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Thread: Department of Defense may close on base stores for service members - Help

  1. #1
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    Department of Defense may close on base stores for service members - Help

    Plan to close stateside Commissaries:



    The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) will be soon writing a plan for closing stateside commissaries at the request of the Defense Department, which is still looking for ways to slash costs in the face of mandated budget cuts.

    We put together a fact sheet with everything you need to know about the plan to close the commissary. See it here.

    Such a plan could leave military members stationed stateside at bases in remote locations, such as Fort Irwin, Calif., driving long distances for food. Those with local grocery store options outside the gate would be in better shape — but can still expect to pay around 30 percent more across the board should the commissaries close, especially on products such as meat which are often much cheaper on base than off.


    The request, shared with military columnist and benefits guru Tom Phipott by military resale community sources, was made by the DoD’s Under Secretary of Defense Robert Hale, the department’s top financial adviser, and Air Force Lt. Gen. Mark F. Ramsay, director of force structure, resources and assessment for the Joint Staff.

    The commissary has long been a subject of scrutiny by lawmakers, some of whom see the grocery benefit as an outdated, unnecessary expenditure. While a 5 percent surcharge on every commissary purchase covers most costs of running the stores themselves, DeCA relies on a $1.4 billion taxpayer funded budget to pay their workers, who are federal employees, at 247 stores worldwide.

    Thanks to sequestration DeCA was already required to furlough employees, many of whom are military spouses, for a portion of last year. That left stores closed at least one day a week. But closing the about 180 stateside stores outright could save between $800 and $900 million annually, according to Philpott’s column.

    And shuttering the stores isn’t the only plan in the works. At a hearing Wednesday Tom Gordy, presdient of the Army Forces Marking Council, said DeCA has already considered other cost saving plans, such as raising the surcharge to 10 percent, allowing the commissary to sell beer, wine — not currently carried at commissaries — and health and beauty products at a profit, or increasing the price of all commissaries items somewhere around 2 or 3 percent, Philpott reports.





    You can use this link to access the DOD site and please ask Secretary of Defense Robert Hale not to deprive our Military families of affordable food and clothing http://www.defense.gov/Landing/comment.aspx
    #Dems play musical chairs + patronage and nepotism = entitlement !

  2. #2
    Member nogods's Avatar
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    We can't keep spending money we don't have, right?

    Everyone wants to cut federal spending, as long as it is not their favored spending.

  3. #3
    Member FMD's Avatar
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    When it comes to govt cuts, the govt always cuts what will affect the most people first while keeping the super juicy cuts off the table
    Willful ignorance is the downfall of every major empire in history.

    "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun." - Mao, 1938

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    Good points - it would seem when it comes to spending cuts - they are usually aimed at hitting baseline employees in mass. What I mean is - the employees that will create the most media attention.

    By going after the military - you insight thousands of soldiers - then their families both on and off base. That then ripples out to retired Veterans -

    Then they wrap some new spending into a commissary restoration bill - so when we see them returning the services/benefits - we don't notice more spending was included - SLICK !

    So actually these "Plans to cut spending" are nothing more than using our troops as pawns in a shell game. SHAMEFUL TACTICS.
    #Dems play musical chairs + patronage and nepotism = entitlement !

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