I think for the job that they do enlisted soldiers deserve more pay.

I think you should reconsider addressing the point that Soldiers did sign up for the pay they receive. It is a very valid point in this argument. I have already addressed it and have not seen anything from you to refute this point so I will leave it alone from here on. "My husband had much better insurance with his civilian job than he does with Tricare." Because your husband had better insurance in his last job is not justification for better insurance in the military. I have never had to pay anything for any of my wife's doctor visits so you having to pay $16 is news to me. There are many positives to Tricare tha civilian companies might not provide. This link provides a list of all of the features of Tricare, as there are too many to list on here. I also pay about $15 each month for Life Insurance worth $500,000. That is cheap for any line of work. http://www.tricare.mil... "Not all military can get tricare prime as some do not live in a state where there are many military facilities. In order to get Tricare Prime , I would have had to drive about 45 mins from my house to take my 4 year old to the doctor." A 45 minute drive doesn't sound that bad to go to a doctor. Before I joined the Army I had to drive over an hour to see our family doctor. The point is you are still being cared for. And you failed to point out that a visit to ANY emergency room is automatically covered by Tricare without having to get referred first. "I do not think 30 days paid vacation is that much when you may not see your family for 1 year or 24 months even." Who joins the military with the expectations of being able to see Mom and Pop every weekend? A whole month of paid leave is more than adequate for service members. "Taxes are not taken out , absolutely BS .. They take out federal and state taxes every check" I am sorry but you are wrong. Soldiers are not required to pay tax in a combat zone. That includes both state and federal. You are only required to spend part of a day in a combat zone per month to get ALL of the benefits of being in a hostile enviroment. When you add up the Imminent danger, family seperation pay, and no taxes it comes out to over a thousand for most Soldiers. Not to mention the 1 time payment of a thousand dollars just for going to a combat zone. This link should help clear things up for you. http://www.il.ngb.army.mil... "Also remember cost of living is dramatically different state to state .Also some soldiers may have 5 kids , some may have 3, some none." Yes, and this is why Soldiers receive diffrent housing allowances (BAH) based on the zip code they reside in. Cost of Living Allowance (COLA), which can be over $1000 for some places, is provided to Soldiers that reside in areas with extraordinary living costs. "I know many military families that scrimp and save and are having financial problems." The 2008 Basic Allowance Housing (BAH) rates have jumped an average of 7.2% for the military. This means hundreds of dollars more for most families. Not too mention the base pay raise we will receive at the beginning of the year. http://www.militarytimes.com... "Also some military families can not live on a base to help them out because there are no bases near them." Living on a base does not help you out. I have always avoided living on base because they can be a stickler when moving to a new post. Most families stationed on base choose to collect housing allowance and NOT live on the installation in goverment provided housing. " My husband doesnt ask what his country can do for him , I am just saying that I think soldiers DESERVE more money for the job that they do. Thank you for your service , you may not think you deserve more pay, my husband doesn't , but I do. I think the sacrafices that the men and women in the service make. are amazing and more than any person in any other job makes." Please don't think I was implying that does that. Obviously he wouldn't be serving if he thought that. When my wife discovered I was debating you on this she immediately took your side. I do understand what you are trying to argue, but the goverment provides decent pay and plenty of excellent benefits for us in the service. "My husband had a job in a union making great money and the army doesnt even begin to cover a portion of that." If a millionaire joined the Army, could the Army be blamed because he doesn't make the same amount now? Like my Drill Sergeant told me in Basic," No one put a gun to your head and made you sign the contract". I should of asked this in my first round but exactly what do you think Soldiers should be getting paid? I salute you as an Army wife, because all of us Soldiers know that your job IS the toughest in the world, but I think being able to serve my country is the greatest payment of all.