Voting and public office rights.

What are your views that only people who serve in the armed forces be allowed to vote and run for office.
This may sound anti-democratic but it is very democratic since everyone would be allowed to enlist in varying degrees it would in a way just be a way to earn voting registration rights.

 

I don't think it's a very good idea. Many people aren't physically able to be in the military, but are perfectly capable of holding a political office.

 

Being a vet myself I can truthfully say that I wouldn't want any of the men I knew running this country.

 

"very democratic since everyone would be allowed to enlist in varying degrees "

 

[QUOTE='Ol Silver]Being a vet myself I can truthfully say that I wouldn't want any of the men I knew running this country.[/QUOTE]


May be a good point but can you truthfully say that you are happy with the lawyers that are running our nation today.

 

Well I don't think democracy is a good form of government, but that's another story. So you mean they wouldn't necessarily have to serve or do anything, just join?

 

There are many ways to serve in the military. Not everyone is RAMBO and an Army of RAMBO's could never win a war.

 

wierd just wierd. How about only janitors can vote or only left handed people, or guys who last names start with Q.

 

How about morons named Danr can't vote too!

 

It is interesting that the United States of America was founded on the principle of personal liberty, and the idea that the government that governs least, governs best. This has degenerated into a society where patriotism has been equated to service TO government. Now we have people actually suggesting that citizenship has to be "earned" through service, that we need 250million government employees, and they probably actually believe that they are somehow stating some sort of traditional American value instead of proposing the implementation of a statist/collectivist nightmare. Amazing.

 

oh gosh craig you got me there

 

I just wish people would be better versed in the "who, what and why" when they put a check in the block, 'er rather connect the arrow, punch the card (with no hannging chads etc.). Everyone shall have the right to vote, even Danr, no matter what your political views. If nothing else it raises awareness in our flawed laws.
Even Congresswoman McKinney can get elected thusly proving my point of flaws in our system but bringing them to the surface.

 

I think limiting the right to vote would be a wrong turn for the country. Now, mandatory military commitment is another topic entirely.

 

I won't seriously comment on the initial proposal, but as for "mandatory military commitment", aren't most countries currently going in the opposite direction? At least here in Europe many forces were/are turned into professional military rather than being based on conscripts. Mostly because what armed forces primarily need nowadays is highly trained experts ...

What would make some sense, however, is something like a mandatory "community year". Whether one does that in an army or at some elder care place is secondary in my opinion. And if it cannot be made mandatory, those who do it should at least enjoy some benefits. But this does not have anything to do with voting rights.

Christian

 

I am actually totally, 100% against mandatory military service commitments. While in some ways it sounds good and it may have its great benefits to some people who would go through it, there is much more benefit to the military in not having it. The quality and commitment would go way down right of the bat. Same with morale and costs would sky rocket. There are other issues too that would not benefit the military or the nation, IMHO. You hit the nail on the head with the Professional Military aspect.

I like the idea of some kind of community service commitment. The only issue I have with making it mandatory is the bureaucracy that would be needed for it which would probably be immense, costly and inefficient...like most government programs. lol

 

mandatory service= yes
manditory military= no way
service may include stuff like peace corp

 

If mandatory service were to include time served completing community service, that would include at least half of the U.S. population. By the time you were to figure anything else that could be construed as mandatory service, we would be at the same point we started at simply because it would be unconstituitional to disfranchise anyone or any specific minority.

 

"Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country" will be "serve and protect this land and you would have earned the right to run this land".
Think about it if only those who serve in the military can vote and run for public office then we will not have politicans worrying about the illegal alien vote, we do not have to worry about people planning wars who have never been actively engaged or understand the fundamentals of supply movement, etc..
and the bottom line is we would most likely have a higher voter turn out if the right to vote was earned.

Also how many lawyers and multi-millionaires today hold are our congressman, senators, presidents.
Why should it cost over 100 million dollars to run an effective campaign for President?

Of course this would never happened but for a democracy where the people are truly the nation, it does make sense. We would all be like the minute men of yesterday.

 

I know that there are people that don't think much of the military but consider it a necessary evil. You not only drank the Kool-aid, you were the military's offical taste tester. Geez!

 

The Army core of Engineers made most of Florida liveable.
The national guard is the first to be called in to prevent a national disaster, sandbagging along rivers or to help with national disasters.
The Coast Guard saves a number of lives at sea every year.
The Free world is free because of the military that made it so and keeps it so.

There is nothing evil about the military as long as the people in it and running it are basically good.
War is what has been called a necessary evil. Shame the news media seems to have forgotten that people die in war and you can not make peace with an enemy that wants you dead. How can you compromise with that,
"Ok, we won't defend ourselves but you won't kill us if we all go into a coma"..