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It would be much better to encourage those who are "motivated to join " to STAY in school, and get a good basic education FIRST, then enlist.
In the U.S., many kids join the military precisely because they can't go to school (due either to lack of ability or lack of finances). So you end up with a "volunteer" army where less affluent kids and minorities are overrepresented. Very few kids who go to college are going to later join the military (unless they go to one of the military academies). So unfortunately I don't see your recommendation working out too well in the real world.
HELL NO!!!even if we are at war military service must be voluntary. if you can't convince people that the cause is worth fighting for then maybe you shouldn't go to war.
Spare me the patriotism BS. This is some Orwellian stuff - mandatory government service=freedom and liberty.
It's not "BS." No man is above his country. This was a bit more true back in the 40s when even guys like Joe DiMaggio and Jackie Robinson served their country. Even though they were drafted, they set a powerful example for the country that "no man was special," even if many of the celebrities that served had joke assignments. They still served. Nowadays every child is too precious, every mind too valuable, every person too special to be impressed into national service even if it just means delivering water to families in the aftermath of a storm. Forget asking Peyton Manning or Lebron James to put on a uniform. We think everyone is too special to ever be asked to do that.
HELL NO!!!even if we are at war military service must be voluntary. if you can't convince people that the cause is worth fighting for then maybe you shouldn't go to war.
Great Post!
I find it ironic that most of these calls for mandatory government service come from the same right wingers that claim to believe in the invisible hand of the free market. The free market has spoken and the popularity of military service is declining. The rational reponse would be to determine why and take steps to increase the appeal of voluntary service, like a private employer that has to offer market wages and benefits to attract workers. Of course, that makes too much sense so why not just use the power of the state and force people to fight for the freedom to be treated like a slave by the government.
HELL NO!!!even if we are at war military service must be voluntary. if you can't convince people that the cause is worth fighting for then maybe you shouldn't go to war.
Bermuda has compulsory military service. What wars have they fought recently? Being in the military doesn't mean you must go to war. It just means you're in the military. And there are non-combat positions in the military as well. Not everyone who puts on a uniform is going to be in a combat unit.
It's not "BS." No man is above his country. This was a bit more true back in the 40s when even guys like Joe DiMaggio and Jackie Robinson served their country. Even though they were drafted, they set a powerful example for the country that "no man was special," even if many of the celebrities that served had joke assignments. They still served. Nowadays every child is too precious, every mind too valuable, every person too special to be impressed into national service even if it just means delivering water to families in the wake of a storm. Forget asking Peyton Manning or Lebron James to put on a uniform. We think everyone is too special to ever be asked to sacrifice.
Why do you think that the government has some claim of ownership on every citizen?
Is having someone spend 12 months driving military trucks really that much to ask?
You are not talking about asking someone to do something you want the government to have the power to force someone to do something against their will. Those aren't even in the same ballpark.
Do you think the government owns every citizen? What else do you think they should have the power to force people to do?
You are not talking about asking someone to do something you want the government to have the power to force someone to do something against their will. Those aren't even in the same ballpark.
Do you think the government owns every citizen? What else do you think they should have the power to force people to do?
Under the proposal in the OP, you wouldn't be forced to do anything. As I already stated, you can forego military service. But if you did that, then you wouldn't be able to go to college. Or perhaps be disqualified from federal aid.
It's similar to how the government does not force you to pay taxes. You have an option of not paying taxes and then going to prison. And you have an option of not working thereby relieving yourself of any tax liability.
Being a pacifist and anti-patriot, a clear no. I don't feel any connection to a piece of land I happened to be born on, nor to the people I happen to share that piece of land with.
Let those idiots in our world's capitals go and fight each other if they are so keen on war games...
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