Could you ever make it as a politician or a statesman?

Is a democracy really representative if we exclude members of the adult population from voting, however? I would say no...

Like I said, it's a pipe dream, to me. It would be cool if I could make it work, as a leader in government, but I doubt I could, so it's just a dead-end ideal, at best...

Mandatory drafting is cause for revolution. Don't pull that shit.

That is all.

You'd probably end up with people who would willingly sabotage their own government to spite them for drafting. You'd have mass desertion at best and outright insurrection most likely. Trust me, mandatory military service is not somewhere you want to go.

Assumption being that "service" = "doing something." Drafting everyone into the regular army would be ridiculous. Drafting everyone into the National Guard (i.e. the militia) would make some amount of sense.

I deem it impractical not because of the obvious backlash but because of the uneconomical quality it would probably have to it...

If you wanted to do that, you'd need to convince the public that there was an outside threat that was putting the safety of the US in danger. Otherwise, they won't be too happy with a draft...

USAF@Would the draft be good if there was an alien invasion ?

edited 26th Sep '11 9:52:27 PM by joyflower

Eh, my definition of "draft" is different, apparently. I'm not talking about a Vietnam-style draft. Not that it would matter to most people.

If we were in a defensive war, draft wouldn't be a question, though. Since that's about as likely as a communist United States tomorrow, well...

@USAF: A draft sucks because 1) Draftees don't want to be there. 2) You don't want somebody who doesn't want to be there watching your back. Besides, mandatory service only makes sense if you live in country where your neighbors are constantly trying to kill you; Korea and Israel for example.

I'd stick with federal service.

I oppose the notion that people have to serve the government before they're entitled to have a say in how they're ruled.

Some people (anarchists, for starters) might have a conscientious objection to serving the State in any capacity: Depriving those that oppose the system and refuse to serve it from self-determination is unethical.

You can't compel service or allegiance, that's madness. They're for people to give (or not to give) freely.

edited 27th Sep '11 5:51:02 AM by SavageHeathen

Maybe have a general consciption, but only for a couple of years (to see what people will enjoy it) and also allow them to do stuff like helping out in the Civil Service or some other public field.

Personally? I wouldn't mind being a politician, but it seems to be the very definition of an unsatisfying job. You are hated, mocked and derided by everyone, your own ideas are only ever attributed to the government and if you slip up even once you are gone. It seems kind of upsetting how much we scrutinise our public figures and how far we demand that they be upstanding paragons of virtue, whilst others who steal pens and paper (alongside other things) from work aren't really called on it.

If you're already hated you might as well get the power.

edited 27th Sep '11 7:11:13 AM by Kino

That's not actually a conscientious objection, Savage.

~shrug~

The other reason why this is a pipe dream is that I would avoid most wars. I suppose it would be interesting if we could incorporate military service as part of higher level offenders' rehabilitation, but that's even more of a waste of time...

If I ever attempted to run, they'd probably bring up that incident in Bolivia a couple of years back so...probably not.

I swear to God it was the Taxi Driver's fault.

If you make serving in the military a requirement for voting, you'd damned well better give those people that can't vote freedom from taxes ;P

We had this whole "no taxation without representation!" fight in the states a while ago. Course, you have A CERTAIN GROUP OF PEOPLE who don't understand what that means, and co-opt it for their own deranged purposes...