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Trump advisers propose mandatory military service (wapo.st)

submitted 5 months ago by silence7@slrpnk.net to c/politics@lemmy.world

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Some in the former president’s camp say it’s time more young adults put “some skin in the game.”

JD Vance appears to be in on requiring the kids of non-billionaires to serve in the military too:

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), a potential Trump running mate, said in an interview that he sees a clear need for measures to boost participation. “I like the idea of national service. And I’m not talking about in wartime,” he said, calling for more Americans to put “some skin in the game.”

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[-] ricecake@sh.itjust.works 22 points 5 months ago

That's the worst idea I've heard on so many levels.

Drafting people is immoral.

Also, it's politically stupid because the draft is just.... Extremely unpopular. Universal mandatory service will be radically less popular.

Then, you're filling the military with a bunch of people who don't want to be there. Suddenly a sizable portion of the US military is composed of new recruits who don't want to be there. If only half the people who come up for mandatory service actually get drafted, that's still more people than are currently in the US military. This will do wonders for effectiveness and morale.

Finally, once they get out, you have an insane amount of GI bill benefits to pay out, to say nothing of the long term VA costs that come from more than doubling the size of the military. (Potentially up to a 10x increase, assuming four year term of service and roughly 4M 18 year olds per year).
Or you can change the law to deny GI bill benefits to draftees, which is definitely going to be popular with the people whose life you're stealing.

I suppose "draft everyone" is technically a way to give everyone subsidized college education and universal healthcare, but I think there's better ways.

Just the dumbest possible people.

[-] CodingCarpenter@lemm.ee 11 points 5 months ago

As if they would actually pay out on the GI bill. I've known more than a few that gets screwed over over stupid technicalities or paperwork. The fact is the US government does not give a shit about vets and that's a sad thing

this post was submitted on 11 Jun 2024

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