The neocon excuse for not serving (WaPo editorial)

[Aviation Pro]

Kerry Trips Over an Economic Truth

By Uwe E. Reinhardt
Saturday, November 4, 2006; A23

There is no question that Sen. John F. Kerry owed our men and women in the military and their families the apology he offered this week. Even in clumsy jest, if that is what his remarks were, they could not have come across as anything but insulting.

Truth be told, however, economics professors routinely instruct their students on the virtue of the all-volunteer army in language that comes dangerously close to Kerry's uncouth remark.

Here, for example, is how University of Rochester economics professor Steven E. Landsburg made the case for the volunteer army in his textbook "Price Theory and Applications." Under a military draft, he writes, "the Selective Service Board will draft young people who are potentially brilliant brain surgeons, inventors and economists -- young people with high opportunity costs of entering the service -- and will leave undrafted some young people with much lower opportunity costs. The social loss is avoided under a voluntary system, in which precisely those with the lowest costs will volunteer."

Rest here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/03/AR2006110301372_pf.html

As a college graduate who served both as an NCO and as a commissioned officer, I get ill when I hear these loud mouthed chickenhawks beating the drums for war without putting their skin in the game. My fantasy would be to show up at one of these "Young College Republican" meetings with a vanguard of hardened NCOs and drag their cowardly asses to the nearest recruiting office. Just like they believe that members of the lower income strata should sacrifice themselves perhaps it's time to cull the herd of these little bastards. (By the way, being upper strata doesn't guarantee intelligence, eh, Little Monkey)?

[acmejack]

1. Well said, AvPro.

Thank you, Sir. I still am not exactly sure where the apology was due, a little "truthiness" can be bitter pill. I'm a vet & I didn't find that statement all that offensive.

[BOSSHOG]

3. No offense taken whatsoever

But what the fuck do I know? I'm just a wackjob intellectually curious constitution loving veteran who loves lots and lots of sex who can spot a right wing smear a thousand yards away.

Obviously republicans never read Mark Twain. "Always tell the truth and you will never have to remember anything."

[matt819]

2. Good suggestion re dragging cowardly asses

How's this for another suggestion. Have recruiters set up at those same young college republican functions or at RW fundamentalist gatherings on campus. Then film the reactions from these so-called patriots to the lure of military service.

[ray of light]

4. They're stomping a dead horse.

We all know it's the lies of this administration, their incompetence, and their katrina foreign policy.

Playing word games does nothing to alter the fact that Bush lied. The media lied. They sent young kids to die based on a big fat lie.


And let's see how funny the WAPO thought Bush's 'comma' was. Or Bush's "no weapons of mass destruction under here..."

We need to slap this stuff down. No matter how it's strung, it's not about Kerry.

[JohnnyLib2]

5. As a lifelong liberal with higher degrees,

I have to say that mandatory ROTC at a land grant college, the draft and the Army years in the 60s and 70s rounded out my education in ways that nothing else could have. It also caused me to think, "oh, shit, not again", when the move into Iraq was beginning. History classes, even military history classes, didn't make an impact; real military life did.

And I had it easy, relatively.

Thank you for this thread.

[bemildred]

6. Yeah, that is why they were really pissed at Kerry.

He let the cat out of the bag, he told the truth.

[Hissyspit]

7. .