National Service for the US?

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/opinion/21kane.html

Aside from the provocative and good point RE: the redundancy of the Air Force, what struck me most was the author's proposal for national service that could probably spark a massive furore amongst the general populace, but read the article carefully:

"Last, Mr. Gates should urge President Obama to confer with Congress and introduce national service at age 18 for all Americans. Under such a system, young people from all classes and backgrounds would either serve in the military or do other essential work like intelligence assessment, conservation, antipoverty projects, educational tutoring, firefighting, policing, border security, disaster relief or care for the elderly. The best qualified would be assigned to the military."

I've endured military national service in Singapore for 22 months, and yes, I know, it's pretty crap. As a country that barely participates in conflicts, we waste loads and loads of money in "fighting" an imaginary "enemy" on endless exercises that crushes the soul in the lack of purpose. If Singapore offered me national service such as the above that actually has a real purpose in serving the country, I wouldn't have minded. At all.

hmm. i dont know if that would actually ever happen, besides a presidents term is only 4 years so if signed it into law im shure who ever came after him could do away with it

The types of things that Obama wants to do for national service should have voluntary participation. There would be no sense of motivation for people who are forced into civil projects, and no rigid discipline like the military has to make it work.

This service-unto-obama amounts to the unwinding of the Emancipation Proclamation

This service-unto-obama amounts to the unwinding of the Emancipation Proclamation

Ah, Orwell... I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong. *chuckle* I'm going to have to find a way to spend more time in here, methinks.

I'm finding that when considering the idea of a peaceful domestic service corps providing trade skills and contributing to development, there is little I find to quibble with.


M.

I am against any government service that is made mandatory. If government civil service was some voluntary thing you could do without having to sign your soul to them, that would be fine with me.
If mandatory civil service DOES come to be, they won't get me to do anything without a fight. That's for sure.

Honestly, the main reason I could accept this would be that if it were a temporary thing (a year or two) and universal, then we really wouldn't be losing out by it the way you lose a huge chunk of your life to military service. I'm strongly considering joining Teach for America or some similar service opportunity after undergrad, and I can see the merit in getting more people involved in such service.

I think the status quo is an outrage. The reality of a volunteer military is that poor people fight the wars that rich people start so their rich friends can profit.

To take an outrageous example, our last president was insisting that whatever he's trying to accomplish in Iraq and Afghanistan was worth the sacrifice. Sure, as long as it's the sacrifice of Mexican Americans and black Americans, and poor whites from small towns, while his own daughters, both of military age, were partying with their friends in DC.

The people who enjoy the greatest benefits from living in the United States don't have to make any sacrifices at all.

What I'd really like to see is a universal draft of politician's kids into front line combat units. Given the nature of modern warfare, truck driver would serve just as well.

I suspect they would quickly revise their definition of "worth the sacrifice."

I think we should legalize all drugs (stick with me for a minute). Using that massive revenue, create a program where the deal is this. Any student that graduates high school has the option to spend 2-years in some sort of civilian support/infrastructure/etc group, and then, free college.

Kill like 4 birds with one stone.

A mandatory period of service (with non-military alternatives) is the best way to prevent the politicians from engaging in unnecessary wars and other foreign adventures and entanglements. It would turn most every young person and their parents into students of foreign affairs. It would raise the political cost of interventionism.

See http://www.geocities.com/ccchistory/treearmy.html