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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: unclewest who wrote (20830)	12/21/2003 5:10:59 PM
From: Bill Ulrich	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793707

It already is equal opportunity. Howard Dean's son and Bill Clinton's daughter have the equal opportunity to want to die for their country, if they so choose, just like the rest. Or not. Where the opportunity becomes unequal is when you forcibly try to make them "want" to do it. As such, people in certain circles of power will always have an ability to circumvent the rules. We have had drafts and some of those in power have indeed used position to evade it. If there is no rule to evade, then there are nothing to circumvent — a perfect equal opportunity. "When your and my sons have an equal opportunity, along with Howard Dean's son and Bill Clinton's daughter, to die for this country, attitudes will change for the better."

To: unclewest who wrote (20830)	12/21/2003 5:12:32 PM
From: Bridge Player	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 793707

Many things in this country perhaps could and should be done more equitably. Such as access to health care, or higher education. Unfortunately, that has nothing whatsoever to do with how to best achieve the goals that our form of government has established for the military. <<The question is really about equal distribution of a difficult workload across our society>> This is a foolish and short-sighted statement. It is equivalent to arguing that the best way to accomplish garbage pickup in our cities is to draft garbage men across the economic spectrum. The question is really, and totally, about what is the best way to accomplish the goals of the military. I submit to you that the accomplishment of those goals is better achieved, and more likely to be successfully achieved, if those involved in the task share a common, active desire to participate. Rangel's statements are nothing but an extension of his socialist positions on most things, and are purely political. I seriously doubt if he even believes them himself.

To: unclewest who wrote (20830)	12/21/2003 5:16:28 PM
From: DMaA	Respond to of 793707

What about the enforced "public service" component. What difficult workload is that supposed to address? The question is really about equal distribution of a difficult workload across our society.

To: unclewest who wrote (20830)	12/21/2003 10:58:14 PM
From: Ilaine	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 793707

So much for the free market, yes? Socialism is such a superior way of life. From each according to our abilities, to each according to our needs. Those who aren't good enough for the military can be slave labor for the federal, state and local governments, hospitals, nursing homes, the Nature Conservancy, and all the rest of Hillary and Algore's favorite charities. Yes, sir, that's the ticket. Of course, hospitals and nursing homes are private corporations. You know what the difference is between a for-profit corporation and a non-profit corporation? The non-profit corporation has to spend the money on corporate purposes, like nice fat salaries for the big wigs and fancy digs and junkets, while for-profit corporations can just give them more money. But, who cares, as long as it's good "for the children" and the old people (that's us!) and the environment (that's our neighborhoods!) And of course, it does away with inequality, which is another intolerable aspect of the free market. Level everybody! And then put them back into the job market so they can pay our Social Security. Yes, the Baby Boomers will have succeeded in sucking the substance out of every generation before we're done. Great way to discourage immigration, too. Who in their right mind would want to move to a country where you have to give up two of the most productive years of your life to makework drone jobs so that Unclewest and his ilk won't feel like he contributed disproportionately to America. If that's the way the rest of our military feels, excuse me while I barf. If you didn't volunteer because you thought you could make a special contribution, and that you were specially qualified due to your personal abilities, you did the wrong thing. I revel in the fact that some kids were born to be mathematicians and some were born to be doctors and some were born to play basketball and some were born to sing and pay guitar and some were born to write the Great American Novel and some were born to dance in the ballet. I don't consider it the highest and best use of their God-given talent to build roads and campgrounds in the wilderness. Which is what people did the last time we had governmental make-work - and I doubt 100% of any age cohort of the population served in that type of bullshit boondoggle during the Great Depression.