Several people have already pointed out that it would be an injustice for the Senate to pass a National Defense Authorization Act cutting dual-military married couples’ basic allowance for housing. On closer examination, it’s even worse than it sounds. Its second- and third-order effects demonstrate how difficult it is to tinker with entitlements, and serves as an object lesson in how not to do it. It reaps moderate financial gains by placing a significant pay cut onto a very small segment of military families, concentrating on the ranks that make the least money. It also has a disproportionate effect on women and creates an environment so hostile to military couples that it would almost certainly debilitate diversity and retention efforts.