As long as America has existed, we have feared the draft. During the Vietnam War, thousands of young men fled the country, or obtained deferments, legitimate and not, in order to evade fighting. Currently, there is a bill in the House of Representatives that would establish a universal draft, though it has little chance of getting passed.
A draft is the best thing that could happen right now for our country.
And to everyone in our liberal community already itching to sink their teeth into my throat, I'll first remind you that the bill in the House is being proposed by a liberal Democrat from New York.
There is no better way to promote equality than through a universal draft. The army is comprised mostly of the poor and working class who have few other options to escape their neighborhoods or obtain education benefits.
Does this seem fair? The lower-classes are sacrificing their lives for those fortunate souls who happened to be born in a higher tax bracket. They're dying for our (supposed) security.
Economists would argue that the rich have a free ticket to ride the backs of the poor. They even might suggest taxing the well-off so that the cost of the death of poor soldiers is recovered. But with four more years of Bush on the way, that will never happen.
Besides, it is not right that a monetary donation precludes you from service to the nation, even if it's how the American war factory has worked since its inception.
A universal draft would fix this problem with a total integration of the classes. All Americans would share the burden of protecting our country, instead of rationing off the job to those people who don't have a choice in the matter.
Some argue that forced conscription is just as bad as leaving the system the way it is. After all, what's the point of equality and justice if you're violating individual rights? To this I say: define "violating." For example, we can just as easily say that taxes "violate" individual rights: The government takes money away from the people who earned it. But the idea is that society gets that money back in the form of services provided by the government.
The same is true of the draft: Young men and women sacrifice their time, and in some cases, their lives, so that we are all better off. Yes, a universal draft may violate individual rights of a few, but it does so in order that everyone else might benefit.
Here's the situation: Either way, there's going to be injustice. We have a choice: We can be unjust and weak without it, or we can be unjust and strong by universalizing it.
A universal draft will give the country strength in a number of ways. Most obviously, it would benefit the army overseas, which is overextended as it is. Second, it is hard to deny that it would greatly increase the health of the nation; the draft is a great way to promote regular exercise and better eating habits.
Third, and probably most important, a draft would increase awareness of international affairs, lifting us out of the general ignorance that pervades our society. Everyone in America would feel compelled to follow the latest developments in the world. Remember, this draft is universal, which means everyone is deeply affected by troop deployments.
As counterintuitive as it may sound, a draft will even promote peace. Society will cast its ballots for the candidate who will keep their children out of harm's way. With a draft, we never would have entered Iraq in the first place.
Additionally, a draft will completely change the way representatives legislate.
Obviously, they have their constituents to win over, but they also have their own children to protect. A universal draft excludes no one, and especially not the children of politicians.
Do you think Bush would have gotten us into Iraq if he had to face Jenna and Baby Babs gearing up for battle?
Benjamin Bright-Fishbein '07 is willing to die for his country.
