Draft

[Joe T.]

Think about it. What would America gain, and what would America lose, if the draft was reinstated?

Joe T.

[Grandpot]

It would teach our young people the reality of life rather than the virtual reality they live in now. When I was in the working world I could always figure out if someone was a Veteran by the way they carried themselves and dealt with problems. One of the prominent things they don't teach in our schools now, that is taught in the military is leadership.

[troop]

Not in peace time. Volunteer military works because the men/women are in it because they want to be. 100% of the draft inductee's wouldn't want to be there. A lot of unrest would follow.

[Lew L]

I voted no--- I joined during the Vietnam conflict. I knew kids who were scared about being drafted, I knew men who fled the country so they wouldn't be drafted. I would want neither in my platoon. If you think that's harsh---- war is harsh.

Making the military a more inciting career would help.

Lew L

[canamjhb]

The draft may help with reducing the "entitlement" mentality. Not all draftees need to, or have ever gone to war. Fulfilling civic duty should be an individuals responsibility for the privilege and advantage given to us in the USA. There have always been alternatives for those refusing war duties. Remember the Peace Corps......? Jim

[Joe T.]

OK, y'all have had some time to reply. Good responses.

Now, I want to state the "the rest of the story" behind my post:

1.) I believe all males and females, with an IQ of 95 and above and who are ambulatory, should be 'drafted' upon graduation of High School, or on their 19th birthday, whichever comes first. No one exempt. Money, power, political connections, etc., can't buy a deferment - there are NO DEFERMENTS.
2.) I believe the public school system in our country has failed America. They do not teach history, math, science, etc. They teach diversity, and 'Social Justice.' Yes, I may be exaggerating a bit, but you understand my concerns.
3.) This DRAFT would provide discipline, a strong male/female figure in their lives, the chance to be a part of AMERICA, not some other nebulous group. They would all have some 'skin in the game.'
4.) This would give these young people a true sense of pride in America, and that they PUT THEIR LIVES AT RISK for AMERICA.

Enough said,
Joe T.

[LeftCoast]

Ok, mods are watching obviously due to the potential volatility of this thread.

I will tell you my kids are learning math, history etc. My 16 year old just finished AP American History. Next year he will be taking AP European history, AP psych and Honors calculus. My older son did as well. They are Eagle and Life scouts.

They also have a tolerance of different viewpoints and are growing up in a much more de-segregated world so the world I grew up in does not apply to them in the same way.

I was never drafted and have respect for my country.

These are my experiences.

[Joe T.]

Ok, mods are watching obviously due to the potential volatility of this thread.

I will tell you my kids are learning math, history etc. My 16 year old just finished AP American History. Next year he will be taking AP European history, AP psych and Honors calculus. My older son did as well. They are Eagle and Life scouts.

They also have a tolerance of different viewpoints and are growing up in a much more de-segregated world so the world I grew up in does not apply to them in the same way.

I was never drafted and have respect for my country.

These are my experiences.

Congratulations. You must be very proud of your children. I know I would be proud of them!

Also, you are fortunate that you were able to pick a school, either by being able to live in higher income neighborhood or by being able to afford a private school, and that is the American Dream. But, how does your children's school compare to the average school in the Bay Area?

When I was in 1-12th grade in Texas (late 1950s - 1970), it was a 'known fact' that California had the BEST PUBLIC SCHOOLS in the NATION. They don't today.

I lived in Santa Clarita from 1985 until 2008 and worked with a lot of very bright engineers at Lockheed and BAE Systems. You would be surprised, or maybe not, how many home schooled, or grouped together to create a 'school,' so their children could get a proper education.

I also worked with a number of engineers whose wives were school teachers. Some of the wives had taught in the LA public school system. They were not complimentary about the LA schools. According to one engineer, he said his wife had to leave the LA School system because on any given day, about 1/3 of the class was absent. And, it was not the same third! So, about all she did was repeat previous lessons. It was impossible to educate the children properly.

Joe T.

[johnsimion]

OK, y'all have had some time to reply. Good responses.

Now, I want to state the "the rest of the story" behind my post:

1.) I believe all males and females, with an IQ of 95 and above and who are ambulatory, should be 'drafted' upon graduation of High School, or on their 19th birthday, whichever comes first. No one exempt. Money, power, political connections, etc., can't buy a deferment - there are NO DEFERMENTS.
2.) I believe the public school system in our country has failed America. They do not teach history, math, science, etc. They teach diversity, and 'Social Justice.' Yes, I may be exaggerating a bit, but you understand my concerns.
3.) This DRAFT would provide discipline, a strong male/female figure in their lives, the chance to be a part of AMERICA, not some other nebulous group. They would all have some 'skin in the game.'
4.) This would give these young people a true sense of pride in America, and that they PUT THEIR LIVES AT RISK for AMERICA.

Enough said,
Joe T.

I agree with all your reasons but would add one more: Having a draft makes it far less likely for ANY President to commit our troops to any military action not widely approved of by the general public. When it's an all-volunteer military, they can't complain and neither can parents, friends, etc. But when the soldiers are there because they have to be, they're a lot less willing to fight for something that's not really our fight ... and that will get parents and friends actively involved in opposing such an action. Presidents should not be able to send our troops to war **just because he/she can.** That should be a major consideration for whoever is President.

[Peacekeeper6]

IMHO, the U.S. should adopt a system similar to Israel: a two-year MANDATORY service for ALL young adults after high school, regardless of their socioeconomic status. NO ONE should be exempt, unless that person has a medical issue.

I believe that many kids (not all) nowadays lack discipline and think they're self entitled. A 2-year service requirement will teach some of these kids skills that can help them later on in life. They DO NOT have to serve in a front-line unit, which means most should be safe from the dangers of combat.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

There is a serious logistical and demographic issue with a draft. The US population aged 18 to 24 is over 30 million. The personnel strength of the US military is about 1.3 million. That would be all ages from 18 to 60+. In other words when the military needs less than 5% of the applicable age group, how do you design a draft program that is fair to all members of the 18 to 24 age group? If no exceptions to draft eligibility existed, except physical limitations, and the draft was based on pure chance, i.e. a lottery, then a huge percentage, upwards of 95%, of the folks who would benefit from the rigors of military life would never be drafted. In that case the intended benefit for all draft age people would be lost on most of them.

[Tango]

I am a firm believer that military service should be mandatory to everyone when they turn 19. Male and female a like. No matter what your religion or beliefs. Non combatants can be assigned non combat roles. You still don't want to serve? Fine, here's a broom and shovel. Instill a sense of pride in OUR country. You don't want to serve. Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out of the country. If you leave, you can never come back unless you agree to serve! Tom

[Spyderman2018]

I voted yes for the obvious reasons, BUT in a TRUE democracy, the people should be allowed to vote whether or not we go to war with another country. Although in the case of Pearl Harbor, no vote was necessary!!

[EdMat]

I voted yes for the obvious reasons, BUT in a TRUE democracy, the people should be allowed to vote whether or not we go to war with another country. Although in the case of Pearl Harbor, no vote was necessary!!

Thank goodness we have never been a true democracy and I hope we never become one.

[JayBros]

Regardless of what all patriotic Americans feel regarding the draft, if you ask each of the service chiefs which system they would prefer to have, to a man they all will state a preference for the AVF. Yes, meeting difficulty in meeting recruiting goals varies as the economy ebbs and flows but they still prefer the AVF.