On Our Liberal & Socialist Military

If Republicans understood what was going on behind the scenes with the U.S. military they'd probably blow a gasket.

As Nicholas Kristof notes, the armed forces are downright liberal and socialist, which is to say that in many respects they represent the antithesis of contemporary Republicanism.

First of all, they are a huge melting pot that draws soldiers, sailors and airmen from diverse backgrounds, whereas the Republican Party is white, white, white.

They invest in the best education and job training, whereas the Republican Party never misses an opportunity to try to cut or eliminate federal funding for both.

They have a first-class health-care system, whereas the Republican Party has relentlessly sought to eliminate the modest strides toward health-care reform enacted on Obama's watch.

They have superb child care and early childhood education for the working parents that so many soldiers, sailors and airmen are, whereas the Republican Party would do away with federal funding for both if it had its way.

Finally, they have pay equity. While CEOs of large corporations make about 300 times as much as their lowliest workers make, senior generals and admirals earn only about 10 times what the lower enlisted ranks make, whereas the Republican Party takes the yawning income inequity in the civilian workforce about as seriously as global warming.

Don't you think that it's about time that the Republicans tried to start dismantling all of this?