[url=http://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1.0-9/10336853_731899670198854_161999357592712992_n.png]Recently, I came across this picture on facebook.[/url] Many of my friends are Republican and to them, I'm more of the center, which is true. I don't take sides in politics and blindly follow either party. I like to read and research what I'm getting into before getting into it. My friend that posted this is currently getting ready to get sent to the Army. However, when I saw this, I had to do a bit of research. [url=http://www.goarmy.com/benefits/money/basic-pay-active-duty-soldiers.html]According to the official US Army website[/url], the lowest paygrade (E1) for the minimum amount of time in the Army is around $18k/year. Sounds low right? [url=http://poverty.ucdavis.edu/faq/what-are-annual-earnings-full-time-minimum-wage-worker]The federal minimum wage[/url] is only $15k/year in the USA. That is lower than what the lowest paid serviceman in the Army gets paid. If we took into account bills and other services, the lowest paid serviceman would be paid a bit more than a person on minimum wage. [url=http://www.militaryfactory.com/military_pay_scale.asp]This is a by monthly basis[/url]. This is not an official website, so it may be inaccurate. [url=http://www.navy.com/joining/benefits/military-pay.html]This is for the Navy, which is by a monthly basis, so it may seem low, but it doesn't take into account the "other" raises, just a flat base rate.[/url] So, in essence, the original picture I showed you is false. It's propaganda from the extreme far right (This picture was from the Tea Party page), which makes an outstanding statement, but with a little research and time, you can find out if it's false or not. The picture endorsed by the [url=http://www.facebook.com/TheTeaParty.net]official Tea Party page of the USA[/url] posted this and I can say that it's false. I have begun looking at the political parts of my town and its elections. I find it more as a hobby and something interesting to do: Finding propaganda and researching about it. Do you have any experiences in the political world? For me, I helped participate in the local elections here by sorting the ballots by county and counting them out. I have also been to a few of the events here where the local politicians try to sway potential voters to vote for them. It's pretty fun.