There's a big contradiction - conscription is a form of slavery, which is the opposite of freedom.
And I image you feel the same way about public school, taxes, jury duty, licensing laws, and all the other minutiae required to create, sustain, and protect a free society, right?
Conscription is no different than public school in that the state requires people to fulfill a obligation aimed at serving the greater public good.
But I do believe that conscription should be, if ever, initiated as mandatory service upon graduation. It doesn't have to be military.. It could be performing community service, or something like the CCC of the depression era, or even the peace corps. And it could be delayed pending satisfactory completion of a college education or technical training, such as medical school, when necessary skills are obtained.
In return, I believe that all people who satisfactorily complete such service should receive either free, or greated discounted, college or technical tuition. Making it possible for all people to obtain an education and technical training would be an investment in our people, enable them to make more money (with consequent greater tax revenues) and eliminate many of the excuses amongst current youth that they are facing no opportunities.
Hawk |
