Anyways, we're having a debate in history class about requiring citizens of a country to render service to the government for at least a year. Unfortunately though, I am in the negative side and I have to think about arguments as to why service to the government is not required. Any ideas?What are examples of countries that require its citizens to render service to the government?
I'm just going to throw all my thoughts out here. You can sort through and find which ones resonate with you.
Several countries require formalized service from their citizens. Historically, just about every country has had a draft at one point or another. Jury duty could also be considered a required service to your country. Some societies have required military service as a prerequisite for citizenship.
Some arguments against required service could include that it is often not applied evenly (there are notorious loop holes that rich people have used to keep their kids from serving in the military, or at least to keep them from serving in combat. It can force people to provide services they don't feel are ethical.
It is often proposed for young people, and has, in the past been used to require military service from people who are not yet old enough to vote, thereby disenfranchising them. (That's actually why we lowered the U.S. voting age.)
You can argue that unless you have voluntarily entered into an agreement for service you are being forced into an involuntary contract. You can argue that, because it is not voluntary it is therefore a form of slavery.
Most of the arguments for service are going to be wrapped up in some form of patriotism or an idea that it is good for a person to do service for others. You can argue that it's a form of communism.
More practically, how do you administer such a program fairly? What about someone who is too disabled to provide service? Are they exempt? Do they still get to vote?
You can argue that if a country wants the service of it's citizens it should compensate it's citizens well enough so that they want to provide the service voluntarily, and that without a cost attached to it the government will use that resource (free labor) poorly.
You can argue that in most situations of forced service the institution in charge of directing that labor is in a position to indoctrinate people to support more forced service.
If you are talking about a short term of service (max. a couple of years) are the people going to become expert enough to do the job well? Do you really want to require the dumbest kid in the class to do something important for your country for a couple of years? Wouldn't you get better results if you paid the smartest kid in the class to work for the government for a long time and get really good at it? Is someone who is just there because they are required to be there going to work as hard as someone who is competing for a good paying job?What are examples of countries that require its citizens to render service to the government?
Just as it would be morally wrong for me to force you, more or less at gunpoint, to work for me for a year, it is likewise wrong for a government to force you, more or less at gunpoint, to work for it for a year.
There is no logical reason why the same action is immoral when committed by an individual but somehow moral when committed by the government.
';But the government provides services, and therefore has a right to demand something in return,'; some will no doubt argue. But what if an individual provided those same services? Would that individual then have the right to enslave you for a year? What if you did not want those services, or need those services, and what if you did not ask for those services? There can be no obligation to repay a debt that you did not voluntarily incur. It is for this same reason that taxation is immoral.
';That government is best which governs least,'; said Thoreau. If a government is large enough and busy enough to require a year of service from each of its citizens, it is doing more than it ought to be doing. Downsize centralized government, and let individuals govern themselves to the maximum extent possible.
In our Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson listed among his complaints against the King of England the involuntary servitude that many colonists had been subjected to under English rule. Would we give up our American ideals so easily, and slip back into the tyranny that we fought against in the American Revolution? I hope not.
Look at the Constitution (13th amendment): no involuntary servitude.
Here's some examples of countries that require ';service'; to the government: Soviet Union. Nazi Germany. N. Korea. Cuba.
In other words--government is supposed to be the servant of the people, not the master. Anyone who advocates mandatory service to the government is advocating slavery and dictatorship. Period.
I can't think of a single reason why a country would NOT want to require that of its citizens.
I believe that Israel, Switzerland, and Germany all require citizen service.
Great post, I am going to lurk and watch what comments are posted
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