When former President Donald Trump held a campaign event at Arlington National Cemetery last week, First Lieutenant Jimmy McCain says he viewed it as a “violation.”
I’d argue that’s only to get more one-sided as military benefits get cut down further and further. GI bill and medical benefits are huge draws for people, it’s a way out of genuinely shit situations. Hack away too far and people stop signing up.
It gets repeatedly threatened; transgender people using medical benefits for affirming surgeries were kicked out under trump IIRC; it wouldn’t surprise me if pregnancy related care (and othe reproductive healthcare such as vasectomies, histerectomies, tubal litigation, etc) also gets axed under a potential trump presidency.
Education benefits are a sticky one. I genuinely think cutting that would lead to revolt if medical benefits don’t. That’s a huge draw. It gets some people out of a shit situation, and gives them an education to get a good job to avoid going back into that situation.
I somehow forgot that the military loses the same freedoms and benefits that we all lose under GOP (religious extremists, deranged fascists, etc).
It’s ironic that free/subsidized healthcare and education, basic pillars of society that all Americans should enjoy (like most civilized countries), is instead used as some amazing military benefit. I guess we all just need to join the military! I can’t imagine who would even consider joining without these, at least for a generation or two (until forgotten). But as you said, healthcare especially is already being chipped away for many people.
In general yeah, but the numbers have shifted pretty hard. In 2016, it was 55/45 gop to dem.
Just 4 years later, it shift to 41/37 dem to gop. Looks like a decent chunk went non voting, but it did shift the needle.
While I was in the service, it was majority conservative, but lots of people from lots of places tends to shift that. You get to know people from all over the country, break down biases and learn new things. Looks like nowadays there isn’t that overarching conservative energy on top. Probably a better military to be in now, honestly.
Yikes, imagine being in the military and choosing not to vote. That’s kind of unbelievable (rhetorically speaking… unfortunately, its all too believable).
Ehh, it depends. Polling in 2020 put soldiers at 41℅ Dems/ 37% Republicans, so it’s not fully one way or the other.
From my personal experience, soliders mainly were non voting. After service? Tended to matter where they ended up more than anything else.
This was my experience in the army as well. It was a grab bag of opinions because soldiers come from every part of the country and every walk of life.
I’d argue that’s only to get more one-sided as military benefits get cut down further and further. GI bill and medical benefits are huge draws for people, it’s a way out of genuinely shit situations. Hack away too far and people stop signing up.
Yeah, and Dems fund the VA and education benefits while the repubs fund contractors.
Are benefits getting cut? Honestly. All I ever hear is about trying to get more health coverage, fix the VA, and nearly $1T annual budget.
It gets repeatedly threatened; transgender people using medical benefits for affirming surgeries were kicked out under trump IIRC; it wouldn’t surprise me if pregnancy related care (and othe reproductive healthcare such as vasectomies, histerectomies, tubal litigation, etc) also gets axed under a potential trump presidency.
Education benefits are a sticky one. I genuinely think cutting that would lead to revolt if medical benefits don’t. That’s a huge draw. It gets some people out of a shit situation, and gives them an education to get a good job to avoid going back into that situation.
I somehow forgot that the military loses the same freedoms and benefits that we all lose under GOP (religious extremists, deranged fascists, etc).
It’s ironic that free/subsidized healthcare and education, basic pillars of society that all Americans should enjoy (like most civilized countries), is instead used as some amazing military benefit. I guess we all just need to join the military! I can’t imagine who would even consider joining without these, at least for a generation or two (until forgotten). But as you said, healthcare especially is already being chipped away for many people.
Its probably the only institution of the US that the poem inscribed on the statue of liberty actually applies to.
Most people outside of that description are drawn in by nationalism.
i wonder why they want to do that
My understanding was that officers tend to lean more left, while enlisted men lean right.
Which makes sense when you think about relative education.
In general yeah, but the numbers have shifted pretty hard. In 2016, it was 55/45 gop to dem.
Just 4 years later, it shift to 41/37 dem to gop. Looks like a decent chunk went non voting, but it did shift the needle.
While I was in the service, it was majority conservative, but lots of people from lots of places tends to shift that. You get to know people from all over the country, break down biases and learn new things. Looks like nowadays there isn’t that overarching conservative energy on top. Probably a better military to be in now, honestly.
Yikes, imagine being in the military and choosing not to vote. That’s kind of unbelievable (rhetorically speaking… unfortunately, its all too believable).