National Service

[FatAndFaithless]

Well, like I said I might be open to extending some of the benefits that those who serve enjoy, to other areas of civil service.  I'm with you on that (key word being "some"...and to what extent I dunno).  But giving those benefits to children, then taking them away unless they work for the gov't seems cranky to me.

It's just practical.  In order to provide enhanced services to more people we will require a greater investment -from- people.  Those who opt out of this investment should reasonably expect not to be afforded the same level of services of those who do...just as we have it set up now.  No ones talking about throwing anyone to th wolves here.  Like I said, if you don;t serve..you end up in the same position that you are now in, in america, if you haven't served. 

It's just not what the government's job is.

It's the governments job to provide for the security and well-being of the people.  This is one way to do so.  

If you're for a national health system, fine, but holding it hostage on the condition that you work for the federal gov't isn't something I can get behind...that's kind of why it's called universal health care.

National healthcare holds itself hostage, as does any national program, to our ability to fund and staff it.  

To answer your second question, I'm a federal employee working in biomedical research.

So, when you were 18, if you had the opportunity to spend 18 months working in support of a federal biomed project..and for doing so would receive access to benefits similar to those vets currently enjoy..you'd have turned it down on the grounds that it seemed creepy to have to do that.,..in order to receive those benefits?

As an 18 year old I would've taken any job I could get.  I'm not objecting on the grounds that it sounds like a bad deal for the people that accept it, I'm objecting to the huge expansion of the federal government and the cycle it would create.  The people that grow up relying on the gov't can only keep the things they've been relying upon if they then work for the federal government.

I just don't think it's part of the government's job to be that huge a part of everyone's lives - even creating situations that are 'too good to refuse.'