Originally posted by Merlin1047
To those who voted for a volunteer force only, I would like you to consider the following points, which I believe makes the option you selected less desirable than some of the other alternatives.
1. There is always the possibility that we may become embroiled in an all-out war where we are literally fighting for our survival as a nation. If that were to happen, it would be far better if some form of draft was already in existence. The armed forces could be manned far faster than having to go through the nutroll of getting a draft re-authorized.
2. With but a few exceptions, the current volunteer system provides offspring of the wealthy with an automatic exemption from government service. If daddy is sending you to Princeton, and you will be the executive vice president of his company upon graduation, why should you even consider serving your country?
3. Part of the "who-cares" attitude that exists among many young people today is because those who have that attitude have never served their country, therefore they take no interest in its preservation. If you are given something for nothing, then you place no value on it. If you have had to sacrifice and work to protect your rights and your nation, then you begin to take a different perspective.
4. How many young people know what they want to do with the rest of their lives upon graduation from high school? I know that all I wanted to do was get out of the house and chase women. But by sending kids directly from high school to college, we are demanding that they make a monumental decision which will affect the rest of their lives. A decision that they may be ill-equipped and unprepared to make. Two years of government service (military or otherwise) would give kids time to mature into adults. It would give them a breathing space to find their real interests and talents. Then, when they go to college they have a better idea what they want to do with themselves and they can select those courses that will support their true interests and abilities.
5. Finally, I think that it is of paramount importance that those who will decide to send our military to fight have a first hand understanding of the impact of such a decision. That's something you can't learn sitting on your butt watching MTV.