Democrats renew their push to bring back the Military Draft

Wow. The Dems have an openning in 2004, and now are going to trip over themselves again to make certain they lose?

Nothing like angering a huge block of your own.

 

The idea has some merit in the sense that all types of folks would have to serve together. As it is now, Libs and Cons, rich and poor, whites and minorities rarely mix beyond High School (if that). In my estimation, it might bring a more civil discourse to the political process. The problem is in allowing two tracks... if you're going to do this, it should be only one and everybody should go.

 

I'm begging you...please run with this as a vital component of your platform. Please. Thanks.

 

That's not going to happen. I was merely treating the philosophical. One of the reasons for doing this (even though they know it will not pass) is to make the case that average americans are suffering and sacrificing while those who benefit most from the tax cuts aren't doing their fair share. Not sure I agree with the way they are trying to make the point, but there it is.

 

Somehow I dont think this will be too popular amoung voters between the age of 18 and 26.

 

I think it is a bunch of hooey because:

1. Our force is too high-tech to support a bunch of two-year, untrained conscripts. The professionalism of our military would suffer greatly.

2. It is simply another silly Democratic ploy that is a waste of time, plain and simple. They are trying to cast Bush as sending off the sons of the poor off to fight some rich man's war for oil, which is the height of stupidity. I knew plenty of folks like myself in the Marines who came from upper middle class backgrounds. I even was offered a football scholarship to college and I passed it up to join the Corps. So their assertion that the military is not representative of our population and is "unfairly" sending the poor off to die is utterly perposterous.

 

People between 18 and 26 don't vote for the most part.

 

That might be another reason they're proposing it... to get more youngsters voting because they now have a stake in the process.

 

To get more youngsters to vote against them?

For the greater good of getting young people involved?

Please.

 

Yeah..they will.

 

If the Dems want to committ suicide amongst the youngsters, be my guest......because they would turn out in droves to vote the authors of that out of power.

 

I am against bringing back the draft. We have a superb volunteer military. What is needed is an increase in it's size, so the call up of reservists and the National Guard will be less frequent, of shorter duration and in smaller numbers. I think we can do this by eliminating Bush's tax cuts and moving a large proportion of that money to increases in benefits, salaries, housing and medical care for veterans... which will have an added benefit of encouraging re-enlistments.

I didn't serve, but I went through the first draft lottery, an attempt to reform the draft. It was sheer luck that I got a good number. Several of my friends didn't. I have vivid memories of the devisiveness of the draft. We don't want to return to it, unless there is a major land war that requires it. And no, I don't consider Iraq to be that.

I will vote against any Democratic candidate for the nomination of the party who advocates it.

 

First, no Democratic candidate for president is backing this.

Second, it has no possibility of becoming a serious issue. It is being pushed by Rangel to make the point that it is significantly easier to send Americans to war when you know your children will be safe from it. Anecdotes of bamaslammer and a few of his friends not withstanding, rich kids, by and large, are not on the front lines. The children of elected officials are, by and large, not on the front lines. Rangel's point: if the sacrifice is so worth it, sacrifice your kids too, not just someone else's. And I agree with him.

 

p.s. 18 to 26 year olds are voting in the next election in force. They're calling themselves Generation Dean.

 

I would not be surprised if Bush would support the draft. He is probably thinking that we still have wars to fight in Iran, Syria, and North Korea. Rangel might want to be careful; he may get what he wants.

 

I agree, Batman.
I just wanted to make the point that, as a Democrat, I was strongly against the draft and that there were ways to address what is fast becoming a real problem... our military is too small. There could have been another, more justifiable conflict that could have tied down those forces currently in Iraq. Something needs to be done about it and I think what I suggested is as good a start as any.

Yes, Rangel is cleverly making his point and it's a good one.

 

I agree with you too, Deckard. Of course, there are a million and one better ways to spend those lost tax revenues than giving them to the people who need them least. But rewarding the rich and screwing the poor is the new honor and integrity. Bush is about as likely to rescind the tax cuts as he is to admit he lied about Iraq. He'd sooner back a draft than do that. Anyway, he knows the rich kids can just use the same draft-dodging loopholes he did.

 

It's still incredible that there is no record of where Bush was for, what... about a year?? There is almost nothing the clown could do that would surprise me now. Rescinding his tax cut plan for the good of the country is probably one of the few things that would.

 

Actually I think that if, as might happen,not enough Guardsmen and Iraq War Vets reenlist, the neocons might have to reinstate the draft in order to have enough troops for their wars. I think it would be wise to let them do this, though I understand the equity issues involved.

I saw where they are offering a new $5,000 bonus to reenlist. If the Iraq mess continues they might have to raise it.

One of the problems is that this type of thing attracts single parents who are desperate to support their kids, so they sign up. Of course it is always probematical when the only parent has to go overseas.

It was saddening to hear about that poor Hispanic woman soldier from Houston who died while trying to earn some tuition money. The Chronicle article mentioned how she had dreams of going to Rice, where, judging from bbs posts, many of our biggest fans of the war went. It makes you think of how unfair it is to just have the poor and the middle class go to fight for the country that the wealthier benefit from so much.