To require all persons in the United States between the ages of 18- 42 to perform national service

[TalkingDog]

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-5741


To require all persons in the United States between the ages of 18 and 42 to perform national service, either as a member of the uniformed services or in civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, to authorize the induction of persons in the uniformed services during wartime to meet end-strength requirements of the uniformed services, and for other purposes.

This bill is in the first step in the legislative process. Introduced bills and resolutions first go to committees that deliberate, investigate, and revise them before they go to general debate. The majority of bills and resolutions never make it out of committee

[proteus_lives]

1. You want Iraq and Afghanistan over and done with?

This is probably the only way.

[ejpoeta]

2. you are so right. i have often thought that we should either get out of iraq and afghanistan

or go all in and reinstate the draft. that will never happen of course, but a lot of people who don't currently seem to be paying much attention will care a lot if their husbands/kids get drafted. and it would be descrimination to not include women in this.

[proteus_lives]

7. "it would be discrimination to not include women in this."

I agree. There is no reason that women shouldn't be fully included in a draft.

[ejpoeta]

9. the only caveat i think would be if there are children involved. one of the parents should be

able to stay home with the kids. of course i know this is currently not the case with both parents enlisted today, but they are volunteers.... and i still think that should be the case currently. a parent should be able to stay home. and if there is one parent only, then they should be able to stay and work on the base. just sayin.

[MyNameGoesHere]

32. Why?

The people that we are bombing can't isolate their children, husbands, daughters,sons or wifes from the bombs. People will abhor war when they have to give up what they value most.

[pipi_k]

42. But there already are lots of people who abhor war

and have young children.

Why punish them?

[MyNameGoesHere]

43. It is not a punishment

it is the cost of allowing insane wars.

[WinkyDink]

15. Yeah, the opportunities in other spheres are just so darn equitable, let's make croaking one, too.

[pnwmom]

19. 50,000 soldiers died in Vietnam AFTER the draft was put into effect.

The draft didn't hinder the war efforts; all it did was provide more cannon fodder.

The whole justification for getting rid of the draft after Vietnam was to prevent another war from going on that many years and killing that many of our soldiers. Can't we ever learn from history?

[xchrom]

3. It took these illegal wars to get me to change my mind

About the draft.

The volunteer army makes it too
Easy to abuse at the off set.

[Fumesucker]

4. I'm over 45 and I think this is a GREAT idea..

:eyes:

[TalkingDog]

5. My thoughts exactly....nt

[ejpoeta]

10. i'm 37, and i am a woman and i think this should happen, and women should be included.

i don't want to go to a war, but equal rights means equal even in a draft. (they wouldn't want me anyway. i'm overweight. and have bad knees.

[Fumesucker]

26. We had some overweight guys in my platoon in Marine boot camp..

Or at least they *were* overweight at the beginning..

By the end of boot camp they weren't overweight any more..

Edited for speling.

[pnwmom]

20. I think everyone who advocates for national service, whatever age, should have

to "volunteer."

[pkz]

6. Young adults need the discipline

and I think military will solve the work ethic of today's 20-40 yr. olds.

Now, I don't mean ALL in that age group, but plenty can use the structure, discipline and values of military living.
So many are spoiled, lazy or just so plain bored in this "all about me" country we live.

[Fumesucker]

8. Jawohl obergruppenfuhrer..

I agree completely, if there is one thing our country is desperately lacking it is a military mindset.

Especially all those pansy assed liberals and limp-wristed Democrats, some time in the military would make real conservatives he-men out of them.




















:sarcasm:

[pkz]

14. hey....I don't mean NAZI bootcamp

my real opinion...most kids are lazy and expect "something" for nothing just because they were born!

why? lots of reasons

laziness
boredom
parents with guilt/(just because they can) that showered them with every new thing out there
detached parents, both work, consumed with their own lives


I am just venting, but I have a 14 yr. old grandson here for the summer and you would think telling him to mow the frickin' gas was like saying
no internet for a week....oh the drama....the drama

[WinkyDink]

16. Do you know how many millions of "kids" are in the U.S.? You wield a mighty broad brush.

And 14 isn't 20, unless you mean to draft ninth-graders.

[HughBeaumont]

22. Unless one or the other is a well-monied and extremely secure worker/retiree . . .

. . . both parents HAVE to work. No way around it, not unless you live off of Kraft Mac-n-Cheese in a cramped hovel. This isn't the 60s-70s anymore.

And while we're on broad-brushes . . . I'm SO glad your generation, by believing the "Trickle Down" union-busting swill of Reagan and Bewsh I, made today's economic crapcake possible. THANKS LOADS! :eyes: :eyes:

[pkz]

37. well sh*t I am been so grossly misunderstood on this thread

I KNOW both parents have to work.
I had four kids, have four grandchildren, worked since I was fourteen, married a IBEW powerlineman.

I guess I just do not make myself very clear.

I think, and it is only MY opinion obviously, that young people today do not have the work ethic or the desire that my generation had at that age,
for gawd's sake I am only 52.

[Warren Stupidity]

39. you're welcome

didn't we do such a nice job with the world we handed you?

[HughBeaumont]

41. To be fair, it isn't like we're doing such a bang-up job repairing it.

Seems to me business schools just keep churning out the same Friedmanomic greedbags taught by the Strauss-Hayek forebears.

You would think that in the year 2000, a Reagan pastiche turned up to 100 in all the wrong directions wouldn't even be nearly close in the running for the highest office. But that idiot got two terms. And we're giving someone that makes Bewsh II look like Einstein consideration KNOWING how badly Bewsh II screwed things up?

You would think strides could be made by a younger generation that saw the mistakes of their parents in terms of economics, business, city planning, transportation etc. So far, I'm not really seeing any progress. We have a huge mess to clean up and it's not happening fast enough.

[Warren Stupidity]

38. bootcamp is bootcamp

nazi bootcamp was pretty much identical to american bootcamp

[Lance_Boyle]

46. You have direct experience with WWII-era German boot camp?

Go volunteer for the Russian army right now and tell me if you make it back that "boot camp is boot camp."

[WinkyDink]

11. Just what ARE "the values of military living"? Besides not being gay?

[pkz]

17. Structure

Look, I don't want that age group suiting up to kill people!!!!! They can learn trades and rebuild the infastructure of this country.

The values of military living, and oh gawd, believe me...I was raised in a family surrounded by military, Democrats all....
wake up at a certain time, eat at the table with manners, respect others, have a daily task and get it completed, work hard,
be proud of what you accomplished, go to bed at a set time and start all over again tomorrow.

[HughBeaumont]

29. It sounds like grey robotic "stay in line" tedium.

[Javaman]

45. did you serve? nt

[JVS]

23. Not being gay and not talking back!

[ejpoeta]

12. maybe start with the ones who are all for this war since someone else is risking their life.

and definitely the ones who cry about how bored they are.

[pnwmom]

27. WHAT??? Do you know how it is to start out these days? You speak for

your own 20-40 year olds -- you're certainly not describing the ones I know.

I think anyone who pushes for national service for young people should sign themselves up, instead.

[WinkyDink]

13. It doesn't mean only a military draft.

[Ms. Toad]

35. Unless Rangel has changed, it does require military training

for everyone.

I have not read this one, but he has sponsored similar bills in the past, and his bills have always started with basic military training before the division into civilian/military service. That is not consistent with individuals with a conscientious objection to war.

On edit: He does seem to have changed that portion of his bill - 109(a)

Darn - he's done it so many times I have the knee-jerk Rangel - service = bad idea.

[Warren Stupidity]

36. yes its going to be the fun draft with the arts and crafts option

plus all the rich fucks will certainly get drafted and not be given the fun option and we will immediately stop all these stupid wars because the middle class will rise up as one and strike down the gummint with a mitey wind!

[Ganja Ninja]

18. Yes we can use them to clean up BP's oil.

Think of the money we'll save them.

[pnwmom]

21. The next President could be Sarah Palin. Still think required national service is a good idea? n/t

[JVS]

24. This idea sucks.

[HughBeaumont]

25. "Yeah, I'll bet we can STOP this meat grinder by clogging it with more kids!"

:eyes:

[pnwmom]

28. +1000. n/t

[pnwmom]

30. We're already handing our young people the problem of global warming.

The likelihood that they'll never get from Social Security what they'll have to put into it.

Massive budget deficits.

And now we're going to require national service of them, too?

Sure, that would be a great tactic if we want to push the younger generation into the arms of the Republicans.

[chrisa]

31. So, you want to send out more cannon fodder for the government to use?

And to the poster that said the military teaces people "discipline," that doesn't really matter when you're either mentally screwed up for life, or dead.

[pkz]

33. Rangel has introduced this Bill for 4 consecutive years

it has no co-sponsors and is going no where anyway

[Warren Stupidity]

34. not this shit again

conscription is an abomination. The claim that it prevents wars is patent a-historical bullshit.

[reformist2]

40. Sorry, I can't support this - it's fascist.

I would think everyone here would be against compulsory service of any kind, excluding national emergencies.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

44. Pointless legislation. This bill will go nowhere.

It's just Charlie Rangel's annual draft bill. Just part of his schtick.

[dmosh42]

47. We have a country that thinks it's ok to go shopping to forget about the small percentage of...

our population who 'Have' to continue this useless war. More people need to realize what is happening around this world, and not leave it to a corrupt government to decide who to invade. If people were not worried about the draft during the Vietnam conflict, we would still be there. It kept everyone involved, because they might have a personal stake in the results. And yes, I did 'volunteer' four years active in the US Navy.(1960-64)