The poverty draft isn't just for the new enlistee's anymore, now it's spreading to the re-enlistee's. This is not a new phenomena. When I joined the Marine Infantry a re-enlistment bonus consisted of little more than the honor to continue serving. Less than 4 years later I'm surrounded by guys getting $36,000+ tax free. If they can't sweeten re-enlistment enough for you to stay, then they'll terrify you enough to keep you from leaving.

The service member in the video below is a combat Veteran who has sacrificed himself and his family to the Military for the past 10 years, but he feels he can't support his family if he leaves. The problem is, I believe him. The military does not prepare you to leave it's ranks or give you the skills to do so. Along the same lines, this is why you saw McCain and the Pentagon campaign against the new GI Bill. If you give GI's hope that their is a possibility for them to live a happy life outside the military, then they will most surely leave.

"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." Via: NotYourSoldier

You know times are tough when you can't spend 1.6 trillion on a war without the economy going into the crapper. Hint of sarcasm