Mandatory Civil Service at 18 for Everyone

Civil Service

The war in Iraq has spawned a debate over whether or not all persons should have to spend some time in the civil service when they reach the age of eighteen. There are huge sacrifices that are being made in Iraq and Afghanistan but they only really affecting working class Americans. Not everyone can be in the military but everyone can participate in various aspects of the civil service. The purpose of this paper is to provide definitive proof that civil service should be mandatory at the age of eighteen.

Mandatory service

Many veterans and ordinary Americans believe that a grave mistake was made in 1973 when the draft was abolished. Many felt that military service should be mandatory.

An article in Washington Monthly explains,

Such a system should be mandatory not voluntary. It should be broad, not narrow, with exceptions based on inability rather than personal inconvenience. (Exceptions for prison inmates, for example, but definitely not for the college-bound or well-heeled). It should involve women as well as men, in stark contrast to our draft and the male-only service plans of most other countries. Eventually, it should ask something of all Americans, just as the jury system (at least in theory) does now. (Keisling)

Now there are some definitive problems associated with making military service mandatory at the age of eighteen. First of all making military service mandatory would be extremely costly. It was estimated that it would 50 billion a year in 1994, we can guess that the cost which be much higher today. It would also be extremely difficult to train millions of American for military service each year. For this reason making military service mandatory would be extremely difficult.

However our nation is in desperate need of civil service personnel. These individuals could serve in areas such as education, public safety, health care; the rural environment, the urban environment. (Keisling) This type of service would be beneficial to the servant and the recipient. Serving in one of these capacities could result in better neighborhoods and less crime. In addition, the civil servant will be exposed to people from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

An article found in The American Prospect asserts that the war on terrorism is a wake up call which validates the need for mandatory civil service at the age of eighteen. The article asserts that mandatory civil service should be a right of passage for young Americans. The article also points out that for it to become a true rite of passage it has to involve young people from every walk of life. The article asserts, "for national service to become a unifying rite of passage, elites will have to serve alongside everyone else. "If you did have prominent people -- a la Chelsea Clinton -- it might send ripples down the social ladder," Moskos says. On Marshall's desk at the Progressive Policy Institute is a photo of Elvis Presley in his GI uniform -- a reminder, he says, that the burden of national service must be shared equally. (Just)

President Bush has also addressed a need for more civil service personnel in the wake of September 11. The president and his administration encouraged individuals to get involved in organizations such as Ameri-corps, Peace-corps, and Senior Corps. Bush asserts that there is a great need for this type of service amongst young Americans. (Bridgeland et al.)

The president of the California Wellness foundation, Gary Yates supports Bush's assertions concerning civil service. In an article entitled "Mandatory National Service: Building National Spirit and Solving Social Ills" Yates contends that civil service should be made mandatory for everyone at the age of eighteen. Yates believes that mandatory civil service is really necessary for youths that have very little job skills and are engaging in criminal activity. He asserts that mandatory civil service will allow them to develop job skills, while contributing to the community and the country. The article asserts,

Mandatory national service would address the "critical years" problem, the after-school years between 18 and 24 when men and women are more likely to be the victims or perpetrators of crimes than at any other time in their lives. These are the years when young adults often lose the support they had from schools, after-school programs and the community. The Criminal Justice Statistics Center reports that this age group suffers from and commits the most homicides by firearms. We owe it to our young adults to keep them productive and safe from violence."(Yates)

The article gives an example of a young man named Jose Hernandez from South Central Los Angeles, a notoriously dangerous neighborhood. While still in high school, Jose attended the Bresee Foundation's after-school program. While in the program he learned of the Ameri-corps program. (Yates) Upon graduation he saw his peers becoming common criminals and he decided to join Ameri-corps. Jose served a year in the Ameri-corps program and is now serving as an outreach counselor in his community. (Yates) Obviously, being involved in a national service program allowed him to develop skills for helping others.

Although many see the need for mandatory civil service some volunteer organizations believe that is a bad idea. For instance, The Peace Corps assert that national service should remain voluntary. The organization contends that true service only comes from a true desire to help other people and that this desire should not be made mandatory. (You will volunteer / National-service schemes...) They assert that making civil service infringes upon a persons freedom and rights as an American Citizen.