I was thinking the same thing! I always rolled my eyes when some random guy would say "I'm paying for your salary!", and he probably paid far less in taxes than I did. It's an asinine thought process. It's like me telling him "I pay for the roads you drive on!"

As for "contracts", I think that's been hammered on quite a bit. I don't know too many regionals that require their pilots to commit to a decade of employment (under penalty of possible jail time if you just walk away).

I think a lot of civilians don't understand that you can't simply "fly airplanes" for life in the military. They have an "up or out" philosophy, where you could get booted out even if you wanted to stay. And it's damn near impossible to stay flying beyond the 15 year mark...it's at that point many have to make the decision...stay and accept that you're now a military bureaucrat working in an office, or get out and pursue your love of aviation.