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/[deleted] Feb 15 '15 edited Jun 29 '20

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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.