Hacker News Reader

That number means nothing if you exclude the fact that the military has comprised less than 1% of the overall US population for at least thirty years. https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/mili...

View on HN

Sure it does, because that 23% intersects with college and athletic opportunities, and not as much with line cook opportunities.

Yes, that is true, however line cook is not the only opportunity in the military - even though it is the subject of this thread (broadly). The point I was hoping to illustrate is that only 23% of the overall population being eligible for the military is not exactly dire given that we need less than 1% to maintain the status quo of what is - even if "most powerful" is debatable - the biggest military in the world.

And of course, I certainly wish that people were/had more opportunities to be healthier and more literate in the US in general.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com