Wry Catcher
Diamond Member
- Banned
- #41
The number one mandate from the U.S. Constitution is national defense. I have no problem with a larger part of my tax dollar going toward that end, but social security, Medicare and Medicaid, and other entitlements take close to equal amounts.
Post #8 above labeled national security as an entitlement that consumed 50 percent of tax dollars and the Gunny rightly disputed that. Regardless of the social, ideological, or political arguments for a draft, none is needed at this time. I agree with the Gunny also where he stated we need even more military assets. The U.S. military is stretched way too thin and still will be when we get back to routine deployment cycles.
In retrospect I doubt I would have enlisted in the Navy in 1967 had there not been a draft. I can't respond to the argument that draftees were somehow lesser than RA personnel but I can attest to the fact that those I served with crossed all ideological, eduational, racial, religious, intellectual, regional, political, etc. lines - and all of us had enlisted.
Suggesting RA enlistees are somehow better than those conscripted seems unlikely. Again I can only discuss my experience and in 1967 opinions varied and heated arguments developed when global politics was discussed. No mutiny occurred at my duty stations or at sea but I suspect most of my shipmates were split on the wisdom of what we were doing in Vietnam.