[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by mike234

well, lets get the females to register for the draft when they turn 18, just like males have to. anyone have a problem with that?

No, that would be PROGRESS.

[Jima72]

Originally Posted by Keefelane66

You are misinformed VA benefits are for Veterans receiving a disability in line of duty.
Retired Veterans Active or Reserve receive Tri-Care upon completion of service enlistment requirements retirement.
Active duty in War zone receive extra pay also seagoing Sailors receive extra pay. Also Military personnel assigned to isolated duty receive extra pay

10 people in our shop working on the flight deck, half on days and half on nights. Only 1 hazardous pay slot to be shared by all of us so you don’ t always get paid extra. This was a 1972 westpac cruise with va37 on the saratoga. Hearing is shot with tinnitus ringing and no comp for that.

[Normal]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

Addressing the U.S. Military Recruiting Crisis - War on the Rocks

Now is a very poor time to recruit. Several impediments are in the way of enlarging the military.

1. There are jobs everywhere that pay more. And I mean everywhere!
2. We aren’t engaged in any patriotic momentum of war.
3. Training isn’t appealing because employers will take any warm body.
4. Retirement incentives from the military are gone.

I fully support and wish for a substantial military force, but reality is kicking us all in the shorts. The draft was the solution for our country from the 40s till 1970s. Countries have had to go to compulsory or draft obligations across the globe. From Israeli forces to Great Britain, most able bodied male citizens do their part.

[Byte1]

There seems to be a surge in enlistments during times of conflict/war. After 9/11 there was a patriotic surge in enlistments, for example.

[Blueblaze]

I notice recruitment in Rome is way off of 31 B.C. levels, too. Maybe the first sign of a failing democracy is the unwillingness of kids to die for it.

How to solve that problem, and on the way, also prevent democracy from devolving into tyranny? I've heard no better suggestion than Robert Heinlein's -- require service as a requisite for full citizenship, and use that service to indoctrinate kids with the cost, gravity, and responsibility of wielding the franchise, so that maybe some of them will vote the interests of future generations, instead of their own naked envy.

The problem with democracy has always been how to limit the franchise to the competent without infringing on the rights of the incompetent. Sadly, our founding preceded Heinlein's solution by about 200 years. I think it's probably too late now to implement it.

[Byte1]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

The quality of the generations depends basically on the quality of their education. Today's youngest generation is beset by the NEW problems of Facebook and even darker web media that has POWERFUL psychological factors built into their software - that has the purpose to keep them on longer (24-7) for advertisements. While on they encounter BULLYING, BODY SHAMING, and other negativity, which messes with their heads (brains) to the point of producing suicides in mostly females, but also 25% of teen suicides are boys.
......In total, we have a WEAKER modern generation DUE to FACTORS of manipulated web-media that the US did NOT have problems with before about the recent DECADE. Our generation had ONLY TV, radio, and movies - all of which were REGULATED forcibly by government or industry standards.
.........What standards protect today's early teens? .......NOT Government protection, NOT industry protection, basically NOTHING.
...........I believe that the problems are the elimination of UNIONS, outsourcing to China, the CONCERTED effort to WEAKEN PUBLIC EDUCATION, and the FAILURE of the US Government to regulate Facebook, Instagram, and others (which is directly comparable to the government's failure to regulate the Tobacco Industry and PROTECT its citizens from LUNG CANCER !!!!! Can we NOT learn from our Historic mistakes as a society and country????

We really don't need unions anymore. They once had a place but not we have laws protecting the worker.
You are also wrong about today's children- young adults.