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[MADem]

5. We used to have such a thing, back in the dark ages, when we were fighting something called

"The Vietnam War." It was called "the draft" and it did spare half our population, the female half, but the lengthy experiment on the male half cannot be viewed as a rollicking success.

We also used it for "The Korean War" and "World War II" and even "World War I," aka "The Great War" before Two made it One. We also had it during the Civil War, though it was very easy to buy your way out of service during that fight.

Unwilling, resentful workers don't do good work. The military prefers a professional, motivated force. The military gets better when the standards for enlistment are raised, not lowered.

Make opportunities available, like the All Volunteer Force, the Peace Corps, Americorps, City Year...but don't force people to serve. It's a waste of time. It's a waste of resources. The bureaucracy to chase down and 'punish' people who don't show up costs a fortune, and what's the point in mandating a "make work" job for a year or two if there are no penalties for skipping out? We can--and do--find plenty of volunteers when we simply ask, for everything from Habitat for Humanity builds to candy stripers at hospitals to people who help out at city and town libraries.