Posted on 04/30/2017 8:56:49 PM PDT by hapnHal
Should we bring back the draft?
In the wake of another Memorial Day, when most Americans recognized their fallen veterans by staying home from the office, it’s worth taking a moment to consider a perennial question: Should the military draft return? Yes, argued Joseph Epstein in The Atlantic earlier this year. Epstein, a short story writer and former draftee who served in the Army from 1958 to 1960, opposes an all-volunteer force for several reasons: It’s unfair for a tiny percentage of Americans—less than one percent—to shoulder the burden of fighting wars; the American public isn’t knowledgeable enough on foreign policy; the draft could rehabilitate young criminal offenders; and, most of all, a draft would contribute to the “melting pot” that makes America great.
No n00b, that is patently ridiculous and idiotic in the extreme.
It might change some of the idiots outlook on the World and America..
Oops didn’t notice the “woman” part
That’s ok..
Memorial Day isn’t until the end of THIS month. Which I think tells us everything we need to know about this idea.
I'm not going to rewrite all of my past posts, on this thread, as to WHY, this is an extremely stupid and useless idea, so I suggest that you read them...or not. :-)
There will ALWAYS have to be some “boots on the ground”, in any war...unless it’s to just be the nightmare situation ( just nukes sent by each nation ) that was what some worried about in the ‘50s, which I doubt will happen.
SPOT ON...you really nailed it and in the fewest words possible.
For the many different groups of people I've listed and yes, those making false claims about who/what they really are, forced conscription, whether it is for the military or other crap ( the Peace Corps IS crap and so is TEACHING FOR AMERICA and other such programs! ) would do less than NOTHING whatsoever to rehabilitate/mature/whatever and would cost many billions of dollars. And it would also cause far MORE problems than you apparently can imagine.
Has compulsory education,until the age of 16, in this day and age, made children more literate and educated?
Also, many of those in positions of power, in the military, would have to be fired ( yeah, right....just try to do that! ), because they are part of the problem and those in the Pentagon too.
Then there are the costs!
Oh...and you are also forgetting about the females who would SCREAM down the house, re misogyny, being left out, etc. !
And finally, YOU are prescribing something that IS social engineering too.
Besides the fact that far too many kids go to college today ( many completely unprepared for the work, major in utterly useless subjects, get even MORE brainwashed now, as it is ), that just adds even more money to an academic system that should be starved, not fed by tax payer money.
And do you really want even MORE lefties in public service jobs they probably don't want to do ?
You and the few other posters who agree with your position, haven't thought any of this through and/or do NOT live in the real world,but in some delusional state.
Yes to universal mandatory national service. Not necessarily military.
Do not overlook that when it came t WWII and Vietnam, many enlisted because of the draft.
At least one such man rose to Lt. Gen. in combat arms leadership assignments.
He enlisted just to control the entry date and get it over with, and stayed for 37 years.
If one can’t or won’t handle the rigors of physical training, they need people for permanent KP, laundry and trash details.
I am suggesting a sort of draft that would be useful to the nation and would not cause the destructive reactions of the partial draft we used in the VN war. You apparently fear you or your son might be drafted. Tough shit. I am not saying we must have a draft. I am saying if it is to be then this is the way to do it. The draft we used was self defeating for the nation.
You obviously don't re3alize it, but you and others proposing the same crap, are proposing MARXIST/COMMUNIST style government mandated indentured servitude. And the costs would be astronomical, with absolutely NO benefit whatsoever.
You don't "think" ( you aren't THINKING! ) that people wouldn't rebel against this?
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !
Just WHY wouldn't vast numbers of people complain about this, the cost in tax dollars, and the FORCED labor/missed years of doing what they wanted to do?
Your opinion on a topic such as this is any better than anyone else’s?
My concept is not focused on “college” but in a potentially qualified capable and available pool of muscle and mind to serve our country if need be. As we stand, we have three times as many retirees and aged veterans than we do on AD or in Guard/reserve status. Who you gonna call?
I happen to agree with you that college is not the answer- never said it was, however, given that college is in the future of many/most HS grads, we need to leverage them too. Include FA for any post secondary programs.
Thanks for calling me “moronic”. That’s mild compared to some appellations I’ve received- by better than you I am sure.
Good thing I don’t fret over forum responses much.
Post script- I realize that you may have served- as have I , so it shouldn’t be a surprise to you to know how much heavy lifting so few have performed for our country- sure argue that it all is wrong, unconstitutional or unnecessary etc- but the reality remains. We need to do better at insuring our future is secure- with more skin in the game more parents spouses children etc would take up a stand. As it is now we are fooling with ISIS and funding folks who are even more irrelevant and noxious than our threats.
No delusions there. Put everyone’s sons and grandsons in uniform, then watch them all scream like hell to make sure they are utilized properly.
Regards.
Then disband all armed forces. The idea that compulsory service is wrong minded is absurd. A nation is made up of its citizens- if all want the same security, then the same risks should be borne by all able bodied....
Answer those questions before you go yelling for a draft to put everyone in uniform.
And one more question, how large do you want the military to be?
Of course part of the delusion is that there has never been a time when everyone served. Never.
There was never even a time when all males served.
No, not even World War II.
When you have a population the size of ours there is no way a "no exceptions national draft" would work. The 3.5 million number is how many young people graduate from high school every year. To have a system that would take that many people in every year, train them, feed them, house them, clothe them, would be a system that would be so enormous that it would run the country.
We would at any one time (assuming two years of service) have 7 million draftees in the military would have to be 10-12 million. Considering how much fuss is kicked up about the military budget every year (between four and five percent of GDP) does anyone think a growth of 1000 percent would be greeted with cheers?
40 to 50% of the national GDP being spent on the military is as much or more than we were spending in WWII.
College, today, isn't even up to snuff, as it was even 50 years ago. It has sunk to level of 8th grade at the Ivies; forget the community college level. And almost NO graduates, today, are prepared to be an adult/take on a job! It's far worse, now, than it was 20 years ago.
Your "concept" and others of your ilk, is oppressive, moronic ( I didn't call YOU "moronic", but if the shoe fits....), extremely costly, and utterly useless!
Right now ( I'm not projecting into the future, since nobody knows what it will hold ), we don't need nor should we want "cannon fodder. Sure we'll ALWAYS need some boots on the ground, but not in the same way that our Revolution, the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, or even how WW II was fought.
You actually SHOULD be bothered by what some posters reply to you with. That way, your delusion problem might begin to lessen a bit. ;^)
Just WHAT has our "screaming" and even voting for those supposedly on "our side" done; let alone how any war has been fought?
Go read a whole LOT of factual American history, for the past 100 years and then and ONLY then, get back to me.
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