Off Topic (Important Legislation)

[Steve]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, Heidi Tandy <lists at h...> wrote:
> ... the myriad of problems with the idea of a compulsory draft ...
are legion, some small, some larger:
> 
> ...edited...
> 
> 2. The education system in the us, on high school and college 
> levels, would be impacted. 
> 


bboyminn:

Let's give some thought to the impact on colleges and universities. In
the first year that the 'draft' is implimented, there will be a 25%
loss in all NEW college and university populations. The next year, we
will have two missing years of enrollment yeilding a 50% loss in new
college and Uni enrollment. For the remaining two years of the
standard four year college student career, we will again have a 25%
gap missing.

That only relates to new students coming into the university system.
Most, if not all, students in colleges and universities are within the
'Draft' eligible age range which in reality means that ALL colleges
and universities would be empty for several years before students
started flowing back into the systems. 

I don't think many colleges or universities could stand a financial
set back like that. I can only see many of them having to go out of
business, or at least shut down for two or three years until
enrollment increased again. That's a huge financial impact. Remember
there are thousands of secondary businesses that count on the college
enrollment; housing, fast food, coffe shops, cafes, grocers, petrol
stations, beer and liquor sales, clothes, sporting goods, etc....


> Hide continues:
> 
> 4. We can't afford it. ...edited.. If we drafted every 18 year old, 
> even the cost of food, housing and uniforms through basic training 
> would bankrupt the US, especially because all those individuals 
> would be pulled off the job market, and pretty much out of 
> the taxpaying zone, for two years. 
> 
> Heidi


bboyminn:

Well, on that front, it might give parents two years to save money for
their kids college fund. But, you are right, the cost would be
astronomical, especially when you consider all the secondary financial
loses, similar to those I pointed out regarding the desolate college
communities. 

And exactly what are all those new soldiers going to do? I can tell
you that I spend a substantial amount of my army career doing
absolutely nothing, and another substantial block of time was spent
pretending to do something (the army is very good at this). 

An additional note, the Military is notorious for paying next to
nothing to soldiers when a conscription is in force. Neither military
or civilian business has much incentive to pay high wages to slave
labor. A basic low rank soldier now might make $500 to %700 per month,
with conscription, that will drop to about $150 to $250 per month.
When I was in the army, we made about $120/month, and they always
found a few miscellaneous fees to deduct. That was third from the
bottom pay grade.

Noble as it may sound, it's completely unworkable. 

I also concur with other people who pointed out that war suddenly
loses substantial popularity when there is a chance the the son and
daughters of rich people have to go fight it.

Just a few thoughts.

Steve/bboyminn (was bboy_mn)