Raubant wrote:
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We are currently fielding the most educated military force in US history. I'm curious what criteria you are using to determine this...
Don't get me wrong I agree with most of what you said. But this is in comparison to what exactly?
It's in comparison to the education levels of previous military forces fielded by the US. What else would you compare it to?
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The knoledge one is expected to have is increased as time goes on, therefore, I would expect that the average person is more inteligent now than say 50 or even 10 years ago.
Yeah. But that increases within any given education level. My point is that the actual grade level average achieved for the average US soldier is higher today then it has ever been. We can debate to what degree a given education level indicates a "smarter" person today then the same level did 50 years ago, but that only strengthens my point.
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Also, while our military personel may be more educated now, are they more educated than someone in college at the same time?
I don't have a clue what you're getting at here. More educated then someone in college at the same time? Obviously not. But at no time in the history of the US was the average soldier *ever* more educated then someone going to college instead. The point is that in past time periods most soldiers didn't have any college education at all (and in many cases didn't finish high school). In direct relative terms our soldiers are more educated then they have ever been. Not sure what's confusing about this.
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This is what I was trying to get at. Because it is much harder now for a middle class family to send a child to college than it was even 5 years ago.
Er? What does this have to do with the military? Unless you're switching context and talking about how more people may be choosing to go into the military instead of going to college? That's a whole different issue though. I'd also point out that for much of the past "soldier" was a profession just like any other in which people who couldn't afford to go to college might join up (and many who could did as well), but they *didn't* get a higher education along the way as they do now. You seem like you're trying to argue that since some people can't afford college and therefore might join the military to get that college education while serving that this is somehow "bad". But in the past they didn't have even that option, so I don't see this as a bad thing at all.
My point is that it is somewhat absurd for anyone to argue that the opinions of soliders don't count because they're poor ignorant saps who got talked into joining up and then roped into fighting in a war. That is an arguement some on the left try to make. It generally does not fly with the population as a whole though, and I don't think any politicial, Dem or not, would be dumb enough to try to make that argument. Those who've made statements even vaguely implying that have gotten smacked for it (Kerry for example). Thus, I'm pretty confident that no Dem will win on a ticket that mirrors that argument. Can't do it. May as well just give up if they try...
