I've been thinking...

[HeartachesNhangovers]

12. I read an article earlier this year (can't remember

exactly where, but it was likely in the Wall Street Journal). It was about economic inequality and the writer made the point that, historically, inequality increases in peacetime and only reverses during wartime when there is a draft and Americans who were forced into combat are actually dying. It takes lots of (non-volunteer) American casualties to motivate politicians to actually raise taxes on the wealthy, and it also takes having friends or family members being killed to motivate voters to demand that politicians do this. The writer backed this up with data showing tax rates before and after wars, and also the wealth distribution before and after wars.

The writer didn't say this, but I suspect that is a big part of the reason that the government resists a draft. Until they actually drag Americans to a foreign war-zone to be killed, voters are mostly willing to let them do what they want.