, once I binge...that's it. I feel horrible and so to punish myself further, instead of starving myself, I go for the next one because I know it's damaging my body, I want to hurt myself further....which is what I have been doing to myself all week. What helped me snap out of it was a friend. Someone I don't talk to often, but if I have a problem, he's always there to back me up and encourage me and he told me that whenever I have a problem this week, he would help me. One of my texts to him yesterday was about needing to stop the stupidity. That word, stupidity, finally put it in perspective for my binge cravings were just that...stupidity. One....it's understandable. But I've been punishing myself alll week! Every day! And that, to do that to myself over and over...was just stupidity. I've lost 21 lbs now on JC and I have come a long way, and doing this to myself now was just stupid. And I realize that, and I think I have snapped out of it and I can go back to being normal and learning to do things in healthier ways again.

Wow..this was a long one...but it's been a long week....and to anyone else sharing a birthday with me today....Happy Birthday! :)

Summer vacation? What's that?

For anyone out there who thinks teacher's have it made during the summer...lay around and do nothing...you are so wrong! (and yes, some of those are in my own family)

Yes, it's true we get 3 months away from our students, but that by no means, means I have time to lay around and do nothing. Granted, I do get to have more flexible hours, and this is the time when I get to take my vacation time, but I have been so busy this summer, I haven't had time to breathe. This week I am in the middle of teaching VBS along with trying to do my duties as treasurer of my church congregation. VBS hasn't been all that organized and so instead of using the last couple of weeks to get my stuff together to teach, I've been having to do it each day this week. So I've been spending long hours at school every day to get ready (I am lucky that I teach at the school we are doing VBS in so I can do it here). But it's made for a very crabby me...and I'm not usually a crabby person.

Consequently, I've been using these emotions as excuses to visit my old haunts....Wendys, Burger King, Arbys.....which, as anyone losing weight knows, doesn't ever, ever help..only adds to the misery.

I can't wait until this week is over and I can spend my time and energy getting my real classroom and lesson plans ready for the little darlings coming on August 27th.