I’m gonna leave aside, for the moment, whether we should have a draft. If we must have one, this is the draft I would like to see.
Everyone serves. No exceptions, no exemptions, very few deferrals. If you are physically and mentally capable, you’re on. And when I say physically capable, there are plenty of productive and accomplished people in wheelchairs — that’s not an out.
Military service is voluntary and subject to screening for fitness. If you choose not to serve in the military, or are rejected, other options could include serving in the Peace Corps, cleaning up trash n the highway, building bridges, teaching in the inner city or rural areas, hosing off graffiti, helping the elderly, cleaning up state and national parks, producing educational materials, and so on. There are plenty of areas of need.
When I say very few deferments, here’s what I mean: Obviously, if you’re ill, you can defer until you’re healthier. If you’re a med student, you can defer until you’re a doctor — you’ll be more helpful that way. If you’re a new mom, you can defer until the kid’s ready for day care.
If you fail to serve, you are permanently ineligible for any government assistance aside from the bare essentials — no mortgage programs, pell grants, student loans, SBA loans, and so on. Ever. For life. You are also permanently ineligible for any non-elected government job (I don’t like restrictions on elected offices, because that’s what voters are for).
Permanent resident aliens are required to serve under the same rules as citizens. At the conclusion of their service, they move to the front of the line for citizenship. They still must complete all the requirements for same.
I’m not sure what to do about foreigners on visas — it doesn’t seem quite right to impose service on, say, an Israeli student who’s already done his compulsory service in israel. So I’d say if you’re here on a visa, with asylum, or for that matter illegally, service is voluntary. But you will not be eligible for citizenship or a green card until you’ve finished.
Really, I think you just haven’t thought the social consequences through. You would bring on either force or intimidation against millions of Americans who who have a real belief in mothers being the ones to provide the early childhood training to their own children — not just till they can be placed in a day-care system. By the way, who would chose the daycare? MAN! You sound like you believe that all mothers already do put their children in day care. Millions have a solid conviction against other people raising their little ones for them.
Your plan could completely destroy the home school movement in this country, which is a very successful alternative to the social engineering centers called public schools. It would also very negatively affect the availability of teachers for the thousands of church schools which depend on volunteer help daily from the students.
At any given time, there would not be adequate numbers of people available to function in civilian capacities. So the government would have to begin going through the rolls of draftees and deciding who among them will be transfered to civilian training for civilian functions. Or, the whole nation could simply be one huge military complex. A fully Marxist-socialist society or a revolution would follow.
You have not threatened anyone with prison (yet), but only a denial of some benefits that many would not use anyway, and many would ignore. But I believe that if your plan were to be carried out, it would not stop there, because there would actually be millions of Americans who would not be affected by the availability or lack of availability of such government “benefits” (which all appear to be socialist-style programs to begin with).
When the social planners see that millions of Americans are carrying on just fine without government programs, other tactics will be used to force your plan. Eventually it will be things like, forced removal of children from the home. Then prison, of course.
Well, we see your plan coming down the road. I expect to see things like what you have written very soon in official government publications, or campaign material, or in political party leadership training syllabuses. Such IS coming.