Flat draft or free market?
That last post made me think: should enlistment be a capitalist venture or random / lottery style? By this I mean should we recruit those who will go for the least amount of incentive or should people be selected at random to serve in the military?
I’ve heard some people complain that the rich are buying the poor to defend this country. Should defense be a burden that every citizen bears or just those who will accept the compensation for the task? I understand that everyone bears the burden in taxes, but defense cost more than that for those who die in combat.
What would be the consequences of a draft? It seems unlikely that a random draft would yield soldiers that are more fit for service. Would people, upon being candidates for service, be more appreciative of those who have fought before, or would we just end up with an unwilling army?
posted by Mark @ 10/15/2004 03:36:00 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
I think that there are many things wrong with a draft, especially these days with many people against the war. When young men were drafted to fight in WW2 it was almost universally accepted that a great evil had to be stopped. That is almost certainly not the case today and I think that randomly selecting people to serve weakens the military in the long run b/c you will have people who don't want to be there fighting wars they don't believe in. With a person who enlists voluntarily, they may not believe in the war but they understand that it is their job to defend the country.
I don't believe that the defense of the country is everyones obligation. However, service to a country would be a good idea. YOu might have to spend a year teaching or working in under-priveleged communities. I believe that in the long run this could only help the country and might even help reduce the arrogance we portray to the rest of the world. I have heard this idea thrown around but in the wrong way. People have said that service should be a requirement to get into college. This seems to me to be the wrong way of looking at the problem. If this were the case I think that the education level in this country would go down. NOw I'm rambling so I'll stop and wait for responses.
Oh yeah, before I forget let me start a big argument. If they do ever reinstate the draft, women should be included. How can they not be? That in itself is enough of an idea to destroy the thought of bringing back a draft. Chris, can you imagine an 18 year old Coronado girl being sent to war? HAHAHAHAHAHA.
Posted by Rich
Rich, I just realized that you're one of Chris's high school friends that I've heard about. Don't worry, it goes nowhere beyond the mention of your name.
I think that service to the country, as you indicate, can be shown in ways other than military service. In fact, if I am to give my best to my country, it had better be in a way other than combat. I agree that community involvement is a great place to start service.
Posted by Mark
In Italy, as in many european countries, it's required for two years. If you don't want to serve in the military, they assign you to some civil service job.
Posted by Chris