About a year ago, I saw an article in Time or Newsweek, which was later made into a news spot on TV. During WWII, about 8% of the US population served directly in the military; another 20% served indirectly by working in a defense-related industry.

Congress had a siginificant percentage of former military, and the Presidency usually did too.

Today, we have the lowest percentage of former military in government office ever.

The crux of the article was that with an all-volunteer force, the military has become unrepresentative of US society as a whole...or vice-versa. America is defended by one-half a percent of her people.

Military training used to be a rite of passage for many. The rules and discipline of boot camp, as well as military life in general, was the frequent point of complaints, but it gave the recruits a life-long pattern for discipline, decision-making, and problem solving.

In a way, it made one grow up and be self-sufficient.

With such an early influence lacking today, many miss the "grow up" part. Like most children, when confronted with difficult tasks, they whine to their parents to fix it.

That "parent" is the government, and since few of them have benefitted from this lesson, fall into the same trap.