[ImPostingOnHN]

I'm not necessarily denying that there are good people who chose to go kill people in iraq, I'm lucky enough to know a few. Many were brainwashed into thinking their choice would be heroic, perhaps some sort of revenge for 9/11, or a mission to find WMDs, instead of a cost to their country.

I'm just saying there are a decent amount of soldiers who aren't providing more of a value to society than those who chose to go into teaching and medicine (you keep conveniently leaving medicine out. Curious.) Especially when you consider what their presence in iraq cost society.

But hey, Cletus wants to shoot guns! Pew pew! So little Johnny must suffer reduced education to fund Cletus's overseas armed escapades.

[talldatethrow]

If you want to be educated, you can do it it home.. probably better than listening to average public school teachers. If you want the world to be safe, thats pretty hard to do from home. So I believe the soldier is giving you something you couldn't get without him... Safety.

[ImPostingOnHN]

It sounds like you may be a victim of the same brainwashing that convinced iraq war volunteers that they were heroes for volunteering to go kill people in iraq, or that they were making people safer.

Unfortunately, the decision actually made the world less safe, and also consumed money that could have been used for education or healthcare. Not sure how complaining about teachers and doctors helps make society better, either.

Meanwhile, teaching and medicine still are making the world a better place.

So, if you just want to shoot guns, do it at home or a range or something. If you want to kill people, seek help. Neither make you a hero. But volunteering to teach the future or care for people? More likely does.

[talldatethrow]

My point is that we glamorize teaching so much, that people that have no place teaching go into it because it's glamorous and pays ok in some places these days (my gf makes $90k and works 8-3, has a prep period she watching TV shows during, and has 2 months off a year.) So I feel she's doing a disservice because she's not good at it, yet will never get fired.

While a kid that goes and tries in the military is helping in one way or another. The military has better systems to extract value than the school districts.

[ImPostingOnHN]

That wasn't your original point, though. You're drifting. Recall that your original point was that those who volunteered to shoot guns and kill people in iraq not only provided value to society in doing so, but did so more than everyone else, including doctors and teachers. You never explained what that value was, other than a deluded, jingoistic "safety" claim which was quickly debunked.

So, let's get back on topic: some individuals glamorize going to iraq to shoot guns and kill random people so much, that they actually believe such killing urges are helpful. So I feel these individuals are doing a disservice because they aren't good at identifying what is helpful and what isn't.

Meanwhile, a kid that goes into teaching or medicine (you keep ignoring medicine. Curious.) is helping in one way or another. You're right that these iraq war volunteers extract value from society (and keep it for themselves). Teaching and medicine, on the other hand, have better systems to give that value back to society.