#Middlebury #Veterans
Veterans make up about one-third of the federal workforce. That means a lot of us were affected by the shutdown.
Some in the mainstream press (as well as the government employees union) took that political opportunity to wring their hands about us poor veterans and how some of us might be driven to suicide because of a couple of missing paychecks. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie was forced to address this in a terse letter to the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, telling him to stop promoting the “veteran as victim” mentality.
There are no guarantees of employment. If we’re in a civilian job, they can let us go with no notice. If we’re in a government job, we can be caught up in shutdowns. While most last only a few days, the one in 2013 went on for 16 days (blame the Affordable Care Act). In 1995, it was 21 days (the problem: balancing the budget). As politicians posture and snarl, we get caught in the crossfire.
However, there are ways we can take care of ourselves. Consider this a clip and save column for how to survive a government shutdown … or even a civilian layoff.
The best-advice financial rule is to have savings stuck away to cover six to nine months of living expenses, especially if you have a family. Do not buy that new car until you have that money. Do not buy a new anything until you have that money. Do a budget and pare it down to essentials, multiply that by six or nine, and that’s how much you need to put away. Consider taking on a part-time job, if only for a little while, and put that money in your stash.
No matter who we work for, anything can happen. Be ready.
© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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