More along the lines of that Mandate of Heaven thing -- only targeted at the people the Mandarins are counting on to protect their regime. "Risk and Promise: Strategic Advice for Congress."

Good strategists always ask of any potential course of action two key questions. First, what will this do for us? And second, what will this do to us? Given the dearth of statesmanly impulse at the national level in modern America, it is perhaps unsurprising that in crafting the recent budget, Paul Ryan and Patty Murray asked only the former question, leaving the latter for others to worry about.

The provision at issue retroactively renegotiated the deferred compensation of more than two million military veterans – including tens of thousands still serving in harm’s way — who did their duty in reliance on promises around which they structured their lives. The vast majority of these veterans endured historically abusive operational tempos. Most will carry with them the invisible scars of war for the rest of their lives, running up against psychological limits that in subtle but consequential ways – ways no one who hasn’t served could possibly understand even if veterans were immodest enough to attempt explanation.

Many transitioned out of military service (or will in the future) to find that their skills and capabilities did not translate well in the private sector. This can slow earnings growth, making an earned military pension critical during the adaptation to civilian life in a down economy. Those retirees fortunate enough to preserve their marriages have typically dragged spouses through a dozen or so relocations, never giving them a chance to establish professional footing. This is key, not just in terms of the sacrifices rendered by military families, but in economic terms; in modern America, two incomes are now required to generate the same standard of living one income provided thirty years ago, and this is often beyond the reach of retired military families who have led very abnormal lives prior to retirement.

Also see: Cut to military pensions in federal budget angers local veterans.

Bill Havlin, Beaufort Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8760 commander, said the veterans' cost-of-living increase was already lower than national averages before the budget cut.

"The military is always the first cut," he said. "If there's anybody who needs a cut, it's Congress. Let them get the benefits of veterans and see if they like it -- having to work off percentages and get a second job."