Really, guys?

The 2011 housing allowance rates came out. For this zip code and Thak's rank, it was a $200 DECREASE. Now that won't factor as a pay cut for those already here. There's something called rate protection, which basically means, if this happens, you get to keep the same rate you were getting rather than take a pay cut. We'll continue to receive housing at the 2010 rate, which is good, because at the 2011 rate, we wouldn't be able to afford our house.

Even though this doesn't effect us directly, I still think it's stupid. For one, housing prices in this area are climbing every single day, so you DECREASE housing allowance for three ranks? (And those ranks are SSG, 1LT, and WO1, so in other words, all leaders of some variety.) The rest saw no increase to speak of, except the highest ranks, which saw a huge jump, but the majority remained very steady, except our peers, who will be very hard up financially upon reporting here in 2011. Aside from the obvious, I think this is dumb for a few reasons.

First of all, there is nowhere near enough post housing, and the way they break down the ranks for it here, it was actually an asset that Staff Sergeants could do better on the economy than on post, because the housing wait list that includes that rank is far and away the longest. Taking SSG's essentially out of the equation by making living on the economy a more attractive option actually did a lot to free up post housing (although there still wasn't nearly enough). Think that list is a nightmare now? Wait until 2011 hits and every SSG who reports here signs up. Get ready for a 3 year wait for housing.

Secondly, there were a few apartment complexes that were actually still affordable for the lower-enlisted and the Buck Sergeants. They may not be able to afford houses here, at least not in safe neighborhoods, but there were a few good complexes they could get into no problem, and afford a place that would work for them until they came up for post housing a couple years later. Now, they'll get to compete for what units those complexes have, with newly arriving SSG's, too. We all know how supply and demand works. The demand increases for the product, the cost rises. These complexes will no longer be affordable for anybody due to the increased demand.

Finally, all of this will culminate in magnifying the poverty already seen among our military community here. I said when I arrived here that I'd never seen so many military families so hard up for money, and I was telling the absolute truth. People say the cost of living here is low, but I have no idea where they get those figures. When compared dollar for dollar, and income to costs, this place stacks up about even with LA. Yet, we have so many bad neighborhoods and cheap places that aren't worth a damn, that drag the averages down enough that Defense Department analysts who have probably never set foot in this place, get the idea that it's cheaper than Ft. Stewart of Ft. Hood (both widely known to be cheap duty stations, and really, they are), and the housing allowance, the component of military pay that is supposed to adjust it to each location, is disproportionately low as a result. Consequently, people do not live nearly as well here as they do other places. We do fine because Thak has enough rank to make it so, but anyone with even one stripe less, is suffering here. This decrease in housing allowance at such a strategic level will screw a lot of people, many of whom are already screwed pretty hard by this place.

We don't like it, DOD. We don't like it at all. Our Garrison Commander has sent it back to the Department of the Army for review. We don't know what will happen, probably nothing, but our good Colonel is trying his best.

I will say, I don't care if they give a raise. We're fine with it just staying steady as it will for us due to the rate protection clause. Just don't screw the in-coming soldiers. Give them what we're getting. Hold the rate steady for each rank. We don't need a raise, just no decreases, please!