Our society has become so ‘me’ centered, it would do some good for people to have to serve someone other than him or her self.

Last year at this time — just before the elections — the liberal press, including the Sheperd Express, was having a grand ol’ time fear-mongering that the draft was going to be reinstated if President George W. Bush was re-elected.
If you believed that Bush’s re-election meant that you would be drafted, you are very gullible and susceptible to propaganda. It was, after all, a democrat in Congress who wanted a draft, and that was merely to prove a point, not to actually reinstate the draft.

The other day I was talking to someone when it dawned on me that a draft is exactly what this country needs. Compulsory service would do the youth of America some good, for several reasons.

Our society has become so “me” centered, it would do some good for people to have to serve someone other than the self. All we care about is our own instant gratification, and we think the world revolves around us.

The military will teach you different. The teamwork built into the military teaches you to be a team player, and in order to do so, you cannot be centered around the “me.”

The first time you step into a hostile or impoverished Third-World country, you learn that the world doesn’t revolve around you. Actually, you would learn that the first time a drill instructor yelled at you, but it would really be reinforced in a Third-World country.

Maybe after a little self-sacrifice, Americans wouldn’t be so selfish. And they might also learn that they are not owed anything by anyone.

Americans need to learn some discipline. With the advent of the “you can’t spank your children or you’ll go to jail” mentality, Americans have become completely undisciplined.

With no punishment from parents — don’t think for a minute that a time-out is real punishment — children do not learn that there are consequences for their actions, which is why the most popular theme of the day is, “it’s not my fault, its society’s fault.”

Compulsory service would cure this problem. In a platoon, it doesn’t matter who did what, everyone gets punished. Then everyone else teaches the person at fault not to screw the others over again.

We’ve also become some of the laziest people on the planet. That’s why jobs are going to immigrants and to overseas workers. They will work! God forbid if an American would have to bend over or use some muscles for anything less than $10 per hour.

The military will teach young people that sometimes we might work without pay — you get paid whether you work an eight-hour day or a 24-hour day — and sometimes even because someone told us to!

Compulsory service for two years for every 18-year-old American would teach these lessons to everyone. That means Americans from the poorest of poor to the richest of rich. No exceptions.

Liberals always complain that the military exploits the poor. Well, here’s a chance to change that. And as far as giving people a good start, Americans would reap the benefits of what the military has to offer and two-year service would mean people would be awarded for college under the GI Bill.

This would give every single 18-year-old in America an opportunity to break the chains of poverty and be something.

Of course, not everyone should be in the military. Some of you are such a lost cause that the military wouldn’t want you anyway. But under Robb’s plan, compulsory service would mean that you could also choose other entities for your service such as the Peace Corps.

That way those who have a legitimate reason for not going into the military, besides a lack of intestinal fortitude, can also serve. For those not physically or mentally able to complete, I’m sure we can figure out a way to fulfill the obligation, such as in a 911 call-center or at an abused women and children’s shelter.

Our country is ailing from a lack of character in its citizens. Compulsory service is just the medicine that the doctor ordered.

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