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by toomuchtodo 1435 days ago
No universal healthcare or education, high infant mortality rates, no subsidies for childcare at scale, no mandated sick or vacation time federally. 12 million children living in poverty. Limited or no options for getting mental health care. “We live in a society” in air quotes. When your country provides so little, it is difficult to establish a debt is owed back to it and society.

And the thought of having my kids join the meat grinder for yet another meaningless war for people who care so little for you a random underfunded non profit will have to fill the gap when they come back permanently broken? And your risks of chronic homelessness and/or suicide skyrocket? Absolutely not. Save your life and fight in you for something that matters.
2 comments
remarkEon 1435 days ago
The AVF functions, in a crude analogy, as a contract force for these wars you're talking about. If everyone - and I mean everyone - had skin in the game the prospect of more of these misadventures starts to diminish. It doesn't go away completely, and certainly the elite could invent ways to get around the service requirements, but it's a start.
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rayiner 1435 days ago
We should have most of those things too, except we probably can’t do anything about our infant mortality rate because it’s not a healthcare system problem, and universal college which is worthless and regressive. But definitely 6 months of paid maternity leave, mandatory paid vacation, etc.

I hear there are large, wealthy states controlled by a party that supposedly believes in doing things for workers. How’s that going?

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