The Other 1%
Since 9/11/2001, exactly 1% of the 240 million Americans over 18, that is, 2.4 million troops, have fought for our country in the middle east. Hence, they are being called The Other 1%. When these men return home, they are faced with a nation that hardly knows there is a war on and cannot relate to what the soldiers have experienced. The gap between the volunteer army and the rest of the citizenry is increasing. There are fewer military bases now, most of which are contained within North Carolina or Texas. Fewer and fewer Americans have served or even know someone who has served. The U. S. military boasts of the ways in which it is better than society as a whole. They are more educated than the general population. They are more highly paid, more likely to be married, and more conservative politically than the rest of the nation. The number of West Point cadets who has a parent who went to West Point has grown by 50% in the past generation. A growing share of active-duty troops has as sibling or had a parent in uniform. It has become a family business. They are younger and fitter than the nation’s civilian population. They are largely immune to the economic insecurities plaguing so many Americans. Since 9/11 compensation has increased dramatically for those in uniform. They have higher base pay, higher housing allowances, and health care in retirement. More veterans describe themselves as Republicans rather than Democrats, a reversal of the figures of the public at large. A voluntary army draws from a different level of society – poor, rural young people who view the army as a way of climbing the social ladder. Theorists tend to feel that an influx of college graduates, such as in a drafted army, would bring in people who would not necessarily fit into the culture of the services. It is startling that the share of veterans among lawmakers on Capitol Hill has fallen from 77% in the late 1970’s to 22% now. Their lack of knowledge about the armed forces is prohibitive. Those who order the military around are not necessarily informed of the circumstances for which they are making decisions. When only 1% of our citizens and their families are shouldering the burden of fighting wars, it is not good for them or for the country.
Bits and Pieces of Time – 11/21/11
While Europe can bail out Greece, it cannot easily rescue a $2 trillion economy like Italy’s. A default by Italy must be avoided if the global economy is to avoid a major disruption.
Bill Clinton’s book “Back to Work” offers suggestions on how to fix the economy. Clinton believes that President Obama should have raised the debt ceiling while he still had a majority of Democrats in Congress.
Joe Paterno wrote in his autobiography in 1989 “Coaches have the same obligations as all teachers except that we may have more moral and life-shaping influence over our players than anyone else outside of their families.”
Republicans are cooling on Herman Cain who stands to lose support everywhere, but especially among women, Evangelicals, elected officials and those looking for a safe bet to send into a general election against Barack Obama.
The fear that China is surging past us economically is the issue that could hurt President Obama the most in the 2012 election. It is the only foreign policy issue that points directly to our most serious domestic problems.
Andy Rooney of “Sixty Minutes” passed away on November 4, 2011 at the age of 92 just one month after retiring from as 30 year career with CBS,
Source: Time Magazine’s Issue of November 21, 2011