Come one, Come all!

What with the recent change of administrations in Washington, there seems to be a renewed call for some sort of “national service”. Nothing new to us old-timers: we knew it as the Draft. While the two ideas share some similarities, they seem to be more different than alike (at least to me). But opponents of national service will continue to equate the two terms because of the visceral reaction to the word “Draft”. 

So let’s rename the Draft and combine it with any other form of national service. How about “Recess”? Who doesn’t like recess? And that’s what it would be: a break, but instead of coming between morning and afternoon classes, it would come between the end of formal education and the beginning of the rest of our lives. And it could stand for “Required Extra-Curricular Effort for the Sake of Society”. (Everybody loves acronyms.) And it would include everyone, not just the military minded.

OK, so now we’ve established Recess as the new game in town. What are the rules? Well, how about a two-year time frame? That gives everyone a chance to come on in, settle into a given position, and actually learn some discipline along with other, more specific skills that may well come in handy farther down life’s highway. Any area that is funded, at least partially, by federal tax dollars and serves to promote the quality of our society is fair game: the Park Service, transportation projects, energy producing facilities, you name it. God knows we could all use some new blood and the ideas it brings in just about every facet of the infrastructure we all use. Granted, the military will still be available for those wanting to pursue that avenue, but many more opportunities must be made available for the many more participants.

We’ve all got something that turns our motors on and Recess would allow the opportunity to explore the possibilities without the worry of “wasting two years of our life”. Hell, since everyone’s in the same boat there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain. Our college types get a pass until they graduate or five years, whichever comes first. Save the advanced degrees for later. And no exceptions or deferments for you Dick Cheney’s out there. 

Perhaps the best part is that it could be instituted almost immediately. The opportunities and job vacancies are there. All we need to establish is the database and create the application. I’d say the Selective Service System would be happy to share its records, wouldn’t you? That covers all the young men. The young women can enroll in a similar fashion and Bingo! We’re up and running. No more worrying over finding a job for the non-college bound so unemployment figures go down, too. Of course, pay and benefits would vary by chosen positions, but entry-level wages could be similar to those we now offer to new military inductees. And yes, the wages would come out of our taxes, but what better investment than our society and future generations with a renewed sense of service, responsibility, and accountability. Aptitude tests? Couldn’t hurt, but remember that we let the participants figure out where they want to go and should they be unsuited for Plan A, Plan B may be a little less discretionary. 

We now have a program that expects each young citizen to step up and put some effort into making this country a little better place to be. In return, our young citizens learn some responsibility and perhaps gain a better understanding into what is to be done with the future. And it’s called Recess (a good thing). As for the Draft: let’s send it to the round file where all anachronisms and their baggage go to die.