If you're not "Mission Essential" then why do you have a job?

SSG Burns,

You are preaching to the choir on an issue that is as old as the military itself, the good old boy system.

I will give you a perfect example, initial push during OIF I, we get word from the rear that the garrison CSM will be retiring a few months after our return, so there will be the big ceremony for awards for us and him and COR as well. We get back, I happen to be assigned to garrison Phys Sec office for a few months, which consists of many offices and tasking to include safety, in the 3 years I had been on the post we never had a installation safety officer, the position never existed, it was covered by the division safety. Well low and behold, a month before the CSM retires, a new safety officer position is created for the installation, while the CSM is in transition leave he moves right into the job. The new perks are very nice, on our second rotation back for OIF III, he is sent TDY to Taji to check and evaluate the division assets and their compliance with safety policies (while deployed), he has his own trailer, digital and electronic hookups, and a POV and a gator for running around the camp. Now if that wasn't fraud, waste and abuse, someone please explain to me what would constitute it.

To be fair to the civilians the furlough had less to do with
how “mission essential” they are and more to do with if the funds that pay for
them had already been appropriated by congress or not.  The argument could be made that even most of
us in uniform are not “mission essential” in garrison unless we are preparing
for deployment.