Some of your points are valid indeed, but you are missing one small part. One more person joining the military voluntarily is one less chance that you (at the time) or your children get drafted. Being in the military is not glamorous or a nice payday for most people. There are certainly sacrifices that come with it for many, sometimes way more annoying than civilian jobs. You can't just 'leave' the military if you don't like your job or your boss, and there are many times you are not 'just doing a job' because being in the military is not just the job you do, but everything else that comes with being in the military. They have janitors in the military, but those janitors do more than clean bathrooms and then go home. That's before you even get into the 'you might get called to war'.

Do we need 'thanks yous' and discounts? No, we do not.....but those type of things (such as tax breaks on property taxes) are small incentives to encourage people to continue to serve. Do I wish there was less need for military? Yep. However, having served myself, I sometimes think serving at least a couple years should be mandatory for everyone as part of education (without the indoctrination portions) to at least learn some actual skills and empathy for others.

Let me preface this response (and I should have done so on my first one) that I'm not anti-military - I also think we should have a mandatory 1 or 2 year service like some other countries - you turn 18, you enlist. I personally know some that DO enlist have no other options - didn't do well in school, couldn't get into college, so it's either the military or a factory job in Podunk LA. And at the risk of sounding patronizing now, we thank you - with all honesty and sincerity, thank you. I'm simply expressing another opinion, and we all know what those are worth.

There are kids that dream of growing up to be astronauts, scientists, firefighters, cops, soldiers, farmers, archaeologists, you name it. But it's a choice - you and millions of others chose that life. A farmer feeds thousands of people, a scientist creates a vaccine that cures COVID - who's to say who's deserving of a discount? I wish there was no need for a military either, but there will probably never be another draft - there are enough kids who want to be in the service like Dad and grandpa to prevent it, because the wars of yesteryear with walls of bodies being thrown at each other and whoever had the most soldiers wins are done - drones and laptops will fight from afar now. Yes, there will always need to be boots on the ground, but WWIII will be very different from the first two.

Again, it boils down to one thing, and I would bet a large sum of money that if someone contested it up to the Supreme Court they would prevail, because it's discriminatory. That's the bottom line. A schoolteacher getting a better mortgage rate than the guy emptying her trash cans every week is simply discrimination based solely on occupation. If anyone can disprove that last sentence to me, I'm all ears.

Never had these Pinwoofer speakers but i hear they're the shit.......

Today is Armed Forces Day !!
Put out your Flag and celebrate your freedoms !!
Thank you to all VETS across All the services - Active Duty,Retired,The National Guards.
Pinwoofer has done me right,early buyer here for my Munsters game,still going strong and sounds great - TY Pinwoofer/Dan

Police officers risk their lives everytime they put on their uniforms and run towards danger while others run from it.

Our military keeps us safe and ensures our freedom and way of life.

Giving them a small discount as a way for businesses to show appreciation shouldn't bother you so much. The fact that it does says more about you than Pinwoofer wanting to give back and thank those brave men and women.

Just my two cents.

I look at it like a benefit/perk of the job. Do you feel everyone should get stock options and profit sharing from Company A even though they don't work for them? Isn't that also discrimination based on your view? (or maybe a better comparison would be Company B partnering with Company A and giving discounts to employees of Company A).

You're right, and mine is my 2 cents.

They chose to do a job, whether it's scrubbing toilets or joining the army. But it's discriminatory to give discounts based on a career choice. That's all I'm saying. Trying to read deeper into me isn't going to be done in these couple paragraphs.

Should senior citizen discounts also be discontinued?

Isn't it going to have a larger impact if they donate to a charity rather than giving a one-off discount to individual customers? Seems reasonable to me.

You're making a straw man argument.

How many janitors lost their lives or were wounded in the line of duty? How many janitors were cursed at or spit on simply for doing their jobs?

With all due respect, your resentment towards law enforcement is telling.

But you aren't getting that benefit/perk from the EMPLOYER - you are getting it from everyone ELSE (banks, retails, etc) while others AREN'T, do you see the difference?

As for the stock reference, if I've invested in a company I expect to be rewarded or punished based on that choice - random people don't just get stock options or profit sharing.....

The company A and company B thing is splitting hairs.....this is a little more black and white than that.

If window washers got preferential mortgage rates, discounts on other things, reserved parking spots at stores, free food from McDonalds, would that seem right to you? Simply because they're window washers?

I've stated my OPINION and why i think it's valid....not looking to make any enemies here. Just a comparison of ideas and thoughts.

I'm gonna go play some pinball.

OP....Please get back in here before the Lock....!!!............Joey

Was thinking the exact same thing when I posted about 45 mins ago. Wanted to get a quick shout in for Armed Forces Day,Pinwoofer and giving the OP a chance to close it out.

IBTL

I wouldn't think anything of it actually. Depending on what those perks were might entice me to be a window washer. My point about company A and B are because that happens all the time. Because of the company I work for I get discounts on movie tickets, amusement parks, mortgages, etc and they are unrelated to what I do for a living.

And, I'm not upset, just pointing out some things I don't think you are considering.

If the government thought the country needed more window washers, it might offer a mortgage discount.

Small business are tough, great response Dan. Keep up the good work.

You're in the Navy ? Cool. Stay safe my friend.

LTG : )

You're trying to make this personal, that's your 2nd attempt now.

If you don't want to get shot at or spit on, don't join the army or be a cop. Again, it's a career choice. To be rewarded for the rest of your life for spending 2 years in the service when you got out of high school isn't fair, it's that simple.

I'm not trying to get a 10% discount on a hamburger, I'm just expressing a different point of view than you.

"Janitor Needed ; duties include cleaning and mopping. May also get shot at, stabbed or spit on".....come on.

Let me try to de-straw this for you, scarecrow - if everyone who's ever driven a cab got a 50% discount on everything for the rest of their lives, would it be fair? Of course not. Now simply change the percentages and occupation and you've agreed with me. To say otherwise, you're just being an argumentative asshat. I know once you mention veterans/the military everyone gets all up in arms (no pun intended), but we're just having a discussion here. The underlying premise is the same.

I'm with you on that one man!

NAVY 1992-1996
USS Tripoli

I appreciate the level headed discourse, it's a breath of fresh air.

It's not like I sit around thinking about things like this either - just happened to stumble on this thread and expressed my thoughts.

And that's an excellent point about the discounts - however, if you quit that job today, you wouldn't get those perks for the rest of your life, would you? You get those because of your employer and their relationship with other companies, not the occupation itself - not all janitors get VA benefits, just the ones that were in the service.

I know I sound like a real dick to just about everyone but this really is an interesting conversation. To me anyways.

In all sincerity, the best way to support (if you want to support) our veterans is through charitable donations or your time. My favorites are The Gary Sinise Foundation or Wounded Warriors. The attached link is a comprehensive list of reputable organizations that spend at least 75% of their capital on programs.

https://www.charitywatch.org/top-rated-charities/veterans-military

Got my Poppy yesterday.

LTG : )

DSC00047 (resized).JPG

Well, this has taken a turn.

They were gonna make me a major for this, and I wasn't even in their fucking army anymore.

Wouldn’t be a Pinside debate without someone mentioning a straw man argument.

You're part of our problem with this country right now, you just don't understand sacrifice or patriotism do you? Probably woke id imagine.

As founder of DIY, I agree it's a pain in the ass. Pinwoofer makes good sound accessible to many more people. I still DIY as I'm used to it and keep a stash of parts on-hand for quick setups.

OP was definitely trying to shame PW into reinstating a discount. Glad it didn't work.

Lol....you're hilarious. I know as soon as you mention veterans and the military, people like you are beating their chests and wrapping themselves in the nearest flag. You aren't following the logic at all, you're getting emotional.

Think of it this way, snowflake - if everyone who's ever driven a cab got a 50% discount on things for the rest of their life, would it be fair? Or legal?

No. Challenged, it would never stand up in a court of law. EVER.

To argue otherwise is idiotic. Now just change the percentages and occupation, and you've agreed with me. It's discriminatory. That's all. Don't lose sleep over this thread. I won't. My opinion isn't worth ten cents, neither is yours. Mine isn't a POPULAR one since it involves veterans, this is the most downvotes I've ever gotten in 10 years, but I will be ok.

Skin color, age, sex, sexual orientation, etc are all very much not choices. You are who you are. Occupation (maybe religion?) is very much a choice. It is not discrimination to react to someone's choice. Ex: if someone chooses to say ugly things, it is not discrimination to shun them. I am allowed to have opinions on occupations and those who choose them.

For example, deciding to donate extra money to underpaid teachers because you value their work is not the same as choosing to refuse someone housing or employment solely because of their skin color. If you cannot see that difference I have no clue what to tell you.

I don't understand the entitlement of some, not all veterans. If you got drafted into Vietnam and had no choice, thank you for your service. If you signed up because you thought it was cool, liked the benefits, saw it as a good career path, or because you wanted to *serve your country* then you picked a job. No different than if you had chosen to be a logger, oil derrick operator, or any other dangerous profession.

Crying over a 10 percent discount being taken away for toys. Congrats, this is peak entitlement.

You're making my argument FOR me - someone who had no control over how they were born being treated differently is discriminatory - so is someone being treated differently for choices they DID have control over. We arent talking about REACTIONS to choices, we're talking about actual policies - you can react to whatever you want however you want. A policy that grants preferential treatment to a group of people (cops/veterans/firefighters/cab drivers/bullfighters/librarians) because of their career choice is discriminatory - how can you not see that?

You can donate money to whoever you want for whatever reason you want, that's not what's being argued at all. Refusing someone housing, OR giving someone a preferential mortgage rate, because of their occupation??? Discriminatory.....

You win. Apologies for making it personal. You're truly the better person.

As a Canadian in this thread:

giphy (1) (resized).png

You're right, i sunk to your level for a moment.

Apologies on my side too.

This has been a lot of fun but I get off work in 20 minutes, so please, if you're typing up a pot shot get it in now -

As an American I'm sitting there next to you. Lol.

OP, you can thank me for taking the heat off you.

As for everyone else, it's pretty simple - if you get a better mortgage rate/discount/etc because you have blonde hair, or you are/were a librarian, or you are a man, it's discriminatory and unfair. I don't know how else to express it. It's just that simple.

I'm not forming a milita and marching on the capital demanding to change it. This was just an exchange of opinions and views. I knew mine wasn't going to be popular from the outset. I'm glad some people engaged in meaningful back and forth.

Have a good weekend Pinside. I hope we can still be friends.

I would consider the government giving a discounted mortgage rate to someone who has served the government more of an incentive to serve.

I agree and alot of folks commenting clearly didn't read the entire post. Canned thank yous don't ring as true, though they may be. If you are going to do it, and most don't expect it, try not to sound like the cashier who is required to drone it out at you every f'n day.

I am a homeowner thanks to my VA loan. My wife's student loans were paid off because of her service. And I eat the scrawny free chicken meal at Pollo every second Tuesday. But because I ate that free meal, I usually pay for a meal every week. And hey, USAA for military, vets, and family only. Some of you folks really don't use them because the juice is the squeeze? Come on!

If someone says thank you for your service I believe they mean it. Why would someone who doesn't mean it even bother to say it?