preview

Arguments Against Mandatory Civil Service

Decent Essays

The U.S. Congress is considering a requirement of one year of civil service by either participating in the military, or contributing to a civilian service program, a mandate that would be imposed on high school graduates prior to them entering college. Consequently, this is directed towards all high school students in the U.S. In my opinion, this requirement would be in direct conflict with all that we value as citizens of the United States of America. Moreover, I feel that this move towards mandated civil service aimed at all high school graduates would infringe on our basic freedom of choice and our right to "The American Dream", the ability to choose what we do and have the freedom to try to achieve our dreams.

Those in favor of this new …show more content…

However, I do not support their position on mandating participation in civil service programs and feel it is reminiscent of the draft that our country had during the Vietnam War, a war that several of my family members were a part of and that few remember as a highlight in our country's history. Consequently, my opposition to mandated civil service programs is focused on the mandated part of the program because it takes away our freedom of choice, allowing the government to basically dictate to us what we will do for at least one year of our life after we graduate high school. Required civil service is actually something that if you search the globe, you will find it in many countries that are known for their lack of respect in regards to human dignity and a lack of respect for life and freedom. For example, in North Korea, men are required to provide between 10 and 13 years of service to their country, depending on what type of specialized duties they may have. Also, in 2015, North Korea made it mandatory for all women who had graduated middle and high school to undergo mandatory military service, a service that had previously been voluntary to women (not men), according to an article entitled "North Korea …show more content…

I feel that such a move would be against the core values that we hold in this country, most notably our freedom of choice and our respect for human dignity. By taking away these simple freedoms, I feel that our country would be making a move that could be compared to a country know for having one of the worst records in the world on human rights, is a communist state, and is also a dictatorship, North Korea. Moreover, we need to hold true to our freedoms, and in order to do so we cannot implement any type of mandated civil service policy that would dictate the direction the lives of our graduating high school students take, that choice should be left up to

Get Access