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Much has been made by the new
administration of the idea of national service and volunteerism. While
service to one’s community is certainly admirable, it is not the
federal government’s place to “encourage” or promote
volunteerism. Moreover, there are troubling signs that national service
could transition from voluntary to mandatory, or de facto mandatory, such as
the requirement of service in order to be granted a diploma, or something
along those lines.
Involuntary servitude was
supposed to be abolished by the 13th Amendment, but things like
Selective Service and the income tax make me wonder how serious we really are
in defending just basic freedom. The income tax enslaves workers for
nearly 4 months out of a year by garnishing what amounts to all their wages
in that period of time. A military draft could demand your very life,
without your consent. This should be unthinkable in a free society.
Proponents of reinstating the
draft claim it is needed to protect liberty from enemies abroad. But
what about the enemies of liberty right here at home? I am convinced
that there are more threats to American liberty within the 10 mile radius of
my office on Capitol Hill than there are on the rest of the globe. If
we would get our troops off of foreign soil, those perceived enemies of our
liberty abroad are much more likely to stand down and let us be. We
have more than enough troops to mind our own business and defend
ourselves. It is only for world domination that we have a troop
shortage.
Nevertheless, some think
recruiting for our military is too low and that the younger generation will
not answer the call of duty willingly, and must be drafted by force. I
take extreme exception to this characterization of young people today. First
of all, I believe they correctly see that foreign policy, as unpopular as it
has been under Bush, is not significantly changing under Obama, and has
little, if anything, to do with defending the United States, and certainly
not the Constitution. Second, many see friends and acquaintances who
have voluntarily enlisted, and have taken note of how the soldier, the
veteran is treated. Perhaps rather than blaming younger generations for
being selfish, older generations should remember their promises to those who
volunteer for military service and be mindful of how they are treated. Every
homeless vet by the side of the road, every suicide, every report of
substandard conditions in veteran hospitals is a sign of how we let our
military down. Perhaps we should look to those issues if we have
problems with military recruitment, rather than to trample freedom in the
name of protecting it.
If that is not enough reason,
consider that most in the military are against a draft. There is a vast
difference between serving alongside another volunteer, and serving alongside
a reluctant conscript. Americans need to be on the lookout for
any propaganda trying to ease us back into the draft. Too often a
flawed foreign policy prompts the need for a draft. Abolishing the
Selective Service is one thing we could do to counter those efforts.
Ron Paul
www.house.gov/paul
Congressman Ron Paul
of Texas enjoys a national reputation as the premier advocate for liberty in
politics today. Dr. Paul is the leading spokesman in Washington for limited
constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to sound
monetary policies based on commodity-backed currency. For more information
click on the Project Freedom website.
Published with the
authorization of Dr. Paul.
Copyright Dr. Ron Paul
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