One of the most ridiculous wastes of taxpayer money I’ve ever heard of crossed my desk this morning.

WASHINGTON - Most military Reservists who left their civilian jobs to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan made more money there than in their regular jobs, according to a study that contradicts the notion that citizen Soldiers lose money when they go to war. The study, by RAND's National Defense Research Institute, found that 72 percent of the troops surveyed made more while on war duty in 2002 or 2003 than they did in their civilian jobs in 2001. More than half made at least $10,000 more.

On average, the Reservists made $850 more per month while on duty than in their civilian jobs, the report found.

Here on the planet Earth, most workers made more money in 2002 and 2003 than they did in 2001, unless they're part of the lucky duckies - the 4 or 5 million who saw their lucrative, skilled jobs offshored to India and China in order to provide higher profits for corporations with mailboxes in the Cayman Islands. So, I'm a bit leery of that comparison right from the jump.

While a Reservist is on active duty, his military pay, compared to civilian pay is usually pretty crappy. However, when you add in the hazardous duty pay, family separation allowances, and the tax-free aspects of “working” in a combat zone you just about HAVE to have a higher monthly pay. The downside of course is that you rarely hear about a guy in the civilian market getting his brain damaged by an exploding bomb, or having a traumatic amputation of both legs, or a collapsed lung, caused by a bullet.

It went on to say, however, that there is still a sizable number - 28 percent - of the Reservists who lost money, including some who saw their earnings drop by more than 10 percent.

Just taking a SWAG here, but maybe that 28 percent is the Officer/Managerial set and undoubtedly most of them have civilian employers picking up a large piece of their medical insurance costs.

This study examined 212,500 Reservists on active duty during 2002 and 2003, comparing their civilian pay for 2001 with the military reimbursements. The data for comparison was supplied by the Social Security Administration. Now, I have a hard time getting back salary information about my own account, but I guess when you’re a big Defense contractor sucking at the public teat in order to provide happy spin for Bu$hCo, all the privacy rules are waived.

Still, [RAND senior economist Jacob Alex Klerman] said, since earnings losses are less of a problem than earlier surveys suggested, legislative efforts to supplement Reservists' pay may not be as necessary or require as much funding as previously thought.

Hmmm…. No need to spend more money on Reservists who are taken from their families and civilian jobs, sent to combat, held involuntarily in a STOP LOSS, and discarded like a red-haired stepchild when they’re wounded.

Don’t ya just love it when you see a plan come together?

He said the study does not imply that reserve pay is adequate. Those troops, he emphasized, are still getting shot at, sleeping in tents and spending months away from their families.

Yabbut, they signed up for it, so what right do they have to complain, eh?

And, hey – let’s not forget that terrific free medical care, eh? The report doesn’t state that was added into overall value of the compensation package.

I wonder whether they allowed for the costs of meal fed to wounded GIs in Army hospitals and later deducted from their pay?