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Fake Grit

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“Desperate times call for desperate measures.” Or maybe not: I prefer it when “cooler heads prevail.”

But as our times get desperate, here comes Tony Blankley with a new book, True Grit.

Blankley calls for a universal draft that would delay college or work for your 18- or 19-year-old boy or girl, forcibly placing them under government control. Under Blankley’s plan the military would get first dibs, but those not forced into military service would be corralled into civilian government service.

This is, well, stupid. One of the federal government’s few big successes has been the all-volunteer military. Forcing people, not suited or interested, into armed service may seem egalitarian, but it undermines the military, which ought to concentrate on winning wars.

Moreover, to force millions more into government make-work programs, again in the name of fairness, will cost taxpayers plenty — and uproot the lives of young people.

Charlie Rangel has been the most persistent conscription pusher. His draft legislation proved so overwhelmingly unpopular that when it was brought up in Congress even he voted against it.

In a review of True Grit at Human Events, Blankley is described as progressing politically from being a libertarian to a conservative to a nationalist.

Sorry, that’s not progress.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

8 replies on “Fake Grit”

The all volunteer military is a good idea – when we are not addressing a widely separated two-front war which has gone on for over six years. The regular Armed Forces are too small to fight such a two front war and the Reserves/National Guard lack the TO&E and training to function as regulars for long and repeated stretches. As little as I like the idea of a draft, I abhor the idea of a really stupid President trying to fight a two-front war “on the cheap.” Such idiocy presupposes that human life is the cheapest of all war materials. The cheap care of wounded veterans attests to that point of view: nothing is too good for our troops, so that is what they have gotten. I see no
major change in the offing.

I agree with your perspective (of course you already know that). Just to add two very important points. The draft enables the government to wage a war for which there is practically no support. If one thinks these two wars were bad, look at the hubris during Vietnam. But even more: the asssumption quickly becomes that the State owns the person. Sadly, the conservatives will support a draft because they are sold on the idea of “fighting wars for democracy”, and the demos because they believe so in public service, even if forced. I find it extremely difficult to think that the author was ever a libertarian.

Better idea for Blankley. Before any government employee anywhere can start collecting their government pension, they must first “volunteer” for two years of free government work. Logically its a much better place to start with a mandatory national service program than with teenagers. And it wouldn’t be any more make work than their current government jobs already are, so there is still that flaw, but a much better place to start than with teenagers.

Forcing experienced government workers to volunteer for two years seems like it would be a lot more productive than to have the cast of MTV’s Real World “representing” us somewhere in Yemen.

George Ryan of Illinois was just awarded a partial pension for his time in office when they didn’t prove he was corrupt, so perhaps there goes my whole case.

I started my 30+ year career in the Army when there was a draft. While the quality of troops today far exceed that of the draft era Army, as a country we are missing something. The draft pulled our young out of their comfortable environment and gave them some real experience in living with folks that came from totally different cultures and outlooks. It also helped them learn to work as a team and to consider the impact of their decisions upon others.

Clifford you are so right on!

Except war sucks.

If there was only a better way to give the experiences you speak of without killing people.

I wish when two leaders of different countries think there should be a war we could send them to fight each other. Let the civilians live on. That would be fine with me.

Sincerely,

Timothy James Maki

paul, on this I am going to disagree with you. When I was in the Airforce, I have saw the eyes of a young man when the dorm donated time in their cars so he could learn to drive. I know young men that came from the getto and found out that there is a better way to live. The schools our kids go to now do not teach patriotizum nor responsibility.

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