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Originally Posted by Telluride
It's a stand against schools forcing political values on peoples' children. If my future children decide of their own free will that they want to do community service, I won't forbid or discourage them as long as it doesn't interfere with their responsibilities (homework, household chores, etc.). However; I absolutely will not force them to do community service or allow others to do so unless it's a judge punishing them for a crime they've committed.
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You don't have to allow them to do it. You are always free to home school them, of course. Meanwhile the HS around the corner from my house (Willow Glen HS, San Jose, CA) already has it. None of the parents complained. You can't go to dances or school events if you've not done 10 hours per year. Sure, some of the students probably groan, but they do it and it doesn't kill them.
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Originally Posted by Telluride
A child can be educated without being loaned out as a servant to his or her neighbors. And any civilization that can't survive without subjecting its people to involuntary servitude doesn't deserve to survive, in my opinion.
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The volunteer organizations don't own the children, so the 'being loaned out' thing is very inaccurate. 'Subjugation' is downright misleading. No one is being conquered. No one is being forced into a cruel situation.
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Originally Posted by Telluride
How is it a strawman? A number of people in this thread have defended mandatory community service for political/philosophical reasons (civic duty, making the world a better place, etc.). It seems pretty obvious to me what the motivations are for such a policy.
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Are the people in this thread in charge of the program? No? Then strawman it is.
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Originally Posted by Telluride
Yes, I would help. But what you don't seem to understand is that there's a difference between choosing to help and being forced to help.
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They're not being forced at all. No one said that you have to graduate from high school. No where is it written that it's illegal not to have a diploma. Jeez. They can flunk until they turn 18, and then mow lawns for the rest of their lives.
Or they can stop being babies and do what's asked of them.
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Originally Posted by Telluride
It's not a "volunteer program" if people are being forced to participate (which would be the case in both a military draft and mandatory community service). And there are plenty of non-combat jobs in our military.
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Right now the non combat people, National Guard, for example, are being shipped over to Iraq. I'm sure they'd be frustrated that you think that there are going to be ways to join up and not get shipped out in a few months to a very dry, hot place. With a gun.
It's a volunteer program in that they get to choose which program they volunteer for. Many schools don't even have lists to choose from. Kids can go out and find something they might like and do it.
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Originally Posted by Telluride
Anyway; the argument is not about whether or not mandatory service is dangerous. It's about whether or not the government should be allowed to commandeer our lives just because someone thinks it will be good for us.
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The government can tell out kids what to do in school so long as what they're asking isn't illegal because that's how the law works. If you disagree (and I'm picking up on a small chance you might not agree on this one), go change the law.
I wonder, to those in this thread who are against the school doing this: should people under 18 be allowed to vote? I started a thread a few years back, and like 98% of the people said "no". When I consider the arguments in this thread, suggesting that kids have rights and such, I wonder how that would translate to the right to representation. Kids are taxed every time they buy food or if they're working before the age of 18, but they are not represented in government (which is why it's so easy for kids to get forced into things like this).
Just food for thought.