From a 2banana LTTE:
Dear Editor:
For over two years now, American service members (all volunteers) have been fighting in combat in the war against terrorism in far away lands.
I was “over there” also, serving with the US Army in Afghanistan.
So why do they do it? Why do people voluntarily risk their necks for a year at a time while we sleep safely in our beds?
After many, many conservations with the “grunts on the ground,” I can report the following informal conclusions on reasons that do not motivate them to fight:
1. No one is fighting so that a mother can abort her child up to the day before delivery for any reason.
2. No one is eating MREs for 6 months straight so that they can pay higher taxes.
3. No one is risking their life on a daily basis so that “Daddy and His Boyfriend” can be taught to our children in public school.
4. No one is dodging mortar rounds so that trial lawyers can sue companies and doctors into oblivion.
5. Not one grunt is sleeping in the mud so that one day he can register and/or turn-in his personal guns when he gets back home.
Something to think about in the upcoming electoral season.
Just for factual accuracy, I would point out that many officers (which would probably be the educational equivalent of many public school teachers) over 20 earn (at least) $100K/annually when accounting for all pay and allowances. However, there are also many officers who could have made much more in the private sector. I know I could have.
I'm work part-time now in the private sector, and I made more last year than I did in the last year of my military career, easily.
Also, you might be surprised how much some teachers make. I believe I read last year that the average DC city teacher made a little more than $80K.
If I may invoke both Occam and the KISS rule, teachers tend to be commies whereas the military tends not to be.
‘Nuff said.