I live very close to many military bases and have alot of respect for people that choose to wear the uniform, it isn’t for me, but I can see how it would be an enjoyable career for some.
However you have annoyed me with your politics so I will share some interesting points with you.
I would wager to say that government handouts have more to do with the preservation of my safety than anything you have ever personally contributed to. If you have the small minded philosophy like most conservatives you are of the opinion that if they won’t work or can’t find a job let them starve they are just lazy and I don’t need to be supporting them. That is all fine and well other than the chances of someone starving to death because they can’t or won’t find a job is near zero. The problem is that there are people out there lazy enough to resort to robbery, theft, and selling drugs before they will find a job like you hope. Welfare is not entirely based on compassion for people and all touchy feely liberal wimpiness. It is simply a way to help people that really are down and trying to get back up and also to but it bluntly “negotiating with domestic terrorists” that if they don’t get paid off will resort to crime. But think about this, some people that are homeless will committ a crime to get free housing in prison. Welfare is way cheaper than housing an inmate not to mention that there was probably a victim of that crime that person comitted.
You want to talk about keeping the homeland safe, you know what keeps us safe. Nuclear weapons, the second amendment, water, and our economy. Our troops are mostly intended for use in foreign conflicts. The chances of our troops being used to defend us from an attack on our home soil is very small. at least not a large scale attack with the intent on occupation. The second amendment goes a long way in ensuring homeland security, look how much trouble the most powerful army in the world has controlling a land full of resident guerilla fighters. What army in the world could possibly occupy a country with 300 million people and enough guns to arm every one of them.
You talk about mexican labor and your buddy Dubya is all for it. Because first and foremost the republican party is out to serve the rich, and the rich man loves cheap labor. They buy the votes of the common folks with guns, faux support of Christian morality, irresponsible tax cuts, and making self important small minded working people feel like they are independently wealthy enough never to need social help.
I come off as very liberal, which I am not, nor am I conservative or libertarian. I have my own beliefs, mainly that the problem is people that refuse to be contributing members of society and to do what is right. Both political parties try and tackle this in different ways, the republican party takes the stand of trying to stiffen the consequences of wrong behavior in an attempt to make change in behavior while the democrats tend to try and reduce the harm of wrong behavior to society realizing it is unchangeable and the best you can to is control it. Neither will solve the problem of lazy people that are only out for themselves. Take that as both poor criminals, lazy workers, and also corporations that are only a half step above the robber barons.
If you take away welfare, unemployment, section 8, social security, and other “government handouts” I would bet that crime would go up substantially. I have far more chance of getting hurt in violent crime that from foreign invaders.