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Since 9/11 the ANG might just as well be active duty, and most of them have been activated. They also do rotations overseas - frequently.
They've also been 24/7 since 9-11. It's a whole differing ball of wax now, and I assure you, they work for it. At least most of them do, but I've worked in enough private sector places to see that it is no where near exclusive to the government.
Good for them
When they are called-up they begin being paid for full-time service. Since Maine guardsmen live in Maine, it is likely they all have Maine banks and support Maine families.
When part-timers get called-up it brings more money into the state.
WooHoo!
Now that is one way to build our local economy
Just like drawing more military retirees to the region, it brings money to Maine.
When they are called-up they begin being paid for full-time service. Since Maine guardsmen live in Maine, it is likely they all have Maine banks and support Maine families.
When part-timers get called-up it brings more money into the state.
WooHoo!
Now that is one way to build our local economy
Just like drawing more military retirees to the region, it brings money to Maine.
Absolutely. The thing that many people don't seem to realize however, is that many corporations (and military) set their wages (to a certain extent - obviously, there are other contributing factors) based on what the rates of the jobs that are comparable or close to comparable are in the private sector here.
Think about that for a minute. If we put all of our eggs in the tourism basket, what does that wage grade have the potential to become?
Last edited by cebdark; 02-27-2010 at 01:20 PM..
Reason: clarity
Absolutely. The thing that many people don't seem to realize however, is that many corporations (and military) set their wages (to a certain extent - obviously, there are other contributing factors) based on what the rates of the jobs that are comparable or close to comparable are in the private sector here.
Think about that for a minute. If we put all of our eggs in the tourism basket, what does that wage grade have the potential to become?
Corporations are "not" the private sector?
wages are set by state and federal minimum wage laws and supply and demand... There are many instances where a rural job will pay higher then an urban one because demand far exceed's supply... think "doctor of anesthesiology"...
The federal government average wages have far exceeded similiar civilian wages which could be its own thread.. but also adjustments (locality pay) are usually attributed to the cost of living of a specific area not wages... wages are obviously part of the that cost of living formula indirectly but I have never heard of position's recieving pay according to "local wages"
And really you have to look at money as a cash flow issue.. money exchanges hands round and round like "grease" ... the more money flowing around in a particular the place usually the higher standard of living over all..
Another reason why I hate being a slave to big corporations like walmart where a percentage of every dollar leaves the state..
Maine in of itself is a poor state with out much money coming INTO the state.... Which is why we see soo many social programs with matching funds getting so much support here... Well I kind of see tourism as a great way to bring money into the state..
I am not a big fan of taxes and raising taxes but there are lodging taxes and other ways of bringing in more money or at least exporting some of states costs..
NH is always brought into the conversation of taxes and doing business.. NH does a surpurb job of exporting taxes and fees...
No sales tax means people in Ma and Maine do their shopping there which supports local business and then those business pay taxes to NH..
They have one of the most expensive toll roads in the country paid mostly by out of staters.
We are no longer a nation of people who are tied to the ground we walk on.. Most of Maine's basic industries have moved out of the country or have been regulated to death.. Farming, milling, fishing ect ect..
Maine can continue to pursue tourism but it also needs to be realistic in its vision for the future..
PAY GO is a word used by the libs a lot but I use in the frame work of you don't provide more services then you can afford..
We don't expect the same services from a $50 a night 2 star hotel compared to a $500 a night 5 star hotel..
Maine needs to clean its own house first by streamlining its own cash flow problems.. There should be no school paid for by state funds that cost 1 million dollars for 100 kids.. (if thats true??)
And we need to realize the fact that Maine is hampered by its location, and climate... the majority of people will just never want to live here and the majority of business are not able to do business here..
Maine has an opportunity to be a leader rather a follower.. For years I felt like as a state we run right behind california..
we need to start electing the right people to the legistlature and governors office..
I don't know if this has been mentioned in previous posts, if it has please excuse the redundancy.
This won't grow the economy, but would help stop the shrinkage. People need to actually stop, read, and think while they are in the voting booth. Those "magic" bond packages that provide hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair roads, bridges, piers, etc. have to be paid back. While some may be necessary, not all of them are at that particular time.
WI has a debt of $6.5 Billion (yes, BILLION) because they cannot seem to stop spending. The State out here makes Maine look like a bunch of amateurs, however, it all starts some place and if Maine doesn't pull the plug on the spending, will be in the same boat before we know it. The WI DOT tears up roads out here just to keep crews working. Concrete is expensive! Plus all those man hours? I can't even begin to imagine what is spent annually here tearing up perfectly good roads and replacing the rebar and pouring fresh concrete. It's crazy.
There isn't much that DH & I can do re: voting, etc. until we get back but we do keep an eye on what is going on. And while we are only 2 votes, if enough of us have had enough, we can make a difference. Eventually.
Spoken like someone truly out of date, out of touch, and who probably never served.
Sounds a lot like a crony of Dubya.
Truly out of touch with the entitlement attitude. That's me. Two brothers in law in the guard, uncles, and ya, I never served. There was nothing to do. Although they all tried to talk me into it for years with "you don't really have to do anything." That DID change with Federalizing the guard. I'm going to dance around a direct epithet here, since I knew almost everyone in the local ANG back in the '80's, and I'll bet I knew a lot more about what went on than most, since I was the only one in one of the ANG "clubs" that wasn't in uniform. Gotta love a condescending pundit. And the pay doesn't suck. Not when one can pick up a $200,000 house on a guard paycheck, so give me a break right there.
Point is, I simply don't like the idea of having to work until I'm 70 so my brother in law can retire at 45. And ya, he digs the trips to Italy. And used to LOVE the free rides for skiing out west. Also loves the thrift savings plan, which costs the taxpayers billions every year with matching tax-free invested savings on top of what else for bennies. And I get what? An SE form to fill out and pay into SS which I'll never see. Brilliant.
Point is, I simply don't like the idea of having to work until I'm 70 so my brother in law can retire at 45. And ya, he digs the trips to Italy. And used to LOVE the free rides for skiing out west. Also loves the thrift savings plan, which costs the taxpayers billions every year with matching tax-free invested savings on top of what else for bennies. And I get what? An SE form to fill out and pay into SS which I'll never see. Brilliant.
Hmmmm...I find it fascinating to "hear" these types of things when I know how much in the form of state and federal taxes are taken out of an ANG member's paycheck biweekly - even with TSP deductions (btw, direct deposit is pretty big now everywhere, and costs one heck of a lot less than paper checks). Let's just say they pay taxes just like everyone else. Those who are civilian also pay for their own health insurance just like everyone else. A full time ANG person must also do drill, so they get to work 5 weekdays, work 2 weekend days for their weekend drill, and then work another five weekdays before they get a day off. They do this each and every month except one in the summer, but even then, they have make that up. Besides, there's that pesky little "national security" thing to think about.
When the school is full of ANG "flat daddies and mommies" (large laminated pictures of parents in uniform) some for several months at a time, and families get "well-check" calls from the guard to make sure they don't need anything, I have to wonder if people realize that the old way of guard work is no where near what it is today.
You're right 'tho. What you described did happen previously, but please remember, that was pre - 9/11 and IMHO, the ANG might just as well be the Air Force proper now. Just so you know, lavish trips and fancy hotel rooms are few and far between now since the funding of the bees nests across the puddle has to be paid for somehow.
I believe it was Back2NE who may have said it best with the comment about the bond issues. That never ceases to amaze me. Just for grins and giggles, ask someone who is crabbing about tax burden if they voted for the bonds. Try not to laugh out loud when they say "Yes."
Last edited by cebdark; 02-28-2010 at 07:32 AM..
Reason: typos
wages are set by state and federal minimum wage laws and supply and demand... There are many instances where a rural job will pay higher then an urban one because demand far exceed's supply... think "doctor of anesthesiology"...
Very true, but what the competition pays also contributes IMO. When a local chain department store opened a few years back, they paid floor workers well over a dollar more than they do now. Yes, part of that was "supply and demand" and they were also trying to attract workers who would last longer than the training period. After around a year, the wages aligned with what other stores surrounding them were paying. Sales and cost savings understandably drove part of that, but as it was explained to me, what local stores are paying also contributes to the set starting wage.
Once the gas prices shot up, and people who commuted decided that they were paying more in gas money to get there than it was worth, they lost a lot of people.
The federal government average wages have far exceeded similiar civilian wages which could be its own thread.. but also adjustments (locality pay) are usually attributed to the cost of living of a specific area not wages... wages are obviously part of the that cost of living formula indirectly but I have never heard of position's recieving pay according to "local wages"
It is not exclusive to "local wages" certainly, but is a contributing factor.
And really you have to look at money as a cash flow issue.. money exchanges hands round and round like "grease" ... the more money flowing around in a particular the place usually the higher standard of living over all..
Agreed.
Another reason why I hate being a slave to big corporations like walmart where a percentage of every dollar leaves the state..
That's okay 'tho. They throw a few thousand back here for the community once and a while, ask you to tack on a dollar of your sales to support a cause, and let various charities beg for money outside their doors frequently, so don't be so hard on them.
Maine in of itself is a poor state with out much money coming INTO the state.... Which is why we see soo many social programs with matching funds getting so much support here... Well I kind of see tourism as a great way to bring money into the state..
Don't get me wrong - I'm glad there is at least toursim to help, and that is one of the biggest reasons that I try to shop local whenever I am able. I believe in supporting the people who are breaking their necks to make a living here. What I want people to realize is that there are many small business employees (and I'll refrain on commenting on how many corporate service sector employees) are on those social programs, and if this state doesn't do something to support and grow small businesses in the form of making it easier and less expensive to operate, we're going to be in a world of hurt. Manufacturing jobs would help if we demanded that things were manufactured in this country again IMO.
I am not a big fan of taxes and raising taxes but there are lodging taxes and other ways of bringing in more money or at least exporting some of states costs..
I see your point, I really do, but this only means that when my family decides to rent a locally owned cabin during a "staycation" we are going to pay more. If you're going to tax anything, I say tax toilet paper two cents. That would be a "fair and equitable" tax and a money-maker to boot.
NH is always brought into the conversation of taxes and doing business.. NH does a surpurb job of exporting taxes and fees...
No sales tax means people in Ma and Maine do their shopping there which supports local business and then those business pay taxes to NH..
They have one of the most expensive toll roads in the country paid mostly by out of staters.
We are no longer a nation of people who are tied to the ground we walk on.. Most of Maine's basic industries have moved out of the country or have been regulated to death.. Farming, milling, fishing ect ect..
Yep. We've "hoisted our own petard" in a way, haven't we?
Maine can continue to pursue tourism but it also needs to be realistic in its vision for the future..
I agree.
PAY GO is a word used by the libs a lot but I use in the frame work of you don't provide more services then you can afford..
We don't expect the same services from a $50 a night 2 star hotel compared to a $500 a night 5 star hotel..
Maine needs to clean its own house first by streamlining its own cash flow problems.. There should be no school paid for by state funds that cost 1 million dollars for 100 kids.. (if thats true??)
Agreed. Who really knows if it costs that much, since numbers magically change by the minute depending on who gives them IMHO. I don't believe it costs that much, but all sort of factors contribute to that which run the gamut from mandates, to pure waste, and realistically speaking, no two town expenditures are the same.
And we need to realize the fact that Maine is hampered by its location, and climate... the majority of people will just never want to live here and the majority of business are not able to do business here..
Ayuh. Very true.
Maine has an opportunity to be a leader rather a follower.. For years I felt like as a state we run right behind california..
we need to start electing the right people to the legistlature and governors office..
Here's hoping that people will actually read the fine details (and actually vote) during the next election.
This kinda got off topic, and I apologize for that. I've got nothing against the Guard, but I won't apologize for feeling that all taxpayer funded employees have their own "entitlement" program and an "I could've done better elsewhere so I deserve everything I get" attitude. I worked for the Feds for 2 years and couldn't stand the lack of effort and lack of work ethic. I could've stayed on at six figures and all the bennies, but didn't.
Anyway, the POINT was, until Americans discover and understand the abject waste that takes place with impunity at ALL levels of government by BOTH parties, the arguments about "entitlement" programs such as subsidized housing, food stamps and other forms of financial aid just won't fly.
On the thread topic specifically, Maine has to get creative in its thinking. No matter what is done with the North Woods, it's a resource as far as BOTH consumptive and non-consumptive uses go. Someone is going to scream bloody murder if it's all somehow taken over as a "working, open forest" and call that "socialism." The timberlands, though, as well as coastal fisheries and agricultural resources HAVE to be exploited carefully. You end up with regulation. I don't agree with a lot, of example, of what NMFS does, without approporate data as far as I can tell, with the coastal fisheries. Hell, years ago they were giving away whatever schools of fish were in Penbay to two Russian factory ships for pet food and fertilizer. Brilliant. Most don't realize that a lot of boats were coming over from Europe, catching the poagies, mackerel, etc., and taking it to pens in the Med and off Africa for feed where they'd penned bluefin tuna. Deplete our stocks to benefit someone else in the world markets. The devastation of the feed stocks rippled out to the bluefins. I know the guys fishing out of Green Harbor, MA, and a friend of mine flys one of the spotter planes.
Then, again, there's the concept of bringing in industry by loosening land use and environmental regulations. Ya know, you give someone whose impetus is purely the bottom line, and they'll poison your backyard without thinking twice about it. Balance.
The grave yard of dead horses is growing. The headstones read Taxes, Tourism, Elected Officials, Big Business and more.
How about grassroots efforts?
An excellent point. How about those who are starting programs that support the local economy and benefit communities? Where are the press releases for those? That's where I'd like to see more info from the media.
Ooops. Not "controversial" enough I guess.
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... the more money flowing around in a particular the place usually the higher standard of living over all.. 
