Posted on by Californiacontrarian

Would This Work ?


I just read a proposal to start “Universal Service For America” by Marvin L. Covault, Lt. Gen U.S. Army, retired. Basically his concept is meant as a plan to address five basic big time problems in America. The subject is compulsory national service for all 18-year-old Americans.

He starts with a short list of youth-related issues that will continue to plague this nation far into the future unless bold steps are taken now. From his proposal these issues include:

a.  GANGS:  The FBI reports, “Some 33,000 violent street gangs, motorcycle gangs, and prison gangs with about 1.4 million members are criminally active in the U.S. today.

The average number of members per gang is reportedly 42.  About half of all homicides in the U.S. are gang related.  The Justice Department reports that, “The average age of gang members arrested in the U.S. is 17 or 18.” 

b. DROP-OUTS AND ILLITERACY: On average 7,000 students drop out of school every day; 90% of them end up on welfare. Nationally, 68% of all males in prison do not have a high school diploma.

An education system in which more than half of students entering 9th grade either drop out or graduate incapable of further education or satisfactorily performing in the private sector or the military is unsatisfactory. 

c. YOUTH OBESITY: It’s a common, serious, and costly disease.  From 2000 to 2020 obesity in the U.S. population increased from about 30% to 45% while severe obesity doubled.  Half of the obesity problem is with adolescents aged 12-19 years.

d. CULTURE: America is drowning in a culture of hate and blame.  A year of character development can change young adults and henceforth, transform America.

e. RACE: There is no way to explicitly measure the state of race relations in the United States, but they are at least not what they should be.  Babies are not born bigoted, disrespecting, or hateful.  While growing up they learn it at home, in school, on the playground and in the street.

f. WELFARE:  It is a fact that the more education one completes, the less likely they are to be on welfare. About 32 million households, or 27.1%, benefit from one or more of the following:  Medicaid, food stamps, subsidized lunches, public housing, unemployment, and some sort of direct cash assistance.  

Be forewarned this article by Lt. Gen Covault is long, complicated, and detailed. If you have ten minutes you should read it in its entirety for yourself. 

What brought this to mind is a recent headline in The Chicago Sun Times:

“Labor Day weekend violence in Chicago: 4-year-old boy killed, seven other children wounded, total of 66 shot, 6 killed” But this was small time compared to the 4th of July weekend headline:

“Chicago’s most violent weekend of 2021: 104 shot, 19 of them killed. 13 kids among the wounded”

Keep in mind that violence in Chicago is not just on holiday weekends. The weekend before Labor Day, at least six people were killed and 50 others wounded in citywide gun violence. To me the difference this past Labor Day weekend was that these shootings were not just in “bad neighborhoods,” as one was downtown in the Loop and one was on a Gold Coast walking trail.

Everyone knows that the majority of these shootings are related to gangs, whose members are young, angry, uneducated, and most likely either on or soon to be on welfare. This profile of individuals sounds exactly like what “Universal Service for America” is aimed at. Would this work? Is it possible or mere fantasy?

Either we do nothing or we desperately try something! 

9/11/21

www.californiacontrarian.com

129 Replies to “Would This Work ?”

  1. Look at the statistics in Israel where there is mandatory service in the IDF
    I had a brother in law (passed away) who at 18 was getting into lots of trouble. He was also dyslexic. He joined the Navy and they taught him a trade. When he left the service after 3 yrs he worked in building maintenance and worked his way up to become head supervisor . he married and raised a wonderful family. I believe it can work and I am for it

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