Charles Rangel thinks he owns you

badbob

Moderator
The Chicago Sun Times had an article today about a draft. Do you agree with Rangel that everyone should do 2 years of public service?
http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/149557,CST-CONT-slave26.article

Charles Rangel thinks he owns you
Congressman backs a public-service draft

November 26, 2006
BY GINA COBB
If Democratic Congressman Charles Rangel gets his way, everyone in America will be the government's slave for two years. He doesn't call it "slavery." He calls it a "draft." But if you look closely at what he's demanding, it's not just military service. It's all-purpose involuntary servitude:
Rangel says having a draft would not necessarily mean everyone called to duty would have to serve. Instead, "young people [would] commit themselves to a couple of years in service to this great republic, whether it's our seaports, our airports, in schools, in hospitals," with a promise of educational benefits at the end of service.

So Charles Rangel's position is:

1. Everyone in America should be forced by law to work for the government (or for someone approved by the government) for two years -- either for no pay or for minimal pay.

2. The two years of work should be demanded, not due to any national emergency of any kind, but as a political stunt to influence national policy. A draft, he says, would deter politicians from launching wars.

3. In service of this political stunt, people should be forced to work at wherever the government dictates -- even for what should be private employers like hospitals, seaports and airports.

In other words, Rangel advocates two years of involuntary servitude -- also known as slavery -- for every adult in America.

Serve two years in slavery, and then you'll be freed to do what you want with your own life. (Maybe -- until Rangel comes up with his next political stunt that demands that your freedom be sacrificed.)

Rangel thinks he owns you. He feels perfectly entitled to demand that you drop whatever you are doing anywhere in America -- studying for college, learning a trade, launching a small business, starting a family -- so you can instead devote two full years of your life to promote his political agenda.

Rangel doesn't care what plans anyone may have made for their own life as an adult in the land of the free. His message is: "Welcome to adulthood. Now do whatever the government tells you to."

Of course he's trying to make it sound positive. You'll be "serving" this "great republic!"

Mind you, telling grown men and women what kind of work they will or will not be permitted to do -- and for what compensation, if any -- is not what made this republic great.

But you'll be "serving" in "hospitals!" or maybe "seaports!" or maybe "airports!"

Hey, America's farmers could use a little help! We always have a shortage of farm workers, remember? Who knows? Maybe you'll even be allowed to "serve" in the Congress of this great republic and polish Charlie Rangel's shoes!

See, central planners in the government know better than you do what are good uses of your time.

It's communism lite. It's the two-years-of-your-life plan. Big Brother will tell you what types of work are worthy and unworthy.

Want to work in a hospital for little or no pay? OK! Want to work at your uncle's hardware store for a fair wage instead? Or at your dad's veterinary clinic? Not OK.

Want to work at an airport doing whatever the government says? OK. Want to get married and start your family? Nope. Want to start your career as an auto mechanic, or hair stylist, or librarian? Not OK. What do you think this is -- a free country? Want to help discover a cure for cancer? What are you, a wise guy?

Want to be a teacher's aide? Big Brother says OK. Want to just stay in college and work toward your degree? No way, Buster. Put those plans on hold.

And if you won't cooperate with our plan for the first two years of your adult life, we could always send you to "camp."

badbob
 
The "draft" issue notwithstanding, this program would, seemingly, put thousands of relatively unskilled workers on the job, probably in simple "makework" projects, working for nearly nothing. This would cause the contractors and others who rely on this work to support their families to lose their jobs to what amounts to prison laborers. I think that generally the military services continue to favor a volunteer force; they don't want people who don't want to be there in the first place.

Tim
 
Having been operated on by "volunteer" military doctors, I would hate to think of the quality of care delivered by draftees at the local St. Joseph's.

Imagine having a nurse who was getting "short". :eek:
 
Republicans warned you this was coming, America.
You didn't listen.
You deserve the government you elect!!
I lived through the period wherein, any given month, I could get a letter with the heading "Greetings from the President".
I don't wish that angst on anyone!!!
 
I never knew Charlie Rangel was black until someone mentioned it on the news. With the dark complexion, white features, his hair combed straight back, and that gravely voice with the Noo Yoak accent that sounds like something out of the Godfather (Marlon Brando). I kinda thought he was Italian. His politics ring more like something off of the Godfather too (gun control, people control, big union thug) "Da federal guhvuhment will give yoo protection for a small fee to them foa thea service too yoo. Yoo must pee foa dea protection. Unda this yoa enemies will become our enemies and den dey will fea yoo. I am yoa Gadfadda" He is and always has been a thug no better than Al Capone. All he needs is a cigar and a pen stripped suit. Same could be said of Barney Frank (sodomizing pedaphile), Ted Kennedy (murderer) and all those other Noo Yoak and Noo England thugs who want to grab your guns and keep the government big at the expense of our liberty.:barf:
 
I think that the notion of public service is a good thing (and I know most here would not disagree with that notion)...but mandatory service? I'm not certain I'm convinced.
 
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I think that the notion of public service is a good thing (and I know most here would not agree with that notion)...but mandatory service? I'm not certain I'm convinced.

I seem to remember Bill Clinton talking about this way back in the 1990s about making us go to work to do public service for our communities (his language came awful close to sounding like just that to me) and then talk about what a great guy he was for bringing communites (villages? as in, it takes one to raise a .....well you get the idea) together
 
Imagine having a nurse who was getting "short".

Or one that was plain incompetent, but managed to get herself into a position of responsibility. Based on my experiences in Ft. Stewart's Army hospital, I shudder to think what would come of this form of socialism.
 
Mr Rangel

Ought to be forced to work for the Americans who elected that PUBLIC SERVANT or fire his ass. Call for an Impeachment at the very least. Mr Rangel ought to dangle.
 
That's just nuts, no one should be forced to help their country. Count me out. Just like Iraq, no body's over there who doesn't want to be over there! I'll stay home & pay my taxes, that's all I gotta do.
 
Not a big fan of Rangel's however the draft is needed and will certainly be used in the future. We need a constant rotation of military training if we are to remain a world power at present we have too few troops and it becomes more difficult each year to recruit young men.

To compare the draft to slavery is really wild, my opinion is someone who does not care to serve 24 months for there country then don't let the door hit you on the way out.
 
Republicans warned you this was coming, America.
You didn't listen.
You deserve the government you elect!!
I lived through the period wherein, any given month, I could get a letter with the heading "Greetings from the President".
I don't wish that angst on anyone!!!

I hate to burst the bubble here but in 2004 this legislation was introduced in the House and was voted down 402-2. That means that Rangel and 1 other person voted for the draft. That means an awful lot of Democrats had to vote against the draft legislation also.

reality check on aisle 5 please....
 
To compare the draft to slavery is really wild, my opinion is someone who does not care to serve 24 months for there country then don't let the door hit you on the way out.
The problem is that you ARE NOT serving your country. You are being sent to do whatever work they want you to do. This nutcases legislation could have you scrubbing toilets at an airport 1500 miles from your home. Does that sound cost effective or fair to you? We simply do not need that many people working for the government. We do not need such large standing armies as we needed in the past.

I "serve" my country every two weeks and again on April 15th. I have money stolen from me that I know I will never see again, nor will I see the benifits of most of that money. I don't owe the government a thing. If anything, the government owes me a heck of alot. A war on drugs, bloated military spending, a Pyramid Scheme retirement fund (social security), and many other things that it wastes my money on and I am sick of all the waste.

You may owe everything you have to your country, but you never owe anything to your government.
 
I wanted to punch him in the mouth the second he proposed a draft, but to be fair where did you get your talking points from? The article I read about it stated that the govt service would only be in the military of charitible fields such as peace corps and other agencies which are already volunteer driven. It also said that people in college were excluded while completing a degree.
 
Mr. Peabody, when did we get back into your time machine? I could swear we are back in the 60's during the Vietnam War. Why the arguments are the same, the press is reporting the same. Why even the cast of characters is the same althought a little more wrinkled. We need to figure out a way to resurrect Jim Morrison for an anti-war gig. Hey, Grace Slick is still kicking. Let's sign her up.
 
not really worth commenting on but i believe his career just went down the toilet with M. Richards..
What are his plans for all the high school drop outs and the dope freaks, will they be exempt or do we pay millions to get them in shape to serve??
 
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