Is there anything more unpleasant than turning on your television and seeing Congressman Charles Rangel of New York? I mean, see him talk about conscripting your sons and daughters?

Rangel will become Chairman of the powerful (and lucrative) House Ways and Means Committee. As a major pork-barreler, he’ll no doubt enjoy the position. But what keeps him in the news is regularly introducing legislation to jettison the all-volunteer army by drafting every young person.

Rangel doesn’t seem to know or care that our all-volunteer fighting force is the world’s best. He has a different mission for the military: to help prevent war by placing political pressure on lawmakers like himself.

Politician Charlie believes that forcing young people into the military, rather than having to persuade them to join, will serve to constrain Washington politicians. But he should remember the draft during the Vietnam years, the longest war in our history. After all, Rangel was in Congress 36 years ago.

Rangel says his draft would be more “fair” than in Vietnam. All young people would lose their freedom. No exceptions. Well, few exceptions.

Since today’s high-tech armed forces can’t possibly handle that many less-educated people, Rangel’s proposal has an option for civilian service. So the proposal becomes a make-work programs run for millions of teenagers by thousands of bureaucrats.

This idea is so bad that when Republicans brought the legislation to the floor a few years ago, even Rangel, its sponsor, voted against it . . .

. . . but the bill keeps him on TV.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.