The majority of military recruits come from below-median income neighborhoods . This pattern has been going on for a long time. It’s called the Poverty Draft, and it’s no coincidence.
It’s the result of the unfair setup where opportunities are systematically eliminated in the communities that need them the most, while the military continues to get more and more funding.
We have decrepit schools, bad housing, limited job options and poor healthcare. Despite our serious needs, the government spends more money trying to convince us to join the military than on basic human needs like education.
The pentagon dropped $13,000 recruiting each person who enlisted. Compare that to the $1,115 that is spent on education per student, and you’ve got a pretty clear picture of the government’s priorities.
Military recruiters are out in full force in the neighborhoods that are hurting the most, preying on the lack of opportunities. They want us to believe that the only option for us is to join up. They say we’ll be safer at war overseas than on our block. They’re promising college tuition, job training, and adventure.
It’s working. As a result of aggressive recruiting, for the past three years, more youth from below-median income neighborhoods are joining than from other neighborhoods . In 2004, 71% of black recruits, 65% of Latino recruits, and 58% of white recruits came from below median income neighborhoods .
The military’s own numbers are proving that fewer and fewer of people recruited have had access to a good education. The percentage of recruits who were regular high school graduates dropped from 86% in 2004 to 73% in 2006 .
Unfortunately, we’re the ones who pay the price of the Poverty Draft setup.What recruiters don’t tell us is that 75% of blacks & 67% of Latinos report experiencing racial discrimination in the military. They skip over the fact that 1 out of 3 women in the military reported being raped. They never mention that the college money is difficult to come by- only 16% of enlisted personnel who completed four years of military duty ever received money for schooling. They don’t say that the job skills they promise won’t transfer into the real world. Only 12% of male veterans and 6% of female veterans use skills learned in the military in their current jobs. And of course, they downplay the risk of being killed while on duty.
We know there are better options.
The Not Your Soldier Project organizes to shut down the military invasion of our schools, our communities and our future. We are committed to creating positive alternatives to militarism. We believe that young people can and will stop war abroad and the war at home by ending military recruitment and the poverty draft.
Get involved.
Source: Not Your Soldier : The Poverty Draft
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