Is the Volunteer Bill a Predecessor to Conscription

One of the best parts of being in America is that I have the choice on what I want to do. I can opt to serve in the military if I want to; however, I don’t have to if I don’t feel that it is for me. I have my own motives that would entice me to join the military. It’s nice, though, knowing that I don’t have to serve my country through military action if I don’t feel that is the best way I can serve.

When President Obama announced his Volunteer Bill, I couldn’t help but be excited. He was looking to allocate more funds to increase the size of the Americorps program. Naturally, this is a great thing because it provides the means for more people to do community service as well as create programs in areas that could really benefit from them. President Obama’s own words were, “I’m not going to tell you what your role should be. That’s for you to discover. But I’m asking you to stand up and play your part. I’m asking you to help change history’s course.”

Hearing something like that is obviously reassuring because it means that I can do my part for my country without it having to be something as severe as serving in the military. I thought that was the end of the argument, but then I happened across an Op-Ed article that was discussing how the military needed to be restructured. I agree, it does. However, the final point that the writer made was the one that stood out and was tremendously worrisome. Taken directly from the New York Times, the quote says:

Last, Mr. Gates should urge President Obama to confer with Congress and introduce national service at age 18 for all Americans. Under such a system, young people from all classes and backgrounds would either serve in the military or do other essential work like intelligence assessment, conservation, antipoverty projects, educational tutoring, firefighting, policing, border security, disaster relief or care for the elderly. The best qualified would be assigned to the military.

In other words, Mr. Kane was suggesting that it would be a good idea to have a form of mandatory military conscription, so long as you were qualified. If you weren’t qualified to serve your country as a soldier, you can do some other sort of state work. In the United States, this just does not seem like a good idea at all. Actually, it sounds absolutely preposterous.

The idea of having to sign up for the military when I turn eighteen is incredibly irritating because, in essence, it postpones whatever plans I have for my life by two years. Furthermore, it’s unnecessary. The argument is that we need more soldiers because our military is really spread thing. We don’t need more soldiers. What we need is to get rid of the soldiers in other countries and stop invading two countries at a time. I digress…

As much as we like to do war and that “we’re good at it,” as George Carlin would say, the idea of conscription is nauseating. I will serve my country and I will do my part to ensure that the country continues to become better. However, to suggest that we should have a form of conscription is fiscally irresponsible and also unnecessary.

I like President Obama’s volunteer bill and think that it is definitely a way to have people ready to do service when it’s needed around the country. However, the military is a volunteer force and in no way do I support the idea of having to sign up because I am eighteen. It’s bad enough that there are always worries of a draft. There are numerous other ways to increase the size of our military that does not include forcing the citizens of this country. I hope President Obama never actually goes through with this Op Ed article.

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