Thom Hartmann’s plan for national service, versus mine
On his radio program yesterday, Thom Hartmann was again voicing his support for mandatory service for young people. In Hartmann’s plan, young people are universally drafted, although one can opt for a service other than military. In exchange, the young people are given education benefits—ideally free education up to a PhD. It is not clear to me whether they also would be paid for their labor, but I’ll assume that’s part of the plan. Listening to the podcast, I get the impression that the young people might, incredibly, not be paid for their labor.
Here is my comment on Thom Hartmann’s plan: Thom Hartmann is 57 years old and, I believe, never was drafted. To me he is an old man showcasing his ‘patriotism’ by advocating drafting of the young.
Here is my national service plan: We give young people educational benefits, ideally free education up to a PhD, and, in exchange, they go to school and get educated for the good of the nation. The force will be all-volunteer but young people will be strongly pressured to join.
