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What a Difference a Draft Makes
Date: 11/17/2008 05:28 pm
If you don’t follow politics, here’s what you need to know about the draft: every so often, someone raises the idea that we should have a draft. (That someone is usually a Democrat, and usually New York Congressman Charles Rangel.) The reasoning on offer is: (1) the volunteer army tends to be made up of lower and middle class people; therefore, a war fought by that army tends to disproportionately affect lower and middle class families, and (2) the population as a whole would be more cautious about authorizing war if we all knew our own family could experience the loss. But does the draft also mean more activism, especially on campuses? This article from The New Hampshire examines Vietnam and Iraq for the difference a draft makes.
