Letter to Joe Biden: Attack on Military Retiree COLAs and Disabled Vet-Owned Business

January 15, 2014

Dear Vice-President Biden,

I am a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, 80% disabled Veteran, and service-disabled veteran-owned small business owner. I am tired of this administration's anti-Veteran/military agenda and lack of concern and response to whistleblower retaliation against me by the Department of Interior.

The fact that military retiree COLAs were targeted for 1% per year reduction until age 62 is wrong! Your retirement, the retirements of Congress, and the retirement of DoD civilians like Sharon Hallinan, the Department of Interior contracting officer who retaliated against me and ruined my business, we're not targeted, but those of us who defended our country for 20+ years were?

Why are the millions of dollars being wasted by Government agencies and contractors each year not targeted BEFORE the pensions of the brave men and women who dedicated their lives to our Nation's freedom?

I was targeted for whistleblower retaliation by the Department of Interior after reporting gross fraud, waste, and abuse in the Military Family Life Consultant (MFLC) program in the tens of millions of dollars annually. I complained to the Department of Interior Contracting Officer, Interior Business Center, in January of last year and two days later my $50K MFLC contract was cancelled. Not only did I lose much needed income, she fabricated lies, defaming my character and ruining the reputation of my business, leading to my business being ruined and the loss of our home and half of our possessions.

I filed complaints with the DoI and DoD IGs, but was ignored. My Congressman, Sam Graves, and Senators Blunt and McCaskill blew me off as did your boss President Obama. 

How is it that military retirees are the FIRST ONES TARGETED when it comes time to reduce spending? Why are government agencies and contractors allowed to defraud our Government and taxpayers, wasting hundreds of millions of dollars each year with impunity? How can a Government agency get away with illegally canceling a contract and ruining a service-disabled veteran-owned small business? I will continue to pursue this until those responsible are held accountable and am contacting you because I believe you are one of the few in Washington with the INTEGRITY and persistence to take action. I hope I am right Mr. Vice-President.

God bless you, your family, and our United States of America!

Chris Sorrentino,  LtCol, USAF (Ret)

Submitted via the White House app and website at 4:30 pm (CST) on 1/15/2014

PostScript: Representative Paul Ryan (R - WI) and Senator Patty Murray (D - WA) initiated the bill in Congress and IN ALL LIKELIHOOD NEVER SERVED A DAY IN UNIFORM. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that both Rep. Ryan and Senator Murray NOT BE RE-ELECTED OR ELECTED TO A HIGHER OFFICE due to their contempt for our military and Veterans and the cowardly act of reducing retiree entitlements BEFORE addressing far bigger problems such as the GROSS FRAUD and WASTE endemic in government and government contracting.

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Reduce Defense Spending...Are You Serious?

According to Money Magazine (October 2012, p. 85), 68% of those polled (Republicans AND Democrats) think the United States should cut defense (military) spending. The Department of Defense (DoD), Congress, and President Obama all want to cut personnel and retiree benefits, that is a fact. What are these morons thinking? What is 68% of the population, supposedly, thinking? You got me!
We have been at war with Al Qaeda, and others, for 11 years and our military, if not dead already, are worn out! Our heroes in uniform, past, present, and future, put their families, health, and lives on the line every day...for your freedom people!

So now that Osama is dead, we are out of Iraq, and things are winding down in Afghanistan, we have nothing to worry about...right? Military retention rates are at all times highs thanks to patriotism and a weak economy, so why don't we cut their (active duty, Guard, Reserves, and retirees) pay and benefits or, better yet, drum them out altogether so we can save a few bucks? Forget those promises we made about job security, lifetime healthcare, pensions, and other "retention" tools...the threat is gone, over, history...let's cut defense spending (that is shorthand for personnel and benefits)! You don't really think the military (DoD) is going to give up any planes, tanks, ships, or helicopters do you?

I don't know about you, but I have a couple problems with that kind of thinking:
First, we, as a nation, made promises to our men and women in uniform and cannot change course now. That is immoral! Can you say integrity? Keep the promises made to those serving and those who have served. If you want to make changes, make them effective BEFORE future enlistees enlist, not after we obligated to or faithfully served our country!
Second, the president, Congress, and DoD ARE NOT focusing on fighting a few terrorists here and there, they are focusing on two very real and very large threats...CHINA (and their redheaded stepchild North Korea) and IRAN! 

China is a military and nuclear superpower with BILLIONS of potential troops and Iran has a nut of a president and is on the verge of becoming a nuclear threat (beside having one of the most potent militaries in the Middle East) and is threatening one of the most unstable and economically critical regions in the world ON A DAILY BASIS! Can you say OIL? How about nuclear holocaust? Are you people out if your freakin' minds?

So why not cut porkbarrel spending, pet projects, a bloated government full of useless programs and lazy workers (that is a generalization, there are many worthwhile programs and civil servants), or even cushy pensions for serving in Congress for a couple  of years? Why? Because memories are very short and if there is not an immediate threat, citizens are selfish and want all the money to come to them. That means politicians need to keep those voters happy so they can be reelected and receive those cushy pensions!

In conclusion, our shortsighted predecessors cut defense spending after World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, and even Gulf War I, but guess what? That's right, we got caught with our pants down when the next conflict came along! Do you have any idea how much we waste as a nation drawing down and building up our military as a reaction to world events? BILLIONS...JUST LIKE THOSE BILLIONS OF CHINESE just a stones throw from the United States of America...can you say Alaska? How about Hawaii? There is a place in Hawaii called Pearl Harbor...have you heard of it?