Anomaly. Six bases - never seen that.

No shit. Did have to deal with the base rake your yard/mow, trim and edge your lawn/remove every speck of snow nazis though...which didn't feel like much of a perk although I enjoyed the free housing.

Anomaly. Six bases - never seen that.

Might be because of privatization. I was at Laughlin when the base housing got privatized. Went from having to do your own lawn to only having to do anything that was inside a fence. Cutting grass, trimming trees/bushes, raking leaves was all done by a grounds team hired by the housing company.

Might be because of privatization. I was at Laughlin when the base housing got privatized. Went from having to do your own lawn to only having to do anything that was inside a fence. Cutting grass, trimming trees/bushes, raking leaves was all done by a grounds team hired by the housing company.

That's exactly what Sheppard has. They're not very good though. About halfway through the summer when I was there, they got sick of doing all that pesky edging. They sprayed the bases of all the fences and the edges of all the lawns with grass killer. It looked awful, but made their job easier.

At Pensacola, we had minimum security prisoners who did the yard work on our street. I don't think it was base-wide though...and it certainly wasn't enlisted personnel.

So everyone has to boil this down to raking leaves? The more common example of landscaping "perk" I've seen is where the base housing office has contracted with the base landscaper and has the generals yards taken care of as part of their housing allowance, because it is a quite bit higher than ours and can probably cover the expense of heating that old home and cutting the grass. How about a Lt Col that "runs" the house? Yep, seen that. How about the aide that takes the Mrs on all her errands because "she doesn't like to drive?" Seen that. And then there are the Gens that treat their aides like living dog shit. Heard about that. These are some of the bigger abuses and there isn't much anyone can do about it. The activities of these people are hidden under specifically authorized titles like aides and other craftly termed titles that deflect scruitiny, except for "cook."

Now I've got to go make some big important decisions while the cook makes me a sandwitch.

Out

Anomaly. Six bases - never seen that.

I figured as much. I didn't want to start a discussion on privatized base housing perks. I was just pointing out that someone cutting your grass doesn't mean you're a king.

I do agree there's a difference when enlisted airmen are tasked with the job of wiping asses.

At Pensacola, we had minimum security prisoners who did the yard work on our street. I don't think it was base-wide though...and it certainly wasn't enlisted personnel.

Now that sounds like an answer.

At Pensacola, we had minimum security prisoners who did the yard work on our street.

Nellis standard, along with custodial.

Nellis standard, along with custodial.

There is yard work @ Nellis? Aren't all the yards made of rocks?

Yes.

One of the points of the article is that civilian SES types don't get anywhere near the same amount of perks as uniformed flag officers, despite them performing roughly on the same level (I think it's fair to say that the SECDEF and CJCS are roughly equivalent as far as workload, not to mention that the CJCS ostensibly works for the SECDEF.) If those perks are essential to operating effectively and efficiently as you claim, then SES types like the SECDEF should get them. Since Bob Gates was able to fill the post of SECDEF effectively without some of them (obviously secure government airlift is a legitimate requirement, but he didn't have a household staff for example), I don't understand why it was essential for Mike Mullen to have all of them to do a roughly equivalent job just because he wore a uniform instead of a suit to work.

I'm not sure that the SECDEF is SES.

There is yard work @ Nellis? Aren't all the yards made of rocks?

Yes.

So, do they just make the rocks smaller?

Why can't the four star hire his own lawn guys out of his own pocket if he wants his yard taken care of for him?

Current JFCC-Space (3 Star) wouldn't pay for a phone line to her 5 bedroom (she's single) house. Because she could get work calls on it she demanded one of the local comm sq foot the bill.

Little rocks out of big rocks.

It's a helluva lot more efficient to pay a two-striper to rake leaves than a four star. You think the President should rake leaves at the White House? That the VP cut his own grass at Annapolis?

The "perks" the SES/COCOMS/MAJCOM CCs "have" are SPECIFICALLY designed to increase their efficiency and effectiveness.

It's on them to NOT engage in abuse of those "perks."

Except the office that said airman is manning is closed 'cause he's out raking leaves or painting fences or whatever and we're supposed to do more with less so he's in a one-deep job and the mission suffers because of it. Long sentence....sorry.

Good points, all...but I'm sticking to my guns on this one. I think 69% of the four-star's (& some 3&2 stars) home station duties are social/civic/protocol-driven events. An aide and a cook are necessary perks to ensure all those things, and requisite travel, run smoothly. One ex: The GO's car belongs to the Trans sq...one of their sharp troops has the responsibility to ensure its G2G daily.

Again, it's on the officer to not ABUSE or permit ABUSE of those "perks." And the spouse should understand the aides do not work for the spouse.

I've been an Exec in a couple wings/groups/staffs, worked fairly closely with a dozen GOs...all were far more busy than I ever was...but it wasn't the same kind of work.

Four/three stars do not WORK even the way a Colonel "works". They say Lt Col is the last "working rank" for a reason.

Bottom line for me: GOs aren't "royalty", don't "deserve" aides, but those aides (cooks, luggage handlers, etc) free the GOs time to spend on more important things. And, usually, the aides (enlisted, too) benefit from the tour with "good" follow-on assignments.

Except the office that said airman is manning is closed 'cause he's out raking leaves or painting fences or whatever and we're supposed to do more with less so he's in a one-deep job and the mission suffers because of it. Long sentence....sorry.

Last I checked those enlisted folks weren't from the base finance office or something...unless you are talking big picture manning?

Current JFCC-Space (3 Star) wouldn't pay for a phone line to her 5 bedroom (she's single) house. Because she could get work calls on it she demanded one of the local comm sq foot the bill.

Hrmph. Well...if it's a STE line, the gov't pays. If it's a number that could go in the yellowpages (that's the internet before they put it in your computer, SNAPs), she should pay for it.

"I don't want a land line, so the gov't pays" is not sufficient reason for comm to foot the bill.

Hrmph. Well...if it's a STE line, the gov't pays. If it's a number that could go in the yellowpages (that's the internet before they put it in your computer, SNAPs), she should pay for it.

"I don't want a land line, so the gov't pays" is not sufficient reason for comm to foot the bill.

Was for a STE/BiTL, and it was for personal calls as well (yellowpages).

However, no previous 3-star demanded gov't pay for it; they paid the $15 out of pocket. Originally she wanted us to run a DSN line to her house. I'll just leave it as this was part of an overall... wave of changes that indicated she was going to be a problem and I'm glad I got the hell out of there.

Last I checked those enlisted folks weren't from the base finance office or something...unless you are talking big picture manning?

When you are cutting people out of the Air Force because we are over our end-strength, yet you can't man an office more than one-deep, perhaps we should look at cutting leaf-baggers, landscapers, and "executive chefs" before we cut the last person in the comm squadron, the weather shop, or the finance office.

When you are cutting people out of the Air Force because we are over our end-strength, yet you can't man an office more than one-deep, perhaps we should look at cutting leaf-baggers, landscapers, and "executive chefs" before we cut the last person in the comm squadron, the weather shop, or the finance office.

It's a special duty that is open to Enlisted.

When you are cutting people out of the Air Force because we are over our end-strength, yet you can't man an office more than one-deep, perhaps we should look at cutting leaf-baggers, landscapers, and "executive chefs" before we cut the last person in the comm squadron, the weather shop, or the finance office.

Gotcha, that's what I was thinking you were alluding to.

It's a special duty that is open to Enlisted.

Who are pulled from their primary AFSCs, leaving whatever shop they just got pulled from short another airman.

... before we cut the last person in the comm squadron, the weather shop, or the finance office.

I have to disagree with the WX shop being on your list.

In this day and age, I seldom find a need for a separate AF WX shop.

I have to disagree with the WX shop being on your list.

In this day and age, I seldom find a need for a separate CONUS AF WX shop.

FIFY

I have to disagree with the WX shop being on your list.

In this day and age, I seldom find a need for a separate AF WX shop.

Agreed. I can look at a METAR, TAF, radar loop, and forecast maps just the same....all from my iPhone and/or iPad. Especially within the CONUS.