Give the Military a Living Wage

With news last week than more than $100 million was lost in unused tickets at the Pentagon (at a time when our soldiers can't get all the way back from Iraq without help because Mr. Rumsfeld won't pay), and what we know already in the huge amounts so that Wolfowitz and others can fly first class, plus the usual economic abuse, I find myself wondering again and again why we can't pay our soldiers a living wage?

Whether I believe in our current wars or not is immaterial. These people join, get ordered wherever the government wants them to go, and they're just too often short-changed both during and after their service. They deserve so much better. They get called in to do what many of us could not or would not do.

Sure, I'm glad there are many good voluntary programs that give soldiers, sailors, marines, et al discounts or assistance, but if we can pay millionaires hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for the top jobs, if we can pay billions for contractors, we can pay our armed forces decent wages.