Proposal: Mandatory Conscription of 17 yr olds (Alternative Service Option)

OK. This will be controversial... and I mean MANDATORY SERVICE for ALL!
(Same beginning as previous (military) post...)

Every child who either graduates High School, or is 17 (whichever comes LATER) will be subject to a mandatory draft of (3-4) years.

Initially, I thought the service would ALL have been right after high school, but I have since tried to make this easier to implement.

Timeline
The initial draft will be phased in over five years, so that high schools, colleges, and all parents don't panic.
Programs will be put into place to help explain the options to the all. The five year phase in and educational programs will also start in-school, after-school, and weekend/vacation retreats.

Starting backwards, from 12th grade(in the first year), the educational programs will reach back as far as the 6th grade(initially--and earlier later on), and eventually will have weekend/vacation missions, to start building and reinforcing responsibility and abilities in the children. This educational effort will spotlight both the military as well as the service programs.

There are two actual programs, the traditional military, and a the new service program. Both will initially be three (four) year (mandatory conscription) programs, but BOTH can be lifetime positions, or careers, with growth, education, and rewards similar to careers in today's military.

The conscription will work differently, depending if the person is going to college (trade school) or not. If the person is not going to school, the conscription will be served all at once. If the recruit is going to trade school or college, the time will be divided over three summers, and a year following completion of their education.

The goals of the service programs are:

1. Service to the country, to assist in rebuilding the lives and neighborhoods of our country.
2. Specialized training in the student's specific field of study.
3. Building a cadre of capable trained response agents for future crises.
4. Ensuring recruits have proper skills to earn a living wage to support their family.

Additionally, the exposure to different areas of the country is designed to give recruits the experience of a different culture and part of the country. Accommodations for special needs students would be appropriately arranged. Just to confirm, it is a mandatory (co-ed) program for both men and women.

A ten year reserve service will also be implemented, similar to the Military reserves. Again, similar to the military, the civilian reserves will also have reservists performing their chosen career tasks. Similar to the military, the civilian reserves will be used for natural and other disasters.

In general there will be several different program tracts. All tracts will be staffed by recruits NOT from that area. The reason for this is to expose recruits to different areas in the country, as well as ensuring that recruits are not distracted in their work in their own neighborhoods. The major focus of these groups will be to ensure that recruits receive appropriate training in their chosen field. It is hoped to have a similar focus and resiliency as did FDR' s "WPA" (works projects administration), except we hope to use this as a base for teaching living skills and trades.

Training is designed to allow recruits a livable wage when they return to their community.

• There are three target tracts that teams will work in (urban,surburban, ex-, that cover several specific areas that teams will work on: These areas of work will include:
  

1. Training/Teaching local residents. This portion of program will also work with the "Pre-school for all" initiative, in that those interested in working with children will become involved in the care, training, and nurturing of the staff (and future staff) of the child care centers. Will also include training/teaching/mentoring in many other skills, from language, to teaching (chess, math, language), as an example.
2. Reconstruction/Construction/Sweat Equity. This portion of training will concentrate on teaching the appropriate skills of construction, such as HVAC, plumbing, electrical, drywall, etc. Recruits will be tested, partnered with existing unions for mentorships to assist with training. Union membership will assist employment opportunities when recruits return home. Recruits will work with future home owners providing sweat equity, and quality housing for the neighborhood.
3. Urban Internships. Recruits will work with various local governmental agencies to assist in policy development, implementation, construction, and other aspects of city/town management and development.
4. Infrastructure repair/construction. Heavy Equipment used in construction. Infrastructure will be a key focus of job training, and service. We currently have thousands of miles of roads, bridges, and highways. By using the service corp to train and employ our under-served youth, we will both help repair our country, as well as build alternative transportation alternatives.
   (See also Proposal: Transportation-Rail network and below).
5. Teaching Aides/Teachers. Those with suitable experience, and interest will be encouraged to work with the local school system to assist in student education. Possible areas of expertise might include computers, drug/sex awareness, language, reading assistane, math mentoring, chess programs, etc.
   

The Railroad (Transportation project) (See also: http://sos-newdeal.blogspot.com/2008/02/proposal-transportationinfrastructure.html )

Transportation alternatives will include:
a) New Railroad construction. All existing interstate highways will have new rail systems retrofitted to provide (at least 2, preferablally 4 tracks) with exits at every existing entrance/exit. Initially, the freight service will take tractor trailers (with cabs) onto rail cars, to travel to their destination. If road is toll, or managed by (state/city) agency, that agency will co-ordinate with construction.
b) "final" Railroad (freight) plan:
While all these railroads are being designed and built, a new completed railroad network inter-connecting all these highways will be planned, designed, and constructed. This new network will be computerized, and similar to a computerized luggage delivery system at commercial airports. Modern technology, such as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology will identify individual tractor trailers with the source, destination, date loaded, due date or expiration date (and other information).

Readers will search the trailer, and auto"magically" forward the trailer to its final destination.
At the final (closest) destination to the final recipient, a truck will remove it, and do the local delivery. Engineering concerns:
Speed, accuracy, re-educating population/truck drivers to new cheaper delivery methods.

c) Final Railroad (passenger) plan:
The second set of tracks is for use by commuters, to interconnect with new light rail systems that will be developed alongside and in major streets across the country.

Two types of service:

Alternative Mandatory Service

• High School graduates and those going to college or trade School:

Those graduates wishing to enroll in the Alternative Service Corp, will join a group based at their school, and will work as a team. Their service will partially be during the summer, and partially during the school year. Both the summer, and the full year programs will stress service in their respective fields.

Campus groups will be a main organizing principle, and would be approximately 48-50 people. (This logical group will fit on one BUS!). It is important to know that a basic tenet of this training program is that service will not initially be done in the local community. Please note the word initially... Later years will have ample local volunteer opportunities.

Initial non-military service will commence with a non-traditional 'basic training' mission, during the first summer. Each group of 50 will be combined with groups from several different schools giving a pool of approximately 200-250 people in each unit. This basic training will be an introduction to community service, which will be followed with a group assignment with the new recruits doing service as a larger team. The first fall back on campus will include an ROTC type group that will work to get the recruits training in their chosen fields, as well as a course credit.

As assignment lengths and experience increase, recruits will get other assignments, including leadership roles, similar to the military's ROTC program. Upon completion of their service and degree, students will be offered a leadership position similar to the type offered to ROTC members and ranks (payscales) appropriate to their new position in the training/service corps.

Those not wishing to continue in the service will be offered an additional training incentive of paid internship in their chosen field for one year if desired. After their three year commitment, a 10 year (minimum) reserve service will be required. This reserve status will become a method to help all citizens serve our society in times of need. It is important to note that reserve service WILL be tailored to the graduates chosen career field.

Those interested in either continuing for more specialized training, a career in the service, or simply show excellence, will be eligible to go to the USSA (US Service Academy), to be established as a academy, similar to West Point or Annapolis. Similar to the Military academies post service employment is also required.

All college costs, including books, tuition, and room/board will be paid for by the government, once the recruit has finished school, and served 3 summers, and one full year of service after graduation.

Alternative Mandatory Service

• * High School non- graduates (dropouts) and those NOT going to college or trade School:

Communities with less then 50 non-college/training bound students will be combined with other
communities to get correct numbers. Groups will not remain in the same community they come from.

These groups of 50 community members will be grouped with other (somewhat random) recruits to make larger units of 250 members. Groups will be co-ed, and basic training/indoctrination will include important basic social and group dynamic considerations. It is intended that the larger unit will have members from similar, but not identical backgrounds.

The Basic training programs will ensure that recruits have suitable scholastic skills, including reading/math skills. A basic training program, similar to but highly modified from military basic training will be followed for these conscripts. Needs of the community, as well as recruit's talents and employment desires will be taken into account for training.

These larger (250 person) units will be deployed across the country, in different missions, ranging from diaster relief, to teaching, and rebuilding the country's infrastructure.


Mandatory Military Service is discussed in a different post.

***See also post HERE: http://sos-newdeal.blogspot.com/2008/03/mandatory-draft-alternative-service.html