Case Against Reinstating the Military Draft Essay

Case Against Reinstating the Military Draft - Essay Example Case Against Reinstating the Military Draft New York Representative Charles Rangel, who is a Korean war veteran, introduced a bill back in 2003 that would bring the military draft back into the lives of our young male population. (Rangel Introduces Bill to Reinstate Draft, 2003). It is his firm belief that a forced military draft is the only way that the young men of America can prove their allegiance and loyalty to the country that they call home. His bill, which is still pending in congress to this very day would draft young men between the ages of 18-26 into forced military service. With exemptions being granted only to those still in high school so that they can graduate. College age men are expected to enter military service under his proposed bill (Rangel Introduces Bill to Reinstate Draft, 2003). This particular bill is was supported in the senate by South Carolina Senator Fritz Hollings. These two men both believe that being drafted into the military would build the character of our young men and democratize what they call the â€Å"citizen soldier†. According to Douglas Bandow (Forum: Should the Draft be Reinstated?†, 2003) who was a former special assistant to President Reagan â€Å"As a veteran, I strongly believe that fighting for our country must be fairly shared by all racial and economic groups. Nobody wants to go to war, but the burden of service cannot fall only on volunteers who, no matter how patriotic, are attracted to the military for financial reasons. We cannot continue to pretend it is fair that one segment of society makes all the sacrifices.† Records show that most of the members of our Armed Forces are part of the lower income class families who join the service because it is the only job they know that they can have. Rep. Rangel indicated (Rangel Introduces Bill to Reinstate Draft, 2003) that as of 2003 30 percent of the minority population serve in our military services on a voluntary basis. Therefore, there is a discrepancy in the social strata representa tion in our military and it is Rep. Rangel and Sen. Hollings belief that drafting all available young men would be the best way to get all the social classes represented in the military. I find it amusing that these two highly respected lawmakers would use that kind of requirement in drafting their military draft bill because most of the male high school graduates from low to lowest income families often choose to opt for volunteer military service in order to keep a roof over their head and a regular salary with which to pay their daily expenses. Others who support the draft such as retired general and former commandant of the Army War College and historian Robert Scales Jr do so because they believe that our domestic / homeland security forces lack in numbers when it comes to protecting our own soil. He has claimed that â€Å"Even before the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, our military was severely overstretched in fulfilling its missions. But more important, we have done nothing s erious about homeland defense in the war against terrorism. We need guards for our nuclear power plants, dams and public facilities. We have done little to create the necessary border patrollers, customs agents and cargo-ship inspectors†