Favorite Halloween Costumes

Each of my sisters and I were Little Red Riding Hood and Strawberry Shortcake. They were swell costumes!

Happy Reformation Day!

In this day in history, Martin Luther posted his 95 debating points against indulgences, a debate that changed church history.

Happy Reformation Day!

Five altruistic baby boomers and Richard

You know, it isn’t so much that John Kerry was particularly insulting when he said that uneducated people are stuck in Iraq. Don’t get me wrong, he was insulting, there is a lot more to the statement then meets the eye.

John Kerry, and other liberals, misinterpret motives. Let me give you an example. Let’s say you have a middle class couple who gives money to tax-exempt charities. One could say, “Well, it’s just for the tax write off,” or “Perhaps this middle class couple believes in the charitable cause.” Does the motive matter to the charity? No.

The very obvious financial benefit of military service is college money. Heck, if you serve in the Minnesota National Guard and do a tour in Iraq, you get both the GI Bill and National Guard tuition re-imbursement. But does this have to be the only motive for service?

My husband re-enlisted because he believes in the War in Iraq and for some odd reason likes the way military life sucks. He originally joined the Army to jump out of airplanes and blow up stuff. I know soldiers who like the adventure. I know soldiers who just want to make the world a better place. I know a soldier who joined to become a citizen. I know soldiers who did it for the college money.

Who is to say which motives are better motives? Is the guy who likes jumping out of airplanes and blowing up stuff worse then someone who wants to make the world a better place? Is the person who believes in the cause any different then the person who wants an adventure? Is either citizenship or money an inferior reason to join? Why should anyone but the recruiters and service members care?

Mr. Kerry certainly has the right to say that uneducated people are serving in Iraq, but that is derogatory and it is not reflective of the variety of motives behind the enlistees. Mr. Kerry’s statement also may be reflective of the way he parented. Mr. Kerry obviously doesn’t believe that parents should teach their children that compassion, justice, mercy, self-sacrifice, and humility are good traits. Josh’s mom, dad, and step parents taught him these traits, as my parents taught me. Five good baby boomers, all (Josh's step-dad, Richard, wasn't a boomer). What do the Kerry girls do that is more special then Josh?

The remark, supposedly meant to be about tuition re-imbursement, is another discussion on how the military should be staffed and compensated.

Military staffing and compensation

My dad once remarked that military service is the closest thing to slavery the modern United States will tolerate. I add, but it is now voluntary slavery. As I addressed above, there are many motives to join the military, but money makes all the altruistic motives sweeter. Every service member has an imaginary line drawn in the sand: “If the military sucks any more then this, no deal.” Marines have a high tolerance for suckiness, Airmen have a low tolerance for suckiness. The recruiter’s job is to get as close to the suckiness line as possible without loosing the recruit.

For some people, the sweetener is the branch of service, “Air Force or nothing.” For others it’s a job, “Medical Staff or nothing.” Some prefer a base, “Basic and Ft. This, or no deal.” Some want to go through basic with their buddies, “Basic with Joe or no deal.” Still, others, it is a signing bonus, “$5,000; No way! Oh, you mean $15,000. Sure.”

Certainly, some of the suckiness qualities are easier to detect then others. Certainly, someone who has a low tolerance for suckiness will not visit a Marine recruiter. The job thing, the friend thing, and the base thing are all also fairly easy to determine, once conversations start getting serious. It’s the money thing that is difficult to determine.

Enlisted men (generic) all get paid on the military pay scale. The military pay scale is your typical step and ladder scale. Get higher rank, move up, stay longer, move across. An E-1 on his first day of basic will earn the same regardless of branch or job. The only variation is a signing bonus. A recruiter does not have to offer the bonus, to my understanding. So, it seems to be one of those not required things.

Now, as the War on Terror continues and long deployments become more frequent, potential recruit’s suckiness lines go up. And the only really good way to obtain voluntary recruits is money. It requires an act of Congress to bump up military pay, so increased bonus or education money seem to be an option.

In a voluntary military, there comes a time when the money offered does not equal the suckiness of work required, and so recruitment and retention will fall noticeably. The government can reduce military commitments, increase pay more, or draft. When there is a draft, all perks, be it branch, job, base, or money, go away or are sharply reduced.

After Vietnam, the military became all volunteer. This decision was political, not financial, in nature. And there was no experience with a volunteer military. Guys were drafted for World War 2, guys were drafted for Korea, and guys were drafted for Vietnam. If we were to re-instate the draft, we would have a problem with all of the current enlistees. Someone ending their first contract at the age of 26 who had become an E-5 might say, “What the heck do you mean there isn’t a signing bonus to re-up?” Well, the military could replace this E-5 with a draftee. However, the military would also be loosing the experience of someone who had some motivation for learning the job properly.

You see, to use my father’s example, drafted slaves are less expensive then volunteer slaves. Drafted slaves are cheaper because they don’t want to be there, they don’t want to do their jobs, and they don’t have the passion it takes to learn the job well and advance. Volunteer slaves are compensated at an amount, through bonuses or perks, that they are OK with their location, jobs, and would have the passion it takes to learn the job well and advance.

It is my personal preference to keep the perks in place and continue a volunteer military. I would rather have guys around my husband who are OK with their location, jobs, and have some motivation, even if it is financial, to do their job well and to advance and I’m willing that there be a premium placed on such individuals.

The question of how the military is staffed is currently a question of price and quantity. To this point, it seems the government has been willing to pay the price for people to voluntarily sign up and people are willing to be paid what the government has offered. The differences between the military and other jobs are: 1. you can’t quit if you decide you don’t like it, you have to stick with your contract; and 2. if the military can’t fill positions to meet its commitments, it can draft.

There are several aspects to the draft discussion. Besides quality of service members and compensation, we can talk about for what purpose should we draft (namely, is it OK to have a volunteer service clause) and the price people are willing to pay for the benefits of citizenship (should people not eligible for the draft be able to vote).

As a side note, Mr. Kerry should not be questioning the economic motives of current enlistees. Certainly, enlistees could be going to college or working elsewhere, but have done a cost/benefit analysis and it is currently beneficial for service members to be serving, otherwise they wouldn’t. The question I have is, why is an ivy-league college educated man still serving in the Senate? Could he not get a better paying or more powerful job elsewhere? Oh, wait, Mr. Kerry tried to get a better paying, more powerful job. He can’t. Perhaps he is merely altruistic, after all, his real job is as a kept man.

Things I pay more attention to then the election

God
Josh
My family
My friends

And the following in no particular order:
Anne of Green Gables
Dog the Bounty Hunter
The Great Pumpkin
My Beanie Kitties and Lambies
Weight Watcher Meetings
Working out
Learning new recipes
Marilyn Monroe movies

Well, perhaps politics can be used to free Dog the Bounty Hunter… but a girl has to have her priorities. And, no, politics is never a priority above Anne. Never.

And, yes, Mom, I will still vote.

Two Prayer Requests

First, pray for Payton Jones that her new heart would work properly and grant God’s wisdom to her doctors and parents as they make decisions that will affect her life. Also, pray God’s special blessings on the people who gave Payton this heart that God may comfort them and give them peace.

Update: Seems that Payton is having a lot of problems and may be rejecting her heart. Keep praying.

Update again: Payton has passed from earth unto Heaven. "The Lord bless her and keep her; The Lord make his face shine upon her and be gracious to her; The Lord look upon her with favor and grant her peace. Amen."