My rant about pay raises and civilians

[Jarnhamar]

Blowing off steam. Lots fo swearing 

Yesterday picking my wife up at work I got drawn into an argument with one of her co-workers. (Wife works in a hospital). Her co-worker was bitching and complaining about how they needed more money and it was unfair yap yap yap. Then she starts bitching about how it's stupid the military recieved "yet another pay increase! they don't even do anything!". I quckly got out of that argument because I just didn't give a shit but it reminded me of something that really really pissed me off.


While comming back from a camping trip a little while ago, I stopped in the wendies/tim hortons in arnprior. There were some army trucks outside, I figured troops comming back from ex on a sunday.  I went into timhortons to get a chocolait milk and there was a fairly good sized line up. There were about a 15  people waiting in line, around 8 to 10 of them were soldiers.  Soldiers standing in line are no different than kids from a hokey team standing in line, tourists from a bus or regular people who don't know each other. Their just in uniform. Two women infront of me just would not shut the fuck up.  They were pissed they had to wait in line. Like the army was some how screwing with them making them wait longer.

"Oh great, the army is here. This is going to take forever. Can't they just use the drive through? They shouldnt even be allowed in"

They kept making stupid comments loud enough for the soldiers to hear. To the guys credit they just ignored them. When it got down to the last two soldiers (who were maybe 17 or 18) one of them had to take a minute to search through his pockets for change.
The bitches started making comments about pay increases, again loudly on purpose.

"You would think with ALL the pay increases these guys get they would have money. Ya they probably waste it all on beer. I hope they dont work this slow if they have to save someones life. Just keep giving these guys money so they can waste tax payers dollars on coffee".

The privates were getting really embarassed and the one guy couldnt find his change so his buddy paid for him, got his own coffee and left, but not before appologizing to the two ladies behind him! (infront of me)
I was so pissed off.

Heres the funny part. The louder of the two women orders a bagel (i think) and a coffee and what does she use to pay? A $100 fucking bill!
The timmies worker said that she can't accept that. The lady starts bitching saying she just got paid and thats all she has. Who the fuck uses a $100 to pay for a $3.00?  If i'm not mistaken, most places now days don't accept bills over$50 or even sometimes $50. yet heres dummy trying to break a $100. She refused to pay with anything other than a $100. (her friend just sat there)
I wanted to kick her in the back.

Usually i'm pretty quite but i said something to them.
"You two bitches have to be the most ignorant hags i've met in as long as i can remember. It's a shame those soldiers spend their week-ends training outside in the cold and snow probably hardly eating only to come into timhortons for a treat and have to put up with this kid of bullshit. I really feel sorry for anyone who knows you"
I wanted to say more figuring i was on a roll but i was shaking/full of adreniline so i just walked away with my wife. (Kinda figured the chickie was going to cuff me in the ear from behind, she looked pretty embarassed heh).
To my surprise a handful of the people around me started clapping which kinda embarassed me but kinda made me feel pretty good. I regret not saying something when the two soldiers were there though.

Unfortinuatly I embarassed the hell out of my wife from my outbust and she didnt speak to me the rest of the day and she refuses to go into wendies/timmies with me when were there.


Anyhow, what the fuck is it with people who think JUST because someone is in uniform they can use them for a punching bag? Making smart ass comments in public wvere everyone can hear you is not clever, it makes you look like a dummy.
Taxes pay for a soldiers salary, right. It also pays for a police officers or firemans or nurse or teacher. Do these people go and bust their balls? I don't see many people bitching out cops to their face for drinking coffee. People are always so worried about what someone else is getting that they don't appriciate what they have infront of them.

Watch survivor and see how much people cry and cry and cry over not seeing their family for 30 days. Now imagine not seeing them for 6 months at a time. Maybe every 2 or 3 years. Only, you can't quit anytime you want.
I think soldiers earn the right to make people wait 5 minutes in line.
People should do their own thing and worry about themselves.

 

[bojangles]

Good for you! While your wife was probably embarrassed by your outburst back at these most deserving "hags"., I bet somewhere inside she's pround that you had the balls to say something where everyone else just watched in awe. Again, good for you!

Bojangles

 

[Gunner]

Makes me glad to be out west in Alberta.

 

[SHELLDRAKE!!]

I have been posted in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick and have made an observation.This is my opinion of course but I found west of Ontario, if you are in uniform in public, you are almost always guaranteed to get a compliment or pleasent reaction from civillians.The outstanding support shown to 1 CMBG soldiers returning from Afghanistan was amazing.In Ontario I have more stories of members of the public saying things like "you army guys dont pay taxes or rent and you expect a pay raise", than I do have kind stories.Admittedly during for instance the ice storm, people were happy to see us but is that because of who we are or because we lent them a generator.

  So why are the east and west so different.Does it have to do with conservatives against liberals?How can there be such different views on our Armed Forces. You cant blame us since the Armed forces represent Canadians from all provinces and territories.

  I must say its nice to be posted back to Alberta though.

 

[patrick666]

Some people just have their head so far up their own arse that it could be considered just another turd. Good job for telling them off, Ghost. Another pay increase? What about hockey players? They get millions and are still bitching, all they do is play a game.

These are the men and women ready to take arms and defend us with their lives and I can not believe how people treat them sometimes. Every bag of lips, there's an a$$hole.

Cheers.

 

[jswift872]

Good job ghost..I was coming home from Thursday night training period and I got on the bus and this one guy started bitching about us getting a raise and what not...I started to feel really upset but then I realised he is just making himself look like an ass, not me....

 

[aesop081]

Stuff like that happens everywhere, even in "military towns"such as here in Greenwood.  You would think that people in such places would know better so i can imagine whatcan happen in other places where the Cf are less prominent in the public mind.

 

[Lexi]

Good job Ghost...
The world needs more people like you around!

 

[TCBF]

Thanks, Ghost!

When in doubt - sort-em out!



Tom

 

[Cloud Cover]

I have been posted in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick and have made an observation.

  So why are the east and west so different.Does it have to do with conservatives against liberals?How can there be such different views on our Armed Forces. You cant blame us since the Armed forces represent Canadians from all provinces and territories.

  I must say its nice to be posted back to Alberta though.

Well, apparently you haven't been posted to British Columbia - the draft dodgers memorial!! There are more civvies and more CF pers in Ontario than in any other Province, so it follows that there will be more incidences of tension.  I don't buy this Albertan's are more respectful towards the CF myth - having worn the bag there myself for a while.  In London, it's hard to find a part of the city without schools and streets named after battles etc., and the City just about had a riot when the Conservatives moved 1 RCR out of here.

As for line ups in Timmy's, there was a time when CF pers were much more likely to be standing in lines ups at the Beer Store than for a cup of the "nectar", so I guess that's progress. Either way, people are bitching, who gives a shit?The troopers should have told the clerk at the counter that the two kind ladies waiting in line were picking up the tab.   
 
As for pay raises etc., in 1988 we got an increase of almost 6% .... I made the princely sum of about 28K for a killick without sea pay.  Factor inflation and COLA in, and I doubt an equal salary is being earned right now for the same rank. Thats hardly something for a taxpayer to complain about, even the NDP agree that pay needs another boost for the non-com ranks.

 

[Sheerin]

No matter where you go, you'll find people like that, but hey, thats partly what makes Canada great - not what they say rather the fact that they can say it. 

Remember everyone feels they deserve a pay raise and there is a significant number of people out there who think the military does nothing buy parade around (if that), and therefore most definitely do not deserve a raise that comes out of their taxes.   

 

[gnplummer421]

LOL I have to chuckle a bit, cause when I joined the civvie work force after the military, I ran into that a bunch of times. Thruth is most civvies are totally clueless about the military. I was getting the old "you collect an army pension at your age? so that's where all our tax money is being wasted...thruth is they are envious. Don't forget that most people in Canada love to bitch about ..well anything really, but taking action, well that is left to the soldiers, and as far as I'm concerned all you military types do an outstanding job.

BV

 

[backinblack]

Ghost,

It seems any job that is sort of deemed to have one advantage or another brings out the envy in people - I even ran into that as a school custodian - my first job when I got out of the military!   Usually, the local school board didn't post the wage when they ran a job opening in the paper, but that particular time they did - union job, made 16-something an hour...   Well one night I'm washing windows at the end of the corrider and there is a PTA meeting just letting out, I remember hearing a guy say to a woman "looks like he's working hard!".   The woman replies "well he should be at the wages he makes!".   She was right, but still makes one want to tell both of them to mind their own business.

As for other public sector employees not getting flack in donut shops, etc. - well, I can't speak for Firefighters, etc., but I did 4 years as an Auxiliary RCMP after the military, and I can attest to the fact that people DO get in cop's faces in public places, and say things similar, like "As a taxpayer, I pay your wages etc.", and "Don't you have crimes to solve?".   When they are using a humourous tone it's alright, but some of them are serious and actually stand there like they are waiting for the cops to finish up their coffees and get back to work!   Heard things like "No wonder there's a wage freeze!", and similar.   The funny part is how tactful our RCMP can be with jerks like that.   I've watched cops sit there and smile, waiting for Joe Q Public's rant to end - then they just go on with their previous conversations with each other as if nothing had happened.   Those guys are thick-skinned - you need to be in their profession.

I'm with you in that I don't understand people who make obnoxious statements in front of soldiers - they need to march a mile in soldier's boots as far as I'm concerned.

Good on ya for saying something, though.   Some people need to "wake up and smell the army".

Cheers,

Boyd

 

[George Wallace]

On the subject of Tim Horton's.....Has anyone noticed the differences in service to Military guys in the different Provinces?   In Petawawa, when you ask for your coffee they pour it and then ask for your money; while in Oromocto you have to pay before they even think about pouring your coffee.   In Oromocto they just stand there and stare at you (if you are lucky) but usually will ignore you instead, rather than serve you.  The slowest, however, was at CFB Kingston Canex, where it took over fifteen minutes for a Timmies server to serve a line up of three people.

 

[Redeye]

On the subject of Tim Horton's.....Has anyone noticed the differences in service to Military guys in the different Provinces?   In Petawawa, when you ask for your coffee they pour it and then ask for your money; while in Oromocto you have to pay before they even think about pouring your coffee.   In Oromocto they just stand there and stare at you (if you are lucky) but usually will ignore you instead, rather than serve you.   The slowest, however, was at CFB Kingston Canex, where it took over fifteen minutes for a Timmies server to serve a line up of three people.

The Kingston Canex is the SLOWEST TIM HORTONS IN NATO.  I was stunned at how long it took to get two coffees and a bagel there one afternoon.  There was practically no one in the joint, either!

 

[camochick]

    I have been to both Tim Hortons in oromocto and believe me it isnt because you are military, it's because the people behind the counter are dumbasses. I used to go through the drive thru once a day and this one guy was so rude, i let him have it one day. I once suggested that they hire trained monkeys for the job but that just got them even angrier. Try the mcdonalds at gateway, they dont know there arse from a hole in the ground.  >

 

[Big Foot]

I just stay clear of the Timmies up on base and just go into town to one of the many TImmies there.

 

[turretmonster]

Nothing but good things at the new Timmies on the highway near Gagetown. They even made a big deal about giving me a bunch of those red poppy centered quarters in my change one day.
However, you run into all kinds. I just ignore the twits and carry on.
TM

 

[George Wallace]

Turretmonster

That is the Timmies I was speaking of.  Long line ups....what a stupid place to put a washroom door...it is always blocked by the line up...Money first, then service......Is that a Newbie thing?

 

[Zombie]

Reading this entire thread just makes me want to join even more, despite the vain, naive, discontent people that live in this great country.   :