I watched with great interest as the answer to almost every question posed in last night’s debate was answered with the same solution: a massive buildup of the United States military.

Did you know that the Federal Loan paperwork college students must fill out to receive government loans, contains a de facto draft? Each such student must register for selective service. If more people knew this, do you think it would impact our readiness to “ defend” everyone in the world from everything, without a strategy or a plan?

There were a couple of candidates who asked for wisdom and consensus before military muscle, but they were shouted down. The same candidates who answered with such certainty about sending other people’s children to die for their country, had nothing to say about strategy except “ boots on the ground,” and “give the generals whatever they want.”

Not a single one of the candidates advocating massive military buildup and simultaneous shows of force all over the world had anything to say of how they would solve the problems of our Veterans being ignored and deprived of adequate care when they return. It seems to me, we should be able to take care of those we send to war, before we send them.

All of these candidates are running on fiscal responsibility, but did not pay even lip service to the financial cost of our many wars.

Not a single candidate would even imply that rushing into Iraq based on incorrect information was a contributing factor in where we are now. Instead, their solution was to NEVER pull out of a military operation. There was a lot of saber- rattling, but it was the Vietnam paradigm, with no acknowledgement that the world and war itself have changed, and that we haven’t “ won” a ground war in quite a while.

While there was a lot of substance in the answers to the questions, this was the overall tone: Let’s go back to the good old days of the Cold War.

Tax breaks were the other major topic of discussion, as the solution to the mountains of debt our children face. There were a couple of refreshing exceptions to this script, but they were shouted down.

All issues of women’s health consisted of abolishing Planned Parenthood.

One thing I’ll say for Trump: He doesn’t look like a puppet dancing on a string.