Jo's Cafe

This is just flat ass wrong.

From Military.com

Troops Wait for Body Armor Reimbursements

WASHINGTON – Nearly a year after Congress demanded action, the Pentagon has still failed to figure out a way to reimburse soldiers for body armor and equipment they purchased to better protect themselves while serving in Iraq.

For Marine Sgt. Todd Bowers that extra piece of equipment – a high-tech rifle scope bought by his father for $600 and a $100 pair of goggles – turned out to be a life or death purchase. And he has never been reimbursed.

Come on Congress — get off your dead ass and get this fixed NOW! You can move mountains to get money to Katrina victims who never worked a day in their lives, yet you can’t get off your fracking asses and do something for the soldiers who are serving in Iraq??

Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., said he will offer amendments to the defense appropriations bill working its way through Congress to take the funding issue out of the hands of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and give control to military unit commanders in the field.

“Rumsfeld is violating the law,” Dodd said. “It’s been sitting on the books for over a year. They were opposed to it. It was insulting to them. I’m sorry that’s how they felt.”

Dodd said men and women in uniform “are serving halfway around the world. And they shouldn’t have to rely on bake sales and lemonade stands to raise money” to get them the equipment they need.

Pentagon spokeswoman Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke said the department “is in the final stages of putting a reimbursement program together and it is expected to be operating soon.” But defense officials would not discuss the reason for the delay.

Fracking Red Tape is all it is. How the hell hard is it for someone to provide a receipt for something purchased and give a copy to Finance and then have it forwarded up the chain and said check cut for the expense and then have it put in the person’s bank account?

Hell my company only takes a week to reimburse you for business expenses — and I don’t work for any small ass company either.