Question: Is the military a union?

[CommonSensePLZ]

Do they get "taxpayer handouts"? Should they be worried about the tea party coming after them next?

[mwrguy]

1. Collective bargaining = sedition

when in the military. It's a top-down, totalitarian organization.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Next will be vets

they had the disgusting habit to live to retirement... or worst... and they hate any leeches... like the kid I saw the other day outside Navy Fed. I mean he was missing a foot...

(Yes he was a vet)

[Scuba]

3. Are you kidding? One must waive their Constitution rights upon entry.

[cali]

4. no. and no.

[sarge43]

5. No, the baggers won't use the union meme. Even they aren't that stupid.

The camel will nose into the tent by

1. "Well yeah, we honor our brave boys in combat, but all those non combatants who sit around and drink coffee all day, why should they get all those benefits?!" And yes I've been in that argument. Let's see, all the times in my 20 I got to pick and choose what I'd be doing and where I'd be -- zip. And yes, I did sit down (hard to type standing up) and yes I did drink a lot of coffee. Had to, had to stay awake for 73 hours helping to get a bomber wing over to the other side of world. One other thought, my enlistment contract reads no differently than an Army Ranger.

2. "Firefighters, police and other dangerous work don't have those benefits." Two words: False equivalency

As for "taxpayer handouts", my standard answer, "If it's such a lush deal, please do sign up." Oh for the record, both active duty and retirement wages are taxed.

I'm somewhat worried. I think the benefits will be slowly eroded rather than nuked as Walker tried to do.