Universal National Service Act of 2007

Originally posted by Mr Mota
Anyways...I remember the republicans passed quite a few acts that nobody was happy about...remember those?

I dont remember people being sent off to die against their will...

there has always beena draft when the dems are in power, remember that.

Thank you charlie rengel. he's been pushin this for years.

Maybe he'll get what he wants.

I've been for this for a long time. I think any form of public service, i.e. Forest Service, Military, Police, Fireman, even secretary in city government, should count. For the people not physically qualified for physically intensive work, there are plenty of other oppurtunities to serve. This program would help the country by providing enough people to do jobs that are harder to get filled and would benefit the people who are filling those positions by offering them a guranteed income, training, and skills needed to be successful afterwards. After two to three years the people would be able to choose to pursue a different career, higher education, or stick with what they are doing.

Originally posted by ug87
I've been for this for a long time. I think any form of public service, i.e. Forest Service, Military, Police, Fireman, even secretary in city government, should count. For the people not physically qualified for physically intensive work, there are plenty of other oppurtunities to serve. This program would help the country by providing enough people to do jobs that are harder to get filled and would benefit the people who are filling those positions by offering them a guranteed income, training, and skills needed to be successful afterwards. After two to three years the people would be able to choose to pursue a different career, higher education, or stick with what they are doing.

While your at it, lets not pay them, and just give them electronic vouchers for meals (if they comply exactly with instructions). Restrict their travel, as they dont really need to travel? Verichip anyone? oh go on stick it in my arm, it sounds like such a utopia.

I do not support the draft solely for military purpose but I do think a time of service to your country should be mandatory.

Before you bite my head off let me explain.

We are losing whole generations of children because they have nothing to fear or look forward to. As a child I knew I was going to be drafted and shipped off to Vietnam if I didn't make it into college. (Thank GOD they abolished the draft while I was still a teen.) Anyway,

The last generation has grown up looking forward to being gang members, drug dealers and gangsters because they didn't have to worry about what might happen to them otherwise. They have babies while they are still babies and dump them on their parents. They have no social concious because they are not expected to contribute to society.

I say give them a choice. Social service such as Americare or the peace corp, or military service or some other means of contributing and becoming responsible for their own lives when they need that guidance the most. At the age they are striking out on their own.

Without that we will simply keep losing them to the gangs.

Just my thoughts on it.

I agree with you social concious comments. However this is a much wider issue the society has to deal with, not just the kids. They are a reflection of what they are conditioned into thinking is normal. This combined with people getting more selfish, and greedy (oh i must have that new plasma screen) and less thoughtful of their actions.

Every single problem we face, terrorism (ahem), kidz with problems, class problem all stem from the fact that some people on this plannet get a better deal than others, and what is the route to getting there? stepping on other people.

Throwing them into the military is not going to solve the problem, its just going to make them better at killing people IF they get out of the services. Its like breeding fighting dogs.

Where does it end?

Look the kids today might as well be aliens .
They dont give a rats patute for anything .
i KNOW, IVE WORKED IN A YOUTH CENTER FOR TWO YEARS EVERY FRIDAY AND SATERDAY NIGHT.
They are a cold ccondescending ugly bunch of very selfish individuals with no compunctions about any of the old codes or moralistic behavior.
Put that generation of little me mes into military service and watch them make a mockery of discipline and honour.
Draftees pulled off Mai Lai remember?
Already the troops in Iraq are being dehumanized to a GREAT EXTENT BY THEIR JOBS...lOOK AT THE WAR CRIMES LIST.
SCREW THE DRAFT AND THE HORSE IT RODE IN ON.
rEPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS LICK THE SAME BOOTS IN THE END.

Jenna and Barbara won't stand for such no sense!

If the poor people don't have jobs, than let them eat cake and join the military, besides there are all use trailers anyway!

But really, this is nothing more than a rich man's war and a poor man's fight!

And what kind of pay scale do they expect 40 year olds to accept that will allow them to keep their homes and families intact for this two year period of national service?


Ever since Rangel started these bills, I've believed his intentions are to show the Right that their children do not want to fight. That the warhawks will be shown up as raising chickenhawks in the hen house.

If anyone stops this, it will be the chickenhawk children showing contempt for their fathers' (and security moms') ways. Someone ends up with egg on their face.



Stewart Lewis, you can use thomas.loc.gov to find Senate and House bill information.:

Latest Major Action: 1/10/2007 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

I never said anything like that. Pay them a real salary comparable with whatever their jobs is. It would be easiest to only take 18 year olds after attaing a high schoold diploma or equivalent, then keep them for two to three years (until 21?), and make them get their high school diploma or equivalent if they didn't normally. After their service, they won't have to work another day for the government if they don't want to, but leave that option available for those that do, and for those that so choose to continue their education in college, offer aid money equal to about the GI Bill. What is the downside, besides your unfounded paranoia about the government?

[edit on 1-2-2007 by ug87]

It didn't pass in 2005, and it didn't pass in 2006. It probably won't pass in 2007. The bill is being brought up to prove a point. My only concern about the annual status of this bill is when does it stop being chicken little and start becoming the boy who cried wolf?

if they are serious about being successful in their little war in Iraq (I find myself doubting that one even...or maybe what they and I veiw as successful is just very different.) but if they are serious, they need to do something. either send in enough troops to establish a peaceful order, or get the heck out. their unwillingness to properly staff this war has endangered those who have been sent there. they are too chicken to even send in the troops needed to be sucessful in the endeavor, they're not gonna pass this into law. they'll keep with the status quo....just enough to have a presence in the country, not enough to really establish much of an influence. the objective is to win votes, not wars at this point.

as far as the bill itself goes, it goes beyond your ordinary draft as some have pointed out. it seems kind of communistic to me, snatch your kids up once their out of school, give them a onslaught of various tests and such, see what they're strengths are, and decide their life's course. of course, like some have pointed out, now, many of the kids are really making some bad decisions in that area and well, obviously they could use some assistance. but others are making good choices, have desires and goals and are working for them, who the heck is the government to take them off their path, for any amount of time, and in thier infinate non-wisdom start making their decisions for them?

but as far as the bill being passed, I think a meteor hitting DC would be more likely to happen. probably be more beneficial too.

As has been said repeatedly on this thread and on others, the chances of there being a draft are slim to none. Those in power know that the people don't want a draft and are going to be wary of choosing to support this bill over keeping their cushy seats in Congress.

As far as using the skills learned while in the military in the civilian world after your time is up, I have a question. Seeing as how the infantry is one of the largest career fields in the Army (I don't know about the other branches but it is in the Army and National Guard) what exactly is one to do with their skills as an expert shooter in the civilian world? There isn't much work for a trained gunman. I suppose they could join the police, but there are a lot of steps and tests to get into that and the testing for the police is harder than that for being an infantryman. Of course they could always become hitmen.

Someone brought up the point about the pay scale, and I think it's a very important one. Someone who is 30-40 years old, has kids, a mortgage, and other bills out the wazoo is not going to be happy taking the same pay as someone straight out of high school. My husband is an E-5 and even with what he makes (I work too) we stay broke most of the time. Someone starting out as an E-1 would not be able to support a family unless their spouse was making over 40k a year. The people aren't going to be happy about that and Congress knows it.

No one has heard much about this, and it wouldn't surprise me if it got attached to another bill. I don't think they want to enact the draft now, too much attention on the war. But this will give them authority to when ever they want to.

I don't see a draft happening unless we had to fight China and North Korea, or something of that magnitude. I certainly don't see 30-40yr olds being conscripted in any event, unless there was a huge high intensity war on a mass scale.

Originally posted by kyanther
I dare 'em to make it mandatory. If I get forced away from my family, my job, and everything that I care about, you can rest assured I'm gonna make a nightmare come true for anyone close to me the first time they put a firearm in my hand. And that's something any of you that could possibly be sucked into something like this could do. When they teach you to use that firearm, turn it on them and use it. If enough people were to do that, they would quit the whole mandatory bullcrap.

You do realise that the people "close to you" will be conscripts, just like yourself.

And the "they" who will be teaching you to use the firearm will only be giving you a means to defend yourself when the inevitable (you being shipped off to fight) happens.

Your post is quite frightening to read, its my belief that you wouldnt pass the required psych tests to be eligible for the draft.

Originally posted by mrwupy
Without that we will simply keep losing them to the gangs

To take it one step further, you could end up with gangs with military training. Even worse. Experience.

Imagine being carjacked by a gang of hoods fast roping down buildings.

CT