A Soldier's Perspective

I'm Leaving The Army

I've done a lot of soul searching lately about my responsibilities to my family, to my country and to myself. I've come to the conclusion that I'm working way too hard and not spending enough time with my family. I work 50-60 hour weeks to pay my bills, keep my kids fed, and take care of my troops. But, I don't think that's really necessary – working 50-60 hours per week, I mean. I've done my time and served my country. I've worked my fair share since I was 15 years old. I think after 20 years of hard work, it's time to let someone support me for a change.

So, I've decided to stop working and leave the Army. I'm gonna miss it, I really am. I've decided that since Congress wants to extend jobless benefits, why work for what the government is providing for free? I could sit here all day long with my wife enjoying her company instead of worrying about a bunch of people I'll probably only know a few years anyway before they move on to other assignments. Emily and I will be able to stare into each other's eyes endlessly now. We can talk about all the things we just never had time to talk about before. For the first time, we can really learn about each other. No more long weeks of toil, labor, frustration, and bureaucracy for me! No sir.

I don't have to worry about paying for my home because the recent bill passed gives homeowners in default a three-year extension for home mortgage debt forgiveness relief under Code Sec. 108 of H.R. 1424. I've got three years before I need to really worry about paying for either of my homes that I entered into a contract to purchase. Come to think of it, I can just tear up my payment books. Seeing that I can't pay for my home and stand to possibly lose it, Uncle Sam will buy up my mortgage and negotiate better terms and payment for me, potentially saving me thousands of dollars!! I'm taking all that money I would have otherwise spent meeting my obligations and going to Disney World!! The kids have never been there because we haven't had the money. I didn't realize I had a CHOICE to pay my bills or not. We would have gone a LONG time ago.

I'm not worried about buying groceries because without any income, I'll qualify for food stamps and can just get my food from the government as well. With three kids, I'm sure my benefits would be quite substantial. If it isn't enough, I'll wait on my next highly anticipated government rebate check to make ends meet. In these tough economic times, surely the government will send out another economic stimulus check.

I'm not at all worried about my credit card debts because I really don't feel like it's my fault that my interest rates are so high. I was victimized by the predatory lending practices of department store credit pushers. I was lured in by the adorable free plush puppy they were giving to anyone that applied (oh, and the keychain is cool!). I can just say I didn't know that the piece of paper I signed when I applied mentioned a 24% interest rate. They should have TOLD me that and not relied on me to actually read anything I sign. The puppy didn't tell me, that's for sure.

With the government snatching up bad mortgages and failing banks the only logical next step is for them to take over faulty car loans. How can I be expected to pay for my car if I can't get a job or pay for my home?! In anticipation of that, I'm going out tomorrow to buy the car of my dreams. To think that for the longest time I didn't think I could actually afford the new Dodge Charger, but I'm not worried about any more. When they try to repossess my car, I'll just complain to my Congressman that the automaker is price gouging and charged me more for the car than I could afford.

If anyone is in the area where I live, stop on by. I'll treat you to a nice meal of rice, beans, tuna, hard tack bread, milk and whatever else my food stamps will get me. We can sit out on the front lawn during the day when most suckers are out there paying for me to enjoy my life and just laugh as they come and go on their way to work. If you bring your food stamps, we can probably combine them and buy a couple of nice steaks to BBQ!!