Sadly, the odds are slim to none so long as a disparity of wealth exists. Personally, and speaking as a 6-year vet of Uncle Sam's Canoe Club, I'd venture that Afghanistan might not have happened, Iraq never would have, if we still had a draft.
"Clearly visible"? How? The Oct. 10 bottom (S&P and Dow cash) has a lot of time/price significance supporting it. And fundamentals almost always bottom after stocks.
If you're old enough to remember 'Nam then it's a sure bet you know, if indirectly, someone who came home either in a box or minus an appendage. If not, your parents do. Can you say the same today? The odds of that being the case are much lower if you don't live in an economically distressed area, if not a slum/ghetto.
Wars never go according to plan, doubly so if you're the one starting it. Where Bush fucked up, and Congress aided and abetted, was to forget that it's called the National Defense precisely because it was never intended to be an offense.
I'm a Vietnam War vet... and I still don't understand. Do you think the fact that military personnel are not drafted made a difference in Bush's War(s)?
Absolutely. It would have been a lot harder for Congress to approve funding for these "wars" if the military was still comprised the same way when we served, with people from all walks of life instead of what it is today, with those who are economically disadvantaged.
What are we down?....some 40%? Under these economic and market conditions we could easily slide another 20-30% in my opinion. I am not saying that is going to happen we have to take it all day by day. Another 50%? That would take a collapse of epic proportions. I don't see that happening as the knuckleheads in gov't and the fed are at least trying to prevent that. The naz tanked 70%+ from the internet bubble. Now we have a housing bubble, credit bubble, global financial crisis, deep/long nasty recession building, bankruptcies all over the place, GM, Ford, Chrylser teetering on collapse, and the Gov't having to bail out everyone. What does that say when the gov't has to rescue everyone? Says to me we're pretty fucked. Another 20-30% yes I see that as a possibility. Another 50%?....that scares the crap out of me as what it would take for that to happen is beyond scary.