EvilEyedPanda ,

Naw I'm good, thanks.

intensely_human ,

That would be nice. It is rather demeaning to sign a paper promising to die for your country when needed, in order to get voting privileges.

anindefinitearticle ,

I was given a draft card with my financial aid package for undergrad.

Applying for FAFSA was a required part of the application process for public universities and most private ones, meaning that nearly all amabs applying for college were automatically enrolled by this process…

until they simplified FAFSA in 2020, which I just learned about when acquiring the link above as a citation.

This bill would reinstate and expand automatic enrollment to amabs who don’t need FAFSA or who don’t want to go to college.

So they are trying to change the conditions for automatic enrollment from “has a penis and wants to go to college” (precovid) to just “has a penis”.

urska ,

United States of Israel

njm1314 ,

Seems like a pretty good Common Sense legislation really. You already have to register by law so making it automatic would be easier for all of us and avoid anyone getting in trouble for something stupid. I don't see a downside to this. I would like to see it apply to voting registration too however.

diviledabit ,

Haha good one...voting registration is not exactly in vogue these days.

umbraroze ,

Well, voting registration as it's implemented in America isn't exactly in vogue. As in "oh, you just need to get an ID to vote from now on." And people without ID need to do some extra paperwork and the office is open 5 minutes every other week, just go through the door located behind the acid moat and bear traps.

Over here in Finland: Government has a comprehensive record of citizens, they know where everyone lives and who's eligible to vote. So they send you a letter. "Here's how to do the advance voting, here's the polling location you need to go to on election day, Also here's how to draw the numbers, so this will be less confusing. Just bring this notice card with you. And an ID. If you don't have an ID, visit the police station and they'll give you one for free."

sparkle ,
@sparkle@lemm.ee avatar

In Italy, you have to travel to whatever city you have residence in to vote. A lot of (mostly progressive) people have to fly across the country to cast their vote, apparently it sucks for them

OhStopYellingAtMe ,
@OhStopYellingAtMe@lemmy.world avatar

So people can be automatically registered for the draft, but not automatically registered to vote? Seems like bullshit.

Etterra ,

You didn't think the government would actually do something for you, did you?

FiniteBanjo , (edited )

Technically, the USA already required you to sign up for the draft right around the time you received your Social Security Card. The draft has not been used since 1973 and earlier. So this basically has no adverse effect. Even if a draft happened all the same people who would have been drafted before will be drafted now.

HexadecimalSky ,

American men are supposed to sign up for the draft when they turn 18, this new bill would make that an automatic process.

csm10495 ,
@csm10495@sh.itjust.works avatar

I think it's called selective service

HexadecimalSky ,

Yes, it's called the selective service, but it's colloquially known as draft and that's what above was referencing

FiniteBanjo ,

I like how you got downvoted for rehashing 16bit when all they did was repeat exactly the same thing me and the article headline said and still got upvotes.

Evilcoleslaw ,

You're required to sign up within 30 days of your 18th birthday. You should have (well your parents anyway) a social security card within the first year of your life, strange outliers aside.

It's still technically a crime knowingly not registering, with a $250k fine, even if it hasn't been prosecuted in decades.

It also bars you from federal government jobs, many federal programs, and grants. Until 2020, it also barred any federal financial aid for education, but that's changed now.

FiniteBanjo ,

You should have a Social Security Number when you are born as a citizen of the USA. You register for your card when you turn 18.

dezmd Mod ,
@dezmd@lemmy.world avatar

Your parents received your ss card after you were born once your SSN was assigned.

You register for the draft when you register to vote.

Ookami38 ,

I've definitely had my social security card since I was like, 12. Before that, my mom had it. Definitely, 100% did not get it at or around 18

intensely_human ,

The draft has not been used since 1973 and earlier

One thing I found as I’ve gotten older is that history gets shorter and shorter the older you get.

1973 was so recent bro you have no idea. It was within one human lifetime. That’s really close. That basically just happened.

FiniteBanjo ,

I don't really get what point you're trying to make.

Moneo ,

They're saying "I'M OLD AND TIME'S MOVING FAST SONNY BOY"

FiniteBanjo ,

I don't even think he's over 69 I think he just wants to say the Draft is some impending doom we should be worried about, but at this point if a draft occurs it will probably be for something pretty important.

ThunderclapSasquatch ,

If it's important draft everyone then. Not just the men

FiniteBanjo ,

Sure, sounds good.

ThunderclapSasquatch ,

Your sense of time is too short is what's being said.

FiniteBanjo ,

I'm sorry I don't measure recent events in a span of a hundred years.

ThunderclapSasquatch ,

Trading bodily autonomy for voting isn't right, especially when half the country is not only exempt but fights any attempt to make it more equal.

FiniteBanjo ,

Defending only yourself isn't right, especially when you want all the benefits with none of the costs.

ThunderclapSasquatch ,

Men are the only ones paying this cost in the US

FiniteBanjo ,

Again, there hasn't been a draft in 51 years, all of our current armed forces are volunteers and about a fifth of them are women. If you want to extend the draft that is fine but it sounded more like you were opposed to the draft entirely.

Finalsolo963 ,

I wish they would institute another draft. Whatever party was behind it would be gone inside of the decade.

SpaceCowboy ,
@SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca avatar

Kinda a nothing burger really. The military doesn't want conscripts unless there's an existential threat to the country.

So there's two scenarios:

  1. Selective service continues to exist and is only used if there's an existential threat to the country
  2. Selective service is eliminated and is re-instated only if there's an existential threat to the country

Option 2 is preferable since it eliminates the cost of a program that will likely never be used again. But it still doesn't eliminate the possibility of a draft since if the country were under an existential threat in the future, legislation can be passed to bring it back. So Option 2 isn't effectively different from Option 1, other than the cost savings.

As it is, selective service is basically just a political talking point, and a way to "own the libs" or whatever. The best way to argue against it is to make an argument around the cost of a program that doesn't really accomplish anything. But the libs take the bait and argue about not wanting to be drafted, which isn't wrong, but that makes the libs look weak in the eyes of many, and it allows Republicans get to make hay about their opposition being weak.

masquenox ,

Something tells me fragging (the original kind) might have a chance of becoming de rigueur again.

BigMacHole ,

This will help bring down Inflation!

Bonesy91 ,

I know I'm not the smartest fork in the kitchen, but how are they able to just pass this when it should be something we get to vote on?

androogee ,

I mean if you wanna argue that that is the way it should work, I guess we could have that conversation.

(Way too many people I know won't keep themselves informed enough to vote on representatives, let alone understanding every individual bill well enough to vote on those.)

But if you're under the impression that that is how it currently works, I guess all I can really do is recommend you take a civics class or something cause that's wild lmao

afraid_of_zombies ,

Prove to me right now that the average congressional rep knows everything they vote on as much as they should.

androogee ,

Prove to you a thing you just made up that nobody said?

I'm go with nah.

afraid_of_zombies ,

Fine don't. Continue to believe that Moscow Mitch is better informed and makes wiser decisions than a well read 15 year old.

Solemn ,

The US is a representative democracy, not a direct democracy. You elect representatives to represent your interests. Or these days, you elect representatives to not represent the other people you don't like.

Bonesy91 ,

Thanks for the reply that helped :)

Jubei_K_08 ,

Remember kids, you can be a draft dodger and be president 😎👉👉

snow_bunny ,

Which would be fine if said draft dodger wasn't a chickenhawk.

Crikeste ,

Things are only bad if Donald Trump does them.

snow_bunny ,

No, it's also bad when Rush Limbaugh and Ted Nugent do it.

Duamerthrax ,

Also Bush II's questionable service record.

Duamerthrax ,

You mean like John Kerry? No, wait, he served in Vietnam and was shot at. Who are you thinking of?

Throw_away_migrator ,

You're going to have to be more specific, I can think of at least 2 that could fit that description.

uis ,
@uis@lemm.ee avatar
TheBananaKing ,

Fully automated luxury war slavery

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