I attended a group discussion centered on gun violence in the US, and the question was asked why this does not occur as frequently in other nations. One suggestion was that other nations whose citizens are also allowed to carry guns (Israel, Switzerland as examples) mandate service in the army. This in turn teaches gun responsibility, but can also serve to potentially recognize problem issues in young adults before they become lethal. It also instills a sense of citizenship and responsibility. I prefer to bypass the gun issue, but would like to hear your thoughts on mandatory civil service. Could this (and should this) be required for full citizenship? 1 year? Pre-college? Perhaps in exchange for 2 years of public college or tech school tuition? Willing to increase taxes to pay for such a program? Other thoughts?
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
As would I, please. For the rest, I will keep this open so long as it does not become politicized or a debate.
What would the government as the employer of mandatory service people who are fresh out of high school (i.e. unskilled labor) do with that amount of labor (far more than the military needs recruits)? Contract them out to farms and construction sites with unpleasant working conditions at low pay so that these employers would not hire unauthorized immigrants? Cannot imagine that going over that well…
The 13th Amendment might prohibit this except in the case of war and the draft.
DH and I have discussed this before. Too many logistics I don’t have a grasp on, of course. But so many kids fresh out of High School go to college and party, party, party. Not all, but quite a few. It’s just a very expensive continuation of H.S. I think something mandatory like this for a year or two would make our kids grow up, and do all those things you said. I bet we’d see less stupid stuff going on, and more mature young adults.
We’ve already extended the beginning of adulthood too far, in my opinion. This is especially disadvantageous for women, many of whom are pushing up against their biological clock in terms of starting a family before they’re fully established in a career path.
I’m not thrilled with the idea of extending the period of less-than-full-adulthood by another 2 years.
If universal civil service included some CCC-type projects around the country, it could conceivably restore and improve natural sites and parks, so not necessarily a bad idea.
Would this only be for citizens? What about the undocumented? Those here on visas?
I think our nation would benefit from some type of national service requirement, military or civilian. If I remember correctly, some congressional reps came up with a plan a few years ago which required young people to serve a year or two in some type of public service by a certain age. It never went anywhere, but I think it is worth a second look. If military is not someone’s thing, there are plenty of opportunities — Peace Corps, Americorps, Teach for America, etc.
Too many in our country conflate “serving our country” with military service, and it is really so much more than that.
I don’t like the idea of forcing people to do something they don’t want to do, especially for no pay or minimal pay. Young people in this country already face a poorer standard of living and a bleaker future than past generations. They won’t do as well economically as their parents. They can barely afford rent in some metro areas much less homeownership. They won’t stand for an additional forced burden.
For those who want to volunteer, very good. But mandatory, no way.
I’m for mandatory military service for everyone. We’d find ourselves in a lot fewer unnecessary wars if everyone’s kids would have to do a tour of duty in a theater of war.
Where my kids grew up, the county public schools required a minimum amount of “service hours”. Getting legit service hours for so many young people became quite an industry. Assisting at teaching swim lessons and forgoing your below minimum wage salary became service hours. Playing your violin, or otherwise participating in the EC of your choice without being paid for it, became service hours. Things were booked up several months in advance.
In a country as committed to freedom and liberty as the US could this even become a thing philosophically speaking?
“Contract them out to farms and construction sites with unpleasant working conditions at low pay so that these employers would not hire unauthorized immigrants? Cannot imagine that going over that well…”
^^Mandatory civil service like that has been widely adopted in the former USSR countries… For example, every fall, Uzbeki school kids were regularly sent to the cotton fields instead of classrooms to pick cotton that machines missed.
@CTTC - Not sure about the undocumented, but why would those here on visas need to do national service for a “foreign power”? I’m not sure why we would expect that.
Do you think they should?
I could see some people thinking “after all they are enjoying the bounty America has to offer so they should pay for it as well.”
Another question would be: should we attach this civil service to those who take out government loans for their education?
How about we attach it to corporate welfare?
I know, when Amazon chooses its sweetheart deal for a second headquarters, first Jeff Bezos has to go pick all the cotton that the machines missed in the fields, lol.
No. I am dead-set against this.
I am 100% in favor of expanding programs (and offering better incentives for) like Americorps and City Year. I am against it being mandatory.
When I graduated high school, I went to college and still worked full time to help support my parents. We don’t have the safety net in this country for them to have survived without my extra income. I’m certainly not alone in this area. Many of us help support our family incomes. I worked for America Reads/America Counts part time in college. It is a great program and we should have increased incentive for those programs.
What do you do with people who have disabilities? Are chronically ill? Are caring for family members? Are mentally ill? Whose family relies on them?
Yes, I know people will say that there will be opt-out options, but they are often arbitrary, difficult to get especially as someone who is poor, and it’s up to some bureaucrat to decide whether my reason is good enough. Do you know how hard it is to prove a disability to the government? Especially if you have a less-common disorder.
I shouldn’t be forced to do something as an adult in order to prove my citizenship. It’s just another way of disenfranchising certain categories of people.
I feel extremely strongly about this as someone who is still close to what would’ve been the effective age. I was relieved the day my husband (and then 2 days later, my best friend) turned 27 and was no longer draft-eligible.
ETA: What bothers me the absolute most about these debates is that the people making decisions will never have to go through the experience. Require politicians to go through the service years first and then maybe we can talk about making it mandatory for young people.
Civil service required as a pathway to receiving “full critizenship” … So basically a backdoor way to eliminate birthright citizenship?
No. Just no.