Federal Shutdown: Military pay will be affected

This word has officially been passed down from the Pentagon. Troops worldwide would remain on duty if the federal government shuts down Friday, but would only receive pay through April 8 until the budget issues are resolved.

With the U.S. military currently engaged in combat operations in Afghanistan, humanitarian operations in Japan, and NATO operations in Libya, I beg to ask the question, "Is this fair to the men and women who are in constant service to this nation."

I have to say no. The men and women who are currently engaged in these operations deserve to receive their basic pay without any disruptions. They shouldn't have the added stresses of how are they going to pay their bills or provide for their family while they are 8,000 miles away protecting American interests.

I believe our lawmakers have lost sight of what is important. For the last seven months, legislators have debated a national budget. It amazes me, that in this amount of time, nothing has been resolved. All lawmakers have agreed that cuts are necessary, however, none can agree on the amount that needs to be cut.

I am Republican by nature and I agree that fiscal cuts are necessary, but I believe $100 billion is a lot of money to cut in one year. Democrats have made concessions totaling up to $62 billion. These are great strides in fiscal cuts and I believe they must find some middle ground.

With no solution in sight, I hope the two sides can begin to work together to solve our nation's budget issues. I mean as a country, don't we deserve that!