[speaker001:] have you had any thoughts on this
[speaker002:] well not really uh I uh am of an age where I could have very well served in the military during the Vietnam era and I did not
[speaker001:] um-hum how old are you if I can ask
[speaker002:] huh do what
[speaker001:] how old are you
[speaker002:] I'm will be forty nine in August
[speaker001:] okay so we're about the same age
[speaker002:] right uh during that time I was in college and uh and also had some minor health problems that did keep me out of the out of the military or or help to keep me out anyway
[speaker001:] um-hum um-hum
[speaker002:] but uh I'm not opposed to military service at all
[speaker001:] yeah I think this is also a a broader scope I think uh they're talking about uh just service in general and um
[speaker002:] uh yeah
[speaker001:] I I did a lot of this sort of thing in in college in the summers um I worked uh in uh Mexico doing community service for uh for two summers while I was in college and you know it was an incredibly worthwhile experience
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] so in theory I'm am favor of this but on the other hand I'm an economist and uh just like uh well the military has a tremendous uh you know responsibility for security and everything but there's also an equally tremendous budget so I guess on the other hand as as as as good as this idea is it's got to be paid for uh even though it's uh you know it it's it's never quite voluntary people have to be paid if they're asked to serve for a year in any capacity so uh you know uh uh the idea's great where does the money come from
[speaker002:] right I guess uh uh I've had I have had some thoughts in the past that uh this this service should not be uh performed for for areas that we don't need the service you know uh it's if it's uh
[speaker001:] and
[speaker002:] if it's voluntary service but it's being furnished by the government it should be to take the place of things that the government's doing already
[speaker001:] um-hum it should it it should or shouldn't it should um-hum
[speaker002:] should right so uh you know the the the voluntary service in the medical you know
[speaker001:] but I don't think it was it was voluntary I think it was just the required year of required service there was nothing about voluntary
[speaker002:] oh okay yeah then then then I guess that's you know uh-huh
[speaker001:] that's why as an economist my my my ears perked up
[speaker002:] uh at at any rate I guess my idea is that that if we're going to replace if we're going to to institute this national service policy that that service policy should replace some other area
[speaker001:] um-hum uh-huh
[speaker002:] where we're spending money uh you know uh you know eliminate eliminate some bureaucrats and let the let these national this national service take care of their job
[speaker001:] and doing it at a less expensive rate then uh-huh of course you'll probably get another whole layer of bureaucracy running it
[speaker002:] right and uh
[speaker001:] I mean let's face it the military is probably one of the most bureaucratic agencies
[speaker002:] right yeah
[speaker001:] so I I I you know on the one hand my immediate reaction to it was oh it's wonderful you know I think people do owe their country something whether it
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] they serve in the military or for those who for for one reason or other can't want to serve in another area and have talents in another area
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] great but then who pays and if they have to and they don't go into the labor the other labor force you're losing money in terms of taxing
[speaker002:] yeah right
[speaker001:] from other jobs I mean so there's it's not it's not a real cut and dry
[speaker002:] yeah I agree uh it and and it would uh would be nice if we could get some uh some multiple use out of this you know maybe uh
[speaker001:] thing um-hum
[speaker002:] have the the military which is you know is is is a a a real drain financially on the country have the people that are in the military serve some other function you know instead instead of just military uh
[speaker001:] um-hum um-hum um-hum and just marching around waiting for a war
[speaker002:] right uh
[speaker001:] yeah uh we did have something similar to a volunteer thing with uh which was volunteer although volunteer there was a minimum payment uh like Vista which was a domestic Peace Corps some time back
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] and probably coming from Texas you may have bumped into some of that
[speaker002:] yeah I have seen uh you know I'm not really that you know that familiar with it I am aware that that that Vista and uh yeah
[speaker001:] oh yeah and I know the army what's the army has a corps of engineers
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] which uh could probably be one of those areas that uh could be uh privatized or civilianized or whatever some of the areas there you know for domestic use
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] I've always wondered why the army corps of of engineers took care of floods you know in in certain areas why was
[speaker002:] right it's well I guess uh in in in looking at that one reason that the army corps of engineers is that uh the military schools
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] do have probably among the top engineering schools in the country uh
[speaker001:] um-hum but of course there are many private engineering schools that are absolutely superb
[speaker002:] right but uh but if if the government's going to uh to provide the service then government you know government trained people are are logical to do that uh
[speaker001:] yeah they made um-hum yeah and of course back during the depression when the government started doing things like uh CCC the Civilian Conservation Corps
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] so I uh you know there's a bit of a history of people serving the government and it doesn't have to be as the military you know if you go in just as a as an enlistee uh the wage isn't anything great
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] so if if you're asking for a year of service it doesn't have to be a wage comparable to the uh if it's a required year it doesn't have to be a wage comparable to the private sector so it could be you know a wage enough to for have someone to live on to eat and if uh if in fact
[speaker002:] right right yeah
[speaker001:] so I guess that it a lot of thinking would have to be done if it were implemented
[speaker002:] well and it right it yeah uh yeah I guess uh basically I'm you know I'm in favor of uh of the idea but
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] I think that uh like you said a lot of thought needs to go into it just uh the financing and and the the uh the yeah
[speaker001:] how it's administered and how you know uh just the who uh who who would be exempted because I'm sure there would be exemptions to it
[speaker002:] but uh but uh you know medical service and uh uh aid aid you know or or assistance for families and uh
[speaker001:] uh um-hum
[speaker002:] oh even uh even uh running the uh the prison system might be a you know a a an area that could run could taken be taken care of
[speaker001:] um-hum or even or even doing paperwork for a police systems you know
[speaker002:] right uh there's any number of things that the government's involved in that uh
[speaker001:] um-hum yeah
[speaker002:] that this service could take care of
[speaker001:] homeless homeless and all
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] I think they're going to cut us off
[speaker002:] well I think that's my call waiting line ringing whoever that is will probably call back
[speaker001:] oh oh yeah but I think you know in terms of the the the crime pressing problems in the United States today that in terms of the homeless in terms of the state of the the state of the prisons
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] um there're there're probably a lot of things that could be done uh on a volunteer basis so maybe they should do pilot projects to try it out to see how it works
[speaker002:] right yeah right and uh just to see what uh what all could be done yeah it's uh nice talking to you too okay bye-bye
[speaker001:] yeah well listen it was good talking with you okay bye-bye