[tomder55]

At least FDR had the good sense to cut his own salary before he extended the Depression a decade .

[Wondergirl]

at least FDR had the good sense to cut his own salary before he extended the Depression a decade .

And Obama won't?

[tomder55]

Oh I'm sure his policies will extend the current financial crisis .

Remains to be seen if he cuts salaries. I know the Dems in Congress won't . (they should take a dollar a year like they expect corporate execs.to do )

[earl237]

I am against the draft because I don't think anyone should be forced to go to war and get maimed or killed. Not everyone is suited for the military and having unwilling people there would cause major problems. There would also be people who simply refuse even if there is punishment. I believe there is zero chance that a draft will ever happen because it would be too unpopular and would be political death for anyone who voted for it.

[ETWolverine]

Restarting the draft is a terrible idea for a number of reasons.

1) Conscript militaries tend to be less dedicated to the job, less willing to take risks and less willing to do more than the bare minimum needed to get by.

2) Draftees tend to be less capable of the military lifestyle than volunteers.

3) While not true in all cases, people who are capable but don't want to be drafted, tend to find exemptions, or else they run elsewhere. That means that the remaining draftees tend to be those less capable and with fewer means to get away from a draft. Which means we end up with a military full of people less capable than a volunteer military.

One of the main reasons we have the single most capable military in the world on a man-for-man and unit-per-unit basis is the fact that our soldiers are volunteers who WANT to be there, believe in the cause that they are there for, and are highly motivated and well-trained. Our officers corp is the most highly trained in the world, and our recruits and non-coms are the best-educated compared to their counterparts in other militaries. They are NOT an uneducated bunch of goons as many would have you believe. Getting that level of skill in the military requires a VOLUNTEER service, not a conscripted service.

What you may not know is that the Military came out with a statement last week that the economic downturn has allowed the military to become more selective about who it takes. Since more educated people are out of work, more of these educated people are joining the military as an alternative. This is allowing the military to choose the BEST candidates for military service and train them to a higher degree than ever before.

This means two things: 1) the military will become BETTER TRAINED because of the economic downturn, and 2) the military is meeting and exceeding its quotas with a higher level of candidates without having to resort to a draft to do it.

So not only is a draft BAD for the military, it is also unnecessary to keep the military going.

Elliot

[artlady]

We should never re institute bad policy.Unless there is world war 3,I say no way!
Anyone remember the 60's and 70's and Vietnam?
I don't think anyone wants a repeat of that horrible time in history.

[excon]

Hello:

If we're going to fight wars, the rich kids should fight 'em too. Yes for a draft with NO deferments.

excon