Government Required Service

Some people suggest that everyone between the ages of 18 and 21 should be required to perform one year of community or government service. Such service might include the Peace Corps, Environmental Conservancy Corps, a hospital, the military, a rural or inner-city school, or other community outreach projects. I believe forcing the service of any group of people is a bad idea. In this case, three reasons come to mind as to what makes this idea bad. First, I see this as a form of indentured servitude, even though the folks may earn a paycheck. Second, I feel that this idea takes away from the idea of the United States being a free place to live. And third, much like the idea of the federal government considering funding for 'faith-based' programs, who determines which programs would qualify? These three reasons as enough for me to think the requirement of community service is a bad idea.

The forcing of young people into community or government service could be seen as a form of indentured servitude. People working in those capacities would certainly receive a paycheck at the end of the day, and could go home to their families, but until their year of service is up, they have no other options to do what they will with their lives. I do think that community service is a wonderful idea. Volunteers at local hospitals, the Peace Corps and military provide an invaluable service to the community and to the country. But corrupting the system with people who may not want to be there will only deteriorate the effectiveness of the service. I think a level of dissent would built among those with no interest in being there, and would ultimately result in the demise of various community efforts.

The United States (U.S.) is seen around the globe as a free place to live. Certainly the U.S. has historically had its problems with slavery and indentured servitude, but as time has marched on, the U.S. worked to right those wrongs and pave the way for future generations to live free of such travesties. Forcing people to provide community or governmental services would be a step back in time. It would undermine the underlying fabric of what makes the United States a great place to live. Instituting this type of program would force people to put their lives on hold for twelve months while doing something they may not believe in.

Another consideration of this type of program would be