The Spark

the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist

“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx

Blood Money

Aug 6, 2007

On July 25, the U.S. Army started offering so-called “Quick-Ship” bonuses to new recruits: $20,000 if recruits sign up and report for basic training within thirty days; $40,000, if they also agree to stay for four years.

A new recruit could be in and out of basic training and on the ground in Iraq in as little as three to four months.

These bribes–blood money, really–show the army’s problems in finding people ready to fight in this dirty and deadly war, even in a period when good jobs are exceedingly scarce.