NewTalk: “What should universal national service look like?”

by Walter Olson on October 14, 2008

Can we make “nonexistent” one of the options?

P.S. Relatedly, or not, Democratic candidate Obama has called for making women register for the draft.

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{ 5 comments }

1 L.C. Burgundy 10.14.08 at 9:36 am

Subservience to the state, before all.

All this talk about a “national service” has told me that leftists really love drafts – they just wish they could use the draftees to leftist ends.

I still don’t understand how this compulsory national service is going to get by even a most generous reading of the 13th amendment.

2 Todd Rogers 10.14.08 at 10:13 am

I like Israel’s model. And yes, we still have that old parchment that has commentary on involuntary servitude…we’ll need to figure out a way around that I suppose. Then we could set up a plan which sends all liberals to Parris Island for twelve weeks. Problem solved.

3 Robin 10.14.08 at 2:16 pm

OK, the article convinced me to a certainty. Universal National Service is a horrible idea!

All of the pro arguments suggested that by forcing people to serve they would develop the correct sense of community. How scary is that?

On the other hand, I truly understood how goofy government is after working for the IRS when I was in high school and college. A couple years of national service could be the best way to reduce the size of government!

4 mojo 10.14.08 at 2:33 pm

While we’re at it, could we please define “service”? I don’t think it means what the left thinks it means.

5 Soronel Haetir 10.14.08 at 5:03 pm

This discussion is far too one-sided, all of the participants already agree that the goal is laudible.

What for those us of us who feel that life has become too easy and that rather than try to foster social justice (a term whose meaning remains murky to me) that tossing everyone back to basic man-kill-man survival is a worthwhile goal?

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