Sorry, but most of what you said was wrong. No open door policy, crime is down, the economy is better, etc, etc, etc. I keep saying...sources matter. In computer lingo, it's "garbage in, garbage out". If all you take-in is garbage, you will not be well informed.

I did hear something about the Army saying a lot of youth are not fit to serve in the armed forces. Pretty sure that was true under Trump, too. Maybe under Obama, and even Bush II. I don't think either party can be blamed for that. If parents unplugged all the toys, and made the kids go outside, that would help. Team sports is also highly beneficial (1poorkid was a fullback in a soccer club...helped keep her fit, and team sports has been shown to have psychological benefits as well; and there are other options -like the "Y"- if parents can't afford a "travel team" club). 1poorkid didn't have a smartphone until she bought one herself. I gave her a texting phone (Nokia 6800: mobilephonemuseum.com - Phone detail). Her friends regarded it as cool because of the full keyboard, even if she could not get Twitter on it.

When I was in the Navy, one big inducement was saving for college. The military would match your savings. Today, conservatives deride college, which reduces the appeal of any such program for many families (apparently it was revised post-9/11, but tuition assistance is still part of the revised GI bill). If you sneer at college, one of the big attractions for recruiters just vanished.