Ummm....sir? I know you have a tank, but I really have to turn off your water..........
I mean, I knew we were broke. Really really broke. But can you imagine being the guy in S-1 to get a disconnection notice for failure to pay the electric bill for the post? (umm, excuse me, sir.....did you remember to mail the check yet? no? shoot........) That's exactly what happened though at Ft. Sam Houston down in Austin.
It seems the Army is running about 530 million short on their garrison budget this year, and was afraid to stir up controversy by going to Congress to ask for it like me calling my Mom and asking for a couple of hundred dollars to see me 'til the end of the month. According to MNBC and the Killeen Herald, they fear that lawmakers will be irate and convinced that we're "throwing it away" on the war. Other people have said that there's plenty of money, and that the Pentagon is just bad at balancing their proverbial checkbook.
I dunno. But I know Bragg can't get office supplies 'til the new fiscal year in October, and Sam Houston is struggling in a lot of areas. What does it mean around here? Rumint says that some of the contractors have been laid off; I personally know a few that have had their pay seriously cut, and the grass is getting downright shaggy in a few areas because some of the units can't afford to get their lawn mowers fixed. (although I have seen extra-duty guys using push mowers......blech.)
I also know that down in the motor pool, if it's not a deadline, (something serious that makes a vehicle completely unfit to be driven) it's not likely to get fixed, 'cause we can't afford the parts. Anyone else out there feeling the pinch? Installation Management, you might want to call my Mom. As long as you pay it back sometime in the next couple of months, she's pretty good for a loan........
Definitely not speaking ex cathedra for the Army, but fixin' to write my congress peeps,
nbs