Dear TEA party: I don't want to hear it.

So the military is cutting service members just before they are eligible for retirement benefits in order to save money. The TEA party republicans are furious. I don't want to hear it.

I was forced from my job as a firegihter-paramedic because the TEA party said that my pension was ripping off the taxpayer. Pensions, they said, are an anachronism. I replied that they were a promise to people who made a commitment to serve others, giving their lives in many cases, so that the public would be protected from harm. They claimed that they were saving money, while giving the bigwigs raises at the same time.

They mocked me for that. I was told that I should only have a 401(k), like everyone else. I was told that I should be forced to buy life insurance to replace the on duty death benefits I was losing. So I left, taking my pension while I still could.

How does it feel, now that the shoe is on your foot?