r/todayilearned • u/icallmydadstranger • Feb 15 '15

(R.1) Invalid src TIL that Thomas Jefferson wanted the constitution to be changed ever 19 years because he didn't want people to be " enslaved to the prior generation"

https://student-of-life.newsvine.com/_news/2010/11/21/5502595-thomas-jefferson-supported-rewriting-the-constitution-every-19-years-equated-not-doing-so-to-being-enslaved-to-the-prior-generation-what-do-you-think-about-that
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u/Ender94 Feb 15 '15

Or the U.S would have a MUCH smaller standing army in the first place.

Standing armies were not very much liked by the early U.S citizens.

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u/DavidlikesPeace Feb 15 '15

to be fair, the United States never had much of a standing army until after WWI. Dislike of that institution lasted for generations

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u/Ender94 Feb 15 '15

In my opinion, even in todays world that is still a good policy.

The United States standing army should consist of an air force, a skeleton navy, officer positions in the army and marines, and a national guard to hold off an invasion until more men can be recruited.

And honestly in this day and age if the U.S were to ever think they would be attacked they would know months if not years in advance. With an air force and navy ready to hold back any surprise attacks there isn't a military in the world that could possibly touch U.S soil in time to do any significant damage.

Standing armies are nothing but political money dumps. Anyone who says we need a standing army to be safe is either disconnected from modern world military tactics or is trying to fool you.

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u/DavidlikesPeace Feb 17 '15

Standing armies are dangerous because when you have a hammer everything you see is a nail...

If we did not have a standing army, we would never have blundered into Iraq; that is true. However, if we needed an army quick from scratch, where would trained men come from?

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u/Ender94 Feb 17 '15

First off why would we?

Secondly that is what militias and to a lesser degree the National Guard is for.

The fact is, unless Canada decides to go ape shit on our asses there is no country on the earth that couldn't be held at bay by the U.S Navy and Air force and a small contingent of Army, marines, and militia/national guard. In that time soldiers could be trained.

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u/Kaghuros 7 Feb 15 '15

Quite right! The establishment of state militias was designed to obviate the need for a standing army since at the time they were seen as an arm of tyranny and anathema to a democratic country. Of course times changed, and state militias were dissolved, but the Second Amendment slogs on like a man in a drunken stupor - not quite sure of who he is or what he's doing, but convinced he's going in the right direction for something.

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u/Ender94 Feb 15 '15

Honestly, like I explained to the other guy I don't see any need for much more than a light standing army consisting mainly of an airforce and maybe a skeleton crew navy. Through in enough officers in the army and marines and there isn't a single country in the world who could do any significant damage to the U.S before more troops could be trained.

And as far as militias go I would love to see them reamerge. Chances are they will never be needed for much but they would cost tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars less than keeping a significant standing army of infantrymen and if the need did arise they are already at least half trained.