Reading Ian's front page post today made me decide to bring forth an idea that has been percolating in my mind for some time.
Not so very long ago, I never would have dreamed I would write such a thing. I was a draft resister in the long-ago Vietnam era. Only by luck and timing did I escape going to prison for it. But today I have come to believe there is a place for a new, re-imagined kind of national service - with a real role to play in building a sense of shared American identity.
My version of national service is very different than any other I know of. Here is how I imagine it:
1. It would be truly universal. Only the most profound disability or serious illness would excuse one completely. Every individual, male and female, on achieving a certain age (18?) would be liable for one year of service to the nation. No student deferments, no occupational deferments and no avenues for using influence or wealth to escape.
2. The forms of service would be very broadly conceived. Some would, of course, be military. But that would obviously be a small minority - we don't need that many soldiers. The vast majority would serve in other ways. Some in CCC-type construction projects - trail building and maintenance, rehab of deteriorated housing, weatherizing housing of low income people. High-school drop-outs might well serve the country best by completing their education. High achieving students might well serve best by tutoring them. Service could well be integrated with apprenticeship programs in skilled trades.
3. Service would last long enough to learn and/or accomplish something useful, but not so long as to greatly delay getting on with the rest of one's life. Tentatively a year.
4. Living arrangements would be communal and, with the exception of the military or where logistically necessary, would cut across occupational lines. Essentially hostels where people from a full spectrum of backgrounds and doing diverse types of work would share dorms, tables, kitchen and cleaning duties. All those serving would receive room and board and a small stipend for the necessities of life. Some special arrangements would have to be made for those who were already parents or had other dependents at that young age - but that's not insurmountable.
What would the benefits be?
1. Our military would be come more integrated into society and become less class-based.
2. Every American adult would have one thing - this history of service - that they share in common.
3. People of diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, interests and abilities would meet and mix and learn to live and work together.
4. Along the way, some valuable work would get done.
5. Valuable skills would be learned. Some people would discover career possibilities they might never have imagined.
Yes, it would obviously have some cost - but the social and economic returns would be well worth it. Even in purely economic terms, it might well pay for itself through reduced prison and policing costs, increased economic activity, higher educational levels and improved infrastructure. And it could be a powerful tool for building a shared and unified "American Identity"
So, that's my wild and crazy idea. Thoughts?