Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Politics In General Is it too soon to be talking 2020?

Even today most of my friends are former construction workers or have worked indirectly in support of it.

Many people live in the houses we built for them.

Maybe you live in a house that construction workers built? Or drive on roads that construction workers built. Or get free medical care in VA hospitals that construction workers with no insurance built.

The military rejected me. I wasn't allowed in their club. Not welcome in that family.

But we built houses for you anyway. No need to thank me for my service. All the special benefits I get for doing it more than make up for the 40 years of my life I put into it.

Nope, I don't care much about your industry or mine. It's all exploitation of labor to make the already rich richer.

Somebody has to do it. To protect the good citizens of this country and their opinions, regardless of how offensive or misbegotten those opinions maybe. Besides, more people have died in the cause of religion and politics than have died in all the wars that have ever been. Seems like civilians are some blood thirsty folks.

No argument there.

I really wouldn't define us military types as blood thirsty. But I had a good career. I'd say most of us don't want war, hate it. But if it comes or we're sent, we're prepared, ready, trained and will do what is necessary.

I do agree, this, "Thank You for your service," has been way over used to where it has gotten irksome. I really don't know anyone who was in the military that looked at it as being patriotic or as defending god, mother, apple pie and Chevrolet. It was more of protecting and defending your buddies.

That may be different with the all volunteer army of today. I do know patriotism drove a lot into the military after 9-11 or was it the urge for payback.

Anyway, I'm happy, proud of what I accomplished on both active duty and as a Department of the Army Civilian. I wouldn't change a thing in what I did or accomplished.

I think if one can say that regardless of what they do in life, they had a very good life.

But on the other side of the coin, there were times that I wondered if we all weren't just pawns on the global chess board being moved around for whatever reason. But I never worried about things I had no control over or couldn't do anything about.

I have always thought that stopping the draft is responsible for killing a lot of folks, volunteer or not. I continue to believe that they should bring it back. I remember when they did it. The military got a pay raise and the gov has been able to keep the war in Afghanistan going for almost 20 years so that them living off war can get a bit richer. With the draft that would have stopped a LONG time ago. Oh, I have, exactly, the same thought on "thank you for your service". I also get a bit upset when somebody says something along the lines of "well, nobody forced them to go into the military", especially when talking about folks dying. I have a grandson who left two kids and a wife and they treated him like sh*t. He got blowed up in Iraq and had a hole in his hand. They had him back on the line in 2 days!

I know - sh*t happens............

I'd say being drafted back in 1966 was the best thing that happened to me. I'm the only one I know of in my immediate family that made the military a career. Although my Grandpa served in France during WWI and my dad in the Pacific during WWII. Both got out at the end of those wars. Dad lost two brothers in WWII and my Grandpa one during WWI.

I served in both Laos and Vietnam, my only son skipped the military. But one of my grandsons was with the 1st ID in Afghanistan. He has since got out of the military. He caught some shrapnel in the cheek while over there and now is taking medicine for PTSD. They didn't know what that was when I was in. But he's coming along fine. Medically discharged.

As for the draft, I don't know. Especially considering our active duty military now make up less than 1% of our population. I don't know where you'd put them all. The army has 472,000, the navy 325,000 and the Air Force 322,000. That's it. About 1.2 million men and women protecting a country of 320 million.

Certainly there's no need for a draft. Oh, I forgot the Marine Corps, another 186,000. So the total is 1.3 million. still that is less than a half of one percent of our total population.

The military didn't create itself, ya know?

Just like construction work, it's a job. But with great benefits.

I think there are two choices when you graduate from high school, go to college or join the service. Either of those things will tell future employers that you have to gumption to take on assignments and complete them, to stick with something, to work well with others. Essentially, that you can be trusted to some extent.

My draft card said 4F so that was never an option. Vietnam was raging and I already had some friends come home in boxes so it wasn't all that attractive anyway.

I was way too cool to go to school so I willingly gave up the other one. Probably the biggest mistake of my life but I learned a trade, started a business, and had a wonderful life. Up until 2008 when the housing market crashed.

I wouldn't say that, although I'm very supportive of higher education. But I think the biggest mistake of a lot of lives these days is to go into massive debt to go to an expensive college and then end up in a job that you could have got right out of high school. Or got a jump-start on by going through a trade school or apprenticeship program.

You don't need an English Degree to be an electrician.

I wonder if Trump's mendacity is going to hurt him with previous Trump voters this time. A lot of the more rational say they don't care if he lies, because it's just his style. But now they know all the crap he's saying about the Democrats are lies as well. Is The Boy Who Cried Wolf going to pay for his lies?

Hurricane Laura now at 150 MPH Category 4. Now we get to see Trump's FEMA response. Time to go throw more paper towel rolls?

No, but if you want to supervise 120 electricians, and earn 6 figures that English degree is all you need to qualify for a job in management.

Tradesmen need technical training and for those who would start their own businesses an AA in business administration would go a long way towards their success.