Everyone needs to serve in the military? (dollar, retired, money)

[mach]

I posted this thread because I was one of those kids that lived in an area were I was taught one way. I passed up the military because I was told it was not worth it. I passed up College because I was told it cost to much and it's not worth it, everyone flunks out. I did go to a 2 year tech school. I know travel the US for work. I now know that every area has different cultures, and attitude. I am amazed on how people think they deserve everything for free. The public education system is crap. There needs to be a new way. taking young adults and havening them travel to different areas in the US and enforcing Military discipline would no doubt have the young adults thinking "Man there is more to this world than my area I grow up in. What if uncle Kevin was wrong about college or the military."

Don't get me wrong we do have some bright and talented kids coming up. The bad seems to out way the good.

[rd2007]

People should experience more and their parents should try their hardest to make sure their kids get some travel in them. My parents made sure we hit nearly every state in the eastern half of the country and my 20 years in the miltary made sure I covered a WHOLE lot more than that..

My kids, for better or worse, have also travelled quite a bit and at times a little too much, but I feel they are much more rounded for it. Believe it or not, I went to DLI with a girl that grew up in "the OC" and never left it and she actually believed there was one tree in Texas. One freaking tree in the second largest state in the country!!! We originally thought she was joking, but she wasn't.. and that was pretty sad.

So yeah, please get your kids out some and then they can raise their own BS flag when someone tries to fill them with something that's far from the truth.. and teach them that volunteering can be a good thing. The country doesn't owe you a damn thing..

[NewToCA]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

That's a lot more reasonable. National Service...not just military. Nice to have a million strong youngsters working in national parks, cutting & removing millions of trees killed by the pinebark beetles, etc, and many other things.

I tend to look with a bit of dismay at what my niece does during summer when college is out. She goes to the Dominican Republic with a church group to help build wheel chair ramps or gazebo's, or other basic stuff, meanwhile the locals simply sit there as if helpless. We should do that for our own nation with a National Service corps. Other uses might be:
- Removing graffiti done by taggers.
- Driving old folks to the doctor.
- Rolling old folks around in their wheelchairs at nursing homes.
- Cleaning, landscaping and repairing public parks, bike paths, open spaces.
- Helping new moms with housework and child care.
- Day care workers in kindergartens and head-start centers.
- Kitchen help in schools or homeless feeding venues.
- Lifeguards at pools and beaches.
- Working in animal shelters and equine rescue ranches.
- Tutoring students who need extra help.

There are many other possibilities for public service. If they can't use their $25k for tuition (not all kids are college material), perhaps a credit on their income tax at $2.5k a year, or down payment on a home they are to live in, etc.

You got my drift, there are a ton of things other than military service that could be of benefit. It would do the folks good to have this obligation, teach folks that being a citizen is a combination of benefits AND obligations.

I'm fine with the up to 40 year old idea too, but you would need to accommodate a lot of things such as parents with kids and mortgages, can't throw them into default for a philosophy. Also need to take into account reemployment rights.

[Hawkeye48]

I don't think we need a huge military. I understand many in Washington want us to be the world's policeman but it's not necessary. We should pull all troops from overseas assignments, then make drastic cuts in troop levels. Use our troops to secure our borders, ports and air and then only use our military when the US itself is attacked. No more world policemen.

[ParkTwain]

Originally Posted by mach

I passed up the military because I was told it was not worth it. I passed up College because I was told it cost to much and it's not worth it, everyone flunks out. I did go to a 2 year tech school. I know travel the US for work. I now know that every area has different cultures, and attitude. I am amazed on how people think they deserve everything for free. The public education system is crap. There needs to be a new way. taking young adults and havening them travel to different areas in the US and enforcing Military discipline would no doubt have the young adults thinking "Man there is more to this world than my area I grow up in. What if uncle Kevin was wrong about college or the military."

The public education is not successful because it is not well funded (especially due to LOW TEACHER SALARIES) but also the education industry does a poor job of QUALITY CONTROL. Why is it not well funded? Religious types don't like some of the teachings found in a secular school. Bigots don't like their children sitting with blacks and socializing with them. Right-wing activists understand that promoting "divide and conquer" politics (that is, emphasize the DIFFERENCES among Americans, rather than similarities and the responsibilities of CITIZENSHIP) allows them to marginalize those who don't practice the politics of FEAR and SELFISHNESS. These ideas are easy to apply irresponsibly to a public school system. For a couple of decades (since the reign of Reagan the pudding-brained) the masses have bought into this bias toward selfishness rather than citizenship.

"Military discipline" is needed when you are operating in an environment where TAKING ORDERS is the point of your existence. That is not the case in civilian society, unless perhaps you prefer the FASCISM of Nazi Germany.

[Anchorless]

Originally Posted by mhouse2001

Add a third category as I am neither. There is no obligation to the community. You owe it nothing, it owes you nothing. There is a tremendous amount of responsibility in this line of thinking but for most it is inconceivable. Most think in terms of victimhood, that others need help. So they conjure up some form of obligation to others which breeds victimhood. I do not believe in helping victims when they already possess the skills and power to help themselves. Again, my line of thinking paints a very different possible future and also manufactures a different set of priorities and responsibilities. Personal responsibility is at the top of the list in both my view and this victim-centered view. My option ends the cycle of victimhood; the current view only fosters it.

Eh, maybe sometimes. It's ridiculous to take a hardline stance like this, though - sometimes life throws more than a person can handle.

There's a lot to be said for pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, but I think there's a lot more to be said for people having sympathy, compassion, and understanding for others.

[Anchorless]

Originally Posted by Yeledaf

You know what I find interesting? Most young people today would leap at the chance to serve their country, if we could only put aside the partisan crapola and lay it out for them straight and clean.

Just look at the great suggestions in this thread alone.

Man, we are just wasting our most precious national resource -- our 18-30 year old guys and gals.

I mean, hats off to the military volunteers...but some kids just aren't cut out for that kind of thing. Why don't we make it universal -- and natural -- for them to earn a stake in the country in some other way?

I honestly believe they would wake us up and shock us all!

I really think they would, too. They'd grumble and complain about "taking away our freedoms" and stuff for a while, but I guarantee that EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM would come out of the experience a changed person, and would do it again in a second.

So long as the plan was used properly - I can see a bunch of kids sitting around wasting their time because of bureaucratic inefficiencies - it would be nothing but a positive experience for everyone.

[douglasjames0311]

As a former Marine I agree fully that everyone (by the time they are 24) should have to serve in a branch of the military. That doesn't mean they will be all hardcore and fighting, there are thousands of jobs in the military. Look at the state of our country, everyone, esp. youth are getting fat as hell. Nobody has a sense of country or brother/sisterhood, kid's today don't listen to anyone and they all think they are entitled to something. I say they should be "entitled" to a two year contract in the service. Learn some self discipline and self respect, for those without direction they may find some. And for those who already have a career path in mind, great, thankyou for giving something back to your country first. You have the rest of your life to do what you want. NOOOO it's not a way of government control i would applaud them for it. It would show they truly care, not to mention get kids off the street and help the unemployment rate. Any one who thinks diffirently i am open for discussion....douglasjames0311@yahoo.com

[Haaziq]

What is this, Nazi Germany?

Mandatory service? Get real.

You'd have to kill me or throw me in prison.

[BentBow]

There should be a mandatory service in our military. It would bring our nation closer together. More and more, would be on the same page of the book. Pride in our nation, would be restored to some extent.