Benefits for public service?

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GORDON
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Post by GORDON »

Yeah, Heinlein's Starship Troopers style.

Should things like enfranchisement be reserved for those who have devoted time to public service of some stripe?
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TPRJones
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Post by TPRJones »

I like that much better than compulsary service. I have no problem with people having to earn their perks.
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TheCatt
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Post by TheCatt »

A more fundamental concern to me is what enfranchisement means.

And if only people who have time for public service can vote, I don't think we'd end up in a Heinlein-like world. I think we'd end up in hippyville.
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Post by TPRJones »

Well, I'm pretty rabid about not curtailing freedoms. Things I don't consider a "freedom" though, include (but aren't limited to): the "right" to vote, holding public office, recieving government benefits or benefiting from any sort of governmental program. If you wanted to tie any of those things to some sort of service, I'd be fine with that.

As to the Hippyville problem, that would mostly depend on the type of service that would be required. If you make it so someone who spends six months taking care of the city garden counts, then sure you'd have lots of Lefties in charge. If you make it so that you have to actually go through boot camp and yessir nossir and actually kick some ass of one type or another, then I think it wouldn't be as much of an issue.
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GORDON
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Post by GORDON »

As to the Hippyville problem, that would mostly depend on the type of service that would be required. If you make it so someone who spends six months taking care of the city garden counts, then sure you'd have lots of Lefties in charge.
My usage of the word 'enfranchised' is the condition of having the right to vote.

And TPR, I'm not so sure about that. A year doing grounds keeping will sure give someone a respect for public grounds, as he know that it takes work to maintain them. That is an appreciation of what a public 'good' is. The dickhead who's never donated his time in public service at all who walks through the city garden and litters does not have this understanding, or at least the appreciation. It's a simple type of service, but which of the two people would you rather have voting?

Any type of public service I can imagine is good, decent work and almost has to build or require some type of good character.

Just as long as nobody gets rich doing gov't service. That invites an entirely new applicant.

SERVICE GUARENTEES CITIZENSHIP.
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TPRJones
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Post by TPRJones »

Agreed, as long as they are working under someone's strict guidance and taking orders. I was thinking more along the lines of hippies getting to play in the dirt for three months growing organic tomatoes without any supervision and calling it "service".

I guess it's less about kicking ass and more about having your ass kicked (into shape) to one degree or another.
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Post by GORDON »

Sure. Uniform gov't overalls, chain of command, barracks. Strict but fair.
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Post by DoctorChaos »

I was thinking along the line of the same current government position, but instead of having these positions purchased make it more like jury duty. Your name comes up, you enter a pool of candidates based on some criterea (service, qualifications, etc) and you are voted upon to hold that office. The office is part time (again to prevent lifers and doing too much damage) and a stipend is paid, much like the National Guard.

Gordon I agree with you, SERVICE GUARENTEES CITIZENSHIP. This would be an extension of Locke's Social Contract.

I believe government should do an absolute minimum. This would allow the largest amount of freedom. We've got so many laws you can't keep track. Technically each of us break a law daily. That isn't right.
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Malcolm
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Post by Malcolm »

Eh, given the sort of shit that juries've decided, I dunno about this part time thing.
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Post by TheCatt »

Eh, given the sort of shit that juries've decided, I dunno about this part time thing.
I did jury service once. I was the alternate. I was the only one who brought something to keep notes on. No one left the jury, so I was dismissed when it came to deliberations.

I pretty much decided within 1 minute what the verdict would be.

I waited an hour for the jury to decide, and they hadn't, and broke for lunch.

No idea if they ever decided.
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