What kind of national service do you think the US should implement?

13 comments

1. I liked Pete Buttigieg’s idea about a national peace corps. He wanted to make Americorps into a pretty much universal experience.

2. None.

3. subsidized intercity rail. Amtrak is getting a little better but frankly there aren’t enough routes, and a lot of the routes we do have are only single track (and freight trains stupidly have priority because they own the tracks). it would also be good to slowly phase out the flight subsidies.

4. None, increasing spending is exact opposite thing we should be doing now with how high inflation is.

5. Not a single one.

6. None. We should be eliminating National Services if anything.

7. I always wondered why there wasn’t a national effort for school resources.

   It would be so cool to have actors, singers, artists, and other professionals make content for schools.

   I feel like sesame street, it would attract great talent.

   Silly thing like really great artists writing catchy tunes for multiplication tables or the periodic table could work.

   Sports players combined with scientists doing mini films on physics.

   Superhero actors demonstrating with scientists physics — with all the special effects.

   I just feel like the possibilities are sort of endless.

8. Though it’s a small step, we need to step away from using only private ambulance and have it be public instead just like fire services and police. Outside of universal healthcare, there is no reason I call a public service (the police, dispatcher, 911 operator) for a health emergency just to have a private company come out and charge me $5k for the luxury.

   The logistics is going to be hard for this as it is tied with healthcare which isn’t a national service (though I’m thinking more of a public service), but we should have ambulance be a public service just like others that we already have.

9. Multiple – Military, construction, nursing assistants, recycling – basically, instead of internships, we should have a national service period, where every 18-20 year old recieves some sort of job training and contributes to the community, during which time they get fed at work, have an assigned uniform, etc… Much like the military. That, or they can’t receive government benefits unless they are disabled, so no EBT, no Federal loans, no Section 8, only Health insurance and Social Security.

10. National service is a very touchy concept. The idea of national conscription, even for non-military purposes, does not sit well in most Western countries.

    I don’t think we should be forcing people into national service.

11. Interesting, some people read this as service like military or volunteer and other as a service like public transit.

12. The only one I’d be ok with is one that systematically dismantles all the other ones

13. If any, infrastructure rebuilding. X years working to fix buildings, roads, utilities, etc. Compensated fairly, obviously.