Soldiers Calling Military to Request Service Pins Told to Hang up

[nucklehead]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/soldiers-calling-military-to-request-service-pins-told-to-hang-up/article24834518/

Soldiers calling the Defence Department in search of their service pins are being told to please hang up and not try their call again.

A toll-free number widely advertised by the military as being the contact point for those looking for a service pin, I.D. card or other records, hasn’t been accepting messages since late April.

Instead, after a perfunctory greeting, callers hear this message:

“Unfortunately, due to significant human-resources constraint, this line is not being monitored at this time.”

Soldiers usually receive a package including their pin, ID cards and other records upon leaving the military. If they lose them, they can get replacements by filling out a form and sending it in with the appropriate fee.

One former reservist said he’s been trying to get replacements for five months.

Colin Rowe, 66, sent in the required form and money order, but when he hadn’t heard anything, he started digging.

“I actually started off quite cheerfully making my calls, but as time went on, you get this anger that starts rising,” he said.

“This is unreal.”

[SabreFan1]

*edit* Just clicked on the link and noticed you were talking about the Canadian military and not the U.S. Whoops.

[Ghostsof1915]

That should be Ministry of Defense, not Defense Department.

Nothing surprises me from the Conservatives. What's worse the defence ministry is a big enough position. Why is the Defence Minister in Canada in charge of Multi-Culturalism? And how in the hell are both departments related????

[Gurn]

"Why is the Defence Minister in Canada in charge of Multi-Culturalism? And how in the hell are both departments related????"

Easily related. Canada is joining America in bombing brown people.

[Lockout Casualty]

You think that's bad? A couple of years ago I was supposed to do the citizenship ceremony and become a Canadian. Everything was going cheeky peeky, until I got the letter with the ceremony date... two weeks after the ceremony date itself. Then it took me two weeks to get through to Citizenship Canada because it would simply say that the call cannot be transferred to a voice mail and to call later. TWO WEEKS I called without luck. Hours I spent on the phone, literally dialing, being hung up on, redialing, and being hung up on. It was incredibly infuriating because of the overwhelming sense of powerlessness and helplessness.

And to put a cherry on top, after finally getting through, and sending a letter explaining why I wasn't at the ceremony, I had to wait for six months to attend the ceremony... that happens four times per week in Vancouver.

Can't stand conservatives and Conservatives. Hope they choke on their boutique tax cuts before this country suffers any more damage.

[Dazzle]

A lot of the money being used to balance the budget that the Conservatives have promised is to cut stuff is from stuff like this. Not saying that this is an effective strategy - obviously not, because the cuts are really obvious.

Harper's not a very popular figure amongst the military, it seems.

[Dazzle]

You think that's bad? A couple of years ago I was supposed to do the citizenship ceremony and become a Canadian. Everything was going cheeky peeky, until I got the letter with the ceremony date... two weeks after the ceremony date itself. Then it took me two weeks to get through to Citizenship Canada because it would simply say that the call cannot be transferred to a voice mail and to call later. TWO WEEKS I called without luck. Hours I spent on the phone, literally dialing, being hung up on, redialing, and being hung up on. It was incredibly infuriating because of the overwhelming sense of powerlessness and helplessness.

And to put a cherry on top, after finally getting through, and sending a letter explaining why I wasn't at the ceremony, I had to wait for six months to attend the ceremony... that happens four times per week in Vancouver.

Can't stand conservatives and Conservatives. Hope they choke on their boutique tax cuts before this country suffers any more damage.

Conservatives are not going to win the next election. They're too unpopular to too many groups, including the military. It's up for another party to take this opportunity and do something good with it.

[Lockout Casualty]

A lot of the money being used to balance the budget that the Conservatives have promised is to cut stuff is from stuff like this. Not saying that this is an effective strategy - obviously not, because the cuts are really obvious.

Harper's not a very popular figure amongst the military, it seems.

That would make sense. However, the military is hardly a bastion of independent, critical thought. My money is on talking points along the lines of "Libs and NDP are anti military, vote CPC" to prevail over the observable reality.

Conservatives are not going to win the next election. They're too unpopular to too many groups, including the military. It's up for another party to take this opportunity and do something good with it.

Again going to have to disagree. They're still the most likely to win, thanks FPTP and ~30% unshakable Conservative support. Harper would need to defile a virgin on TV and bite a head off a bat before his base wavers. All the anti-democratic methods, scandals, and consistent short term thinking obviously don't matter. Harper's grandkids will deal with when the time comes.

[Ghostsof1915]

A lot of the money being used to balance the budget that the Conservatives have promised is to cut stuff is from stuff like this. Not saying that this is an effective strategy - obviously not, because the cuts are really obvious.

Harper's not a very popular figure amongst the military, it seems.

Funny, back in the Liberal days in the early 2000's the Liberals were able to balance the budget and not cut back on frontline services. Ever since the Conservatives have gotten in. We're paying more on defence programs on stupid things like the F-35, which is a colossal pile of junk. At the same time cutting back on veterans aid, services, and other services we expect from the federal government.

From the Huffington Post:

The Harper government has managed to convince many Canadians that it is a "steady hand" when it comes to the economy. This, of course, is a falsehood.

The Conservatives have deployed a well-oiled communications plan using catch phrases like "we're focused on jobs, growth and long term prosperity" or branding the federal budget as the "Economic Action Plan."

The Conservatives spend tens of millions of dollars of your money each year on partisan advertising -- selling Canadians a very tall tale.

Here are actual facts you will never see in one of those Conservative "Economic Action Plan" ads this coming fall and beyond -- usually during a hockey game.

• Stephen Harper has managed to turn 10 consecutive federal budget surpluses of the Martin-Chretien era into 7 straight consecutive deficits.

• Stephen Harper has the worst record of economic growth of any Prime Minister since RB Bennett and the great depression.

• Under Stephen Harper, household debt has exploded. The average household debt-to-income ratio (i.e., the amount of debt the average Canadian household owes for every dollar of their annual disposable income) has risen from $1.31 to $1.64 -- which is where the United States was before the housing market crashed.

• A significant contributor to household debt can be traced to rising housing prices. Mr. Harper's finance minister, Jim Flaherty, helped fuel the housing bubble with his irresponsible introduction of 40-year mortgages with zero down-payment.

Although he has since reversed himself completely on this policy, it was too late to avoid the damage he caused.

Speaking of Debt

• Fact: Between 1996-97 and 2005-06, the Liberal government paid $81.4-billion against the national debt.

• Fact: The federal debt in the fiscal year 1996-97 was $562.9-billion. By the time the Liberals left office in 2006, it was reduced to $481.5-billion • In contrast, by the year 2014-15, the Conservatives will have added $176,400,000,000 to the national debt.

Let me say that again, Stephen Harper has added and will add $176,400,000,000 to our debt.

• Fact: The Conservative federal debt in 2008-09 = $457.6-billion.

• Fact: The expected Conservative debt in 2014-15 = $634.0-billion (forecasted).

• Fact: 24% of the total accumulated debt since Confederation was amassed under Stephen Harper, this just since 2008.

This is the real and true economic and fiscal record of the Harper era.

This fall and beyond, though, expect to see those false and misleading "Economic Action Plan" commercials to reappear, paid for by you -- just as you're enjoying that hockey game.

Those ads will sound good and likely be appealing to the eye. However, what Harper's trying to sell you is just like those trick emails from that long lost cousin in Mongolia telling you of your newly acquired fortune. Sounds good, but it's far from the truth.

[Dazzle]

That would make sense. However, the military is hardly a bastion of independent, critical thought. My money is on talking points along the lines of "Libs and NDP are anti military, vote CPC" to prevail over the observable reality.

Again going to have to disagree. They're still the most likely to win, thanks FPTP and ~30% unshakable Conservative support. Harper would need to defile a virgin on TV and bite a head off a bat before his base wavers. All the anti-democratic methods, scandals, and consistent short term thinking obviously don't matter. Harper's grandkids will deal with when the time comes.

I don't think the Conservatives have a really strong case when it comes to the military. A lot of people I've talked to that re serving in the military have independently observed that the Conservatives have/were doing a poor job when it comes to supplementing the current military. At this point, they'd be happy for anyone else BUT the conservatives.

The Conservatives have been helping big business though.

[SabreFan1]

http://www.debtclock.ca/

http://www.nationaldebtclocks.org/debtclock/canada

http://www.debtclock.ca/provincial-debtclocks/british-columbia/