Poll: Manditory Service in the US

[Rankao]

Well Swiss don't have any natural enemies and hell haven't had enemies since world war II (possibly longer but I'm playing it safe here) but they have mandatory National Guard. They are also the most prosperous country in the world.

About the draft in the United States: Does anyone else think that it's kind of messed up that, according the current laws/policies, the U.S. government thinks that at the same age I'm old enough to kill for them, I'm still too young to imbibe alcohol?

"You?re old enough to kill, but not for votin?"

There are medical reasons behind this, but by the same logic all of the Europeans should be raging retards because you are not suppose to drink (at all) when a woman is pregnant and they have alcohol specifically for pregnant women.

Its 2 part attack on the Alcohol Industry, 3 part crime control, and 1 part medical backing.

Back to topic I do have mixed feelings when it comes to mandatory service. I enjoy the freedom of not having to do so, but I also feel that it will allow citizens to appreciate their rights and maybe even fight harder to make sure the goverment doesn't take thme away.

 

[Rankao]

There are medical reasons behind this, but by the same logic all of the Europeans should be raging retards because you are not suppose to drink (at all) when a woman is pregnant and they have alcohol specifically for pregnant women.

Actually it's to reduce drunk driving accidents. And while I am alcohol's best friend, even I have to admit the statistics back it up.

Back to topic I do have mixed feelings when it comes to mandatory service. I enjoy the freedom of not having to do so, but I also feel that it will allow citizens to appreciate their rights and maybe even fight harder to make sure the goverment doesn't take thme away.

After this election, I don't know how true that is--it seems people were pretty motivated, military or not, to stand up for their rights. Obama had a ground game like we've never seen.

Just goes to show that if the youth aren't involved, we don't need to *make* them do anything--we've just got to give them a project that appeals to them, and they'll turn out in droves.

All right since the election is over do you feel that Obama will go through or try to push Mandatory service? If he does I will volunteer before hand just because that is what I would do if there was a draft.

 

[JMeganSnow]

Mandatory service = slavery.

Shall we bring that back while we're at it? I have some fruit trees on my property that could stand to be picked.

 

[Rankao]

All right since the election is over do you feel that Obama will go through or try to push Mandatory service? If he does I will volunteer before hand just because that is what I would do if there was a draft.

I hope not--one of the reasons I like him so much is that he's a big fan of the Constitution. I feel like any mandatory service for a non-essential purpose would be shredding the guarantee of Liberty.

I would also hope he'd be smart enough to realize that it would wind up much like the draft during the Vietnam War--the poor actually serve while the rich find ways around it. Now, if the country is in danger, you have to live with that kind of inefficiency, but for any other purpose it's silly to think that the application of a well-intentioned idea like mandatory service will be anything but the same old same old, where the poor wind up changing bedpans in hospitals while the rich 'serve' in government, making connections with politicians.

He seems to have realized this about faith-based funding--he says he'll attach Federal requirements on hiring to that money, because otherwise it's taking money from one religious group to give it to another religious group that in turn won't hire the person who had their money taken away. Let's hope he realizes the same issues that come with mandatory service.

I defiantly see where you are coming from, and truthfully a lot of reason why people didn't like Obama was for those reasons. Personally that's one of the reasons why I did not vote for him, However; I do feel that I could possibly work if you do it right which is not likely to happen.

My problem with Obama is that he has really great intentions and I doubt he would intentionally do anything to hurt the country, same with Bush and McCain. There issues like his ideologies is that by allowing the government to do more it allows the corrupt to do more wrong. That was one of the things that I like about McCain was the reduction of government (and that we have a president who counters congress. too much power for one party didn't work for the last eight years I doubt it will work for the next four years.)

I do hope that if Obama does get congress does put these government programs in place he does make sure that they have catch-alls for the corrupt/miss use.

 

[RufusMcLaser]

No, it's a terrible idea, and I've already given my reasons in the "Draft?" thread.

 

[Rankao]

My problem with Obama is that he has really great intentions and I doubt he would intentionally do anything to hurt the country, same with Bush and McCain. There issues like his ideologies is that by allowing the government to do more it allows the corrupt to do more wrong.

Actually, that's a big difference between him and Bush. Bush treated the government like his own personal fanclub--remember FEMA and Michael Brown? Obama I think will treat it more like he treated the Harvard Law Review when he was Editor: putting merit and talent above partisan loyalty.

Also, I don't see many areas besides stuff like health care that Obama wants to make the government bigger--it seems more that he wants the government we have to function the way it should. We already have an SEC and a USDA. Bush didn't get rid of them; McCain didn't want to get rid of them. So I don't see where Obama is really looking to make the government that much bigger.

could be you might be right.

 

[Rankao]

could be you might be right.

I think a lot of what we "know" about Obama is propaganda from the other side. I know I had to actually go look up a lot of stuff that was being said about him, specifically that he wanted to double the taxes on small businesses

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/18.74687.870974

Well I made sure that whenever I made a comment or decided an opinion of made very clear that I knew what I was talking about and where my facts where based. Even before the election I didn't think Obama would crush the nation. Being the president of America is a tough job and possibly to tough for anyone. This is how I feel about Bush's last 4 years [http://www.theonion.com/content/news/bush_can_i_stop_being_president]. Do I think Obama can do it? I'm sure he can? Will he fix our economic issues? I doubt he or McCain can/could do it, but I feel that with a nation more behind a this President. What I like about Obama is that at least (for now) the nation seems more hopeful and has more faith in its government. That along might possibly allow improvement.

 

[Beowulf DW]

I doubt he or McCain can/could do it, but I feel that with a nation more behind a this President. What I like about Obama is that at least (for now) the nation seems more hopeful and has more faith in its government. That along might possibly allow improvement.

Hope is what initially caught my attention in regards to Obama. I looking toward Hillary at first. However, after I heard Obama speak here at Penn State, I was cheering for him. I really didn't care about policies that may or may not improve the country. I reasoned that no matter how flawlessly beneficial a policy was, it wouldn't accomplish anything if people didn't have hope.

I know from history and personal experience that if people don't have hope, they just can't succeed. How can one improve oneself if he/she does not believe that better times are on the way? If people believe that they can make a difference, they will work much harder to make that difference.

 

[kubinschu]

I believe that there should be mandatory service if your parents make over 1 million dollars or if one of your parents is a politician.

And then you serve in first response battalions.

That might make them a little less gung ho about starting wars...

 

[babyblues]

If you replace the word "mandatory" with it's implied synonym "involuntary" and likewise "service" with "servitude" you may notice we have an amendment against such a thing.

This.

 

[warbaloon]

Mandatory service promotes character, responsibility, neurosis, resentment, and personal feeling of well being and abandonment.

Knew a guy that started crying because he got a phone call once...I wonder how he'd do in the army.

 

[TacticalAssassin1]

NO.
If America gets a bigger military force then their government will feel obliged to use it.
Again..

Again...