Two Years Ago Today on GINA COBB: Charles Rangel Thinks He Owns You

Originally published on November 20, 2006: Charles Rangel Thinks He Owns You

If Democratic Congressman Charles Rangel gets his way, everyone in America will be the government's slave for two years.  He doesn't call it "slavery."  He calls it a "draft."  But if you look closely at what he's demanding, it's not just military service.  It's all-purpose involuntary servitude:

WASHINGTON - Americans would have to sign up for a new military draft after turning 18 under a bill the incoming chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee says he will introduce next year.

Rep. Charles Rangel D-N.Y., said Sunday he sees his idea as a way to deter politicians from launching wars.  . . . .

He said having a draft would not necessarily mean everyone called to duty would have to serve. Instead, "young people (would) commit themselves to a couple of years in service to this great republic, whether it's our seaports, our airports, in schools, in hospitals," with a promise of educational benefits at the end of service.

So Charles Rangel's position is:

1.  Everyone in America should be forced by law to work for the government (or for someone approved by the government) for two years -- either for no pay or for minimal pay.

2.  The two years of work should be demanded, not due to any national emergency of any kind, but as a political stunt to influence national policy.

3.  In service of this political stunt, people should be forced to do whatever the government dictates -- even work that could be done by private employers like hospitals, seaports and airports.

In other words, Democrat Charles Rangel advocates two years of involuntary servitude -- also known as slavery -- for every adult in America. 

Serve two years of your adult life in slavery, and then you'll be freed to do what you want with your own life.  (Maybe -- until Rangel comes up with his next political stunt that demands that your freedom be sacrificed!)

Democrat Charles Rangel thinks he owns you.  It's not enough that he rakes off your tax money from every paycheck.  He feels perfectly entitled to demand that you drop whatever you are doing anywhere in America -- studying for college, learning a trade, launching a small business, starting a family -- so you can instead devote two full years of your life to promote Charles Rangel's political agenda.

Rangel doesn't care what plans anyone may have made for their own life as an adult in the land of the free.  His message is:  "Welcome to adulthood. Now do whatever the government tells you to."

Of course he's trying to make it sound positive.  You'll be "serving" this "great republic!" 

Mind you, the government telling grown men and women what kind of work they will or will not be permitted to do -- and for what compensation, if any -- is exactly the opposite of what made this republic great.

But you'll be "serving" in "hospitals!" or maybe "seaports!" or maybe "airports!"

Hey, America's farmers could use a little help!  We always have a shortage of farm workers, remember?  Rangel will have the perfect solution.

Under Charles Rangel's plan, America's youth will happily
sing songs while toiling on behalf of the "great republic."

Who knows?  Maybe you'll even be allowed to "serve" the Congress of this great republic and polish Charlie Rangel's shoes!

See, central planners in the government know better than you do what are good uses of your time.

It's communism lite.  It's the two-years-of-your-life plan.  Big Brother will tell you what types of work are worthy and unworthy.

Want to work in a hospital for little or no pay?  O.K.!  Want to work at your uncle's hardware store for a fair wage instead?  Or at your dad's veterinary clinic?  Not O.K.

Want to work at an airport doing whatever the government says?  O.K.  Want to get married and start your family?  Nope.  Want to start your career as an auto mechanic, or hair stylist, or librarian?  Not O.K.  What do you think this is -- a free country? 

Want to help discover a cure for cancer?  What are you, a wise guy?

Want to be a teacher's aide?  Big Brother says O.K.  Want to just stay in college and work toward your degree?  No way, buster.  Put those plans on hold.

And if you won't cooperate with our plan for the first two years of your adult life, we could always send you to "camp."

Welcome to Charles Rangel's Great Republic Re-Education Camp

And the beauty of it is -- we don't even have a good reason to threaten your freedoms!  We just want to pull off a political stunt! (And some of us want cheap labor for our "seaports" and "hospitals" and "schools" and maybe our "fields."  Talk about pork!  If we control that much free labor and can steer it toward our political pals . . . .  The mind boggles!)  As far as we're concerned, any excuse -- no matter how thin -- will do!

Does Charles Rangel actually want all of America's youth serving in the military in order to save the country from a hostile enemy?  No!  He wants out of Iraq; not deeper in.  He calls the whole battle in Iraq "fraudulent."  He doesn't even believe there is such a thing as terrorism -- he says it's "discriminatory" to call anyone a terrorist! 

Yet Rangel says he's very "serious" about reinstating the "draft."  Rangel's idea is not to draft soldiers to fight the war on terror or any other war, but instead to take all of America's young adults hostage and occupy them with whatever busywork the government can concoct (schools! seaports! airports! hospitals!) simply to achieve a political objective.

Why, Roosevelt thought he needed a national emergency to take away the freedom of Japanese Americans during World War II.  But with Charles Rangel -- emergency-shmergency!  We, the mighty Democratic Leaders of the Great Republic, aren't even sure where we would put all of you!  Nonetheless, if we say so, you will report and you will cooperate.

You didn't know it, but you are the government's all-purpose, any-excuse-will-do slaves.

Now stand by and await Charlie Rangel's orders.

Update:  Leading Democrats are already backpedaling fast on Rangel's call for compulsory national service -- this week anyway.  Do you trust your liberties to these people? 

Update 2:  A recurring theme from the left seems to be glee in the idea that people who oppose Rangel's compulsory national service plan must be "afraid" of the military draft.  The argument is ridiculous because the vast majority of those "drafted" would be working in places like hospitals, schools, airports, and wherever else Charles Rangel and his ilk owe someone a political favor.  My objection to Rangel's plan is that it is heavy-handed, totalitarian, arrogant, presumptuous, and completely at odds with the freedom that made this country great.

Update 3:  Another recurring theme from the left seems to be that, if we accept that we currently face a national emergency due to Islamic terrorism, we have to bring back the draft.  This assumes that a large drafted army is better suited to modern warfare than the well-trained, self-selected all-volunteer army we currently have.  Many military experts agree that we are far better off with our highly-motivated all-volunteer army.  Besides, it is obvious that Rangel's proposal is not well-tailored to address the needs of the war that Islamic terrorists are waging against us.  Rangel would assign millions of adults to two years of government-mandated busywork in places like schools and hospitals.  That is not how we will win this war, and it values our freedoms far too lightly.

Digg this

______________________________________________

More reaction to Rangel's proposal at Michelle Malkin, Don Surber, Gateway Pundit, Captain's Quarters, Blogmeister USA, ScrappleFace, Public Figures. . . Beware, Hot Air, Nasty Brutish & Short, The Moderate Voice ("Do some newly ascendant Democrats have a political death wish?"), Scared Monkeys, Sweetness & Light, Blue Crab Boulevard, TalkLeft and Wizbang

If Democratic Congressman Charles Rangel gets his way, everyone in America will be the government's slave for two years.  He doesn't call it "slavery."  He calls it a "draft."  But if you look closely at what he's demanding, it's not just military service.  It's all-purpose involuntary servitude:

WASHINGTON - Americans would have to sign up for a new military draft after turning 18 under a bill the incoming chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee says he will introduce next year.

Rep. Charles Rangel D-N.Y., said Sunday he sees his idea as a way to deter politicians from launching wars.  . . . .

He said having a draft would not necessarily mean everyone called to duty would have to serve. Instead, "young people (would) commit themselves to a couple of years in service to this great republic, whether it's our seaports, our airports, in schools, in hospitals," with a promise of educational benefits at the end of service.

So Charles Rangel's position is:

1.  Everyone in America should be forced by law to work for the government (or for someone approved by the government) for two years -- either for no pay or for minimal pay.

2.  The two years of work should be demanded, not due to any national emergency of any kind, but as a political stunt to influence national policy.

3.  In service of this political stunt, people should be forced to do whatever the government dictates -- even work that could be done by private employers like hospitals, seaports and airports.

In other words, Democrat Charles Rangel advocates two years of involuntary servitude -- also known as slavery -- for every adult in America. 

Serve two years of your adult life in slavery, and then you'll be freed to do what you want with your own life.  (Maybe -- until Rangel comes up with his next political stunt that demands that your freedom be sacrificed!)

Democrat Charles Rangel thinks he owns you.  It's not enough that he rakes off your tax money from every paycheck.  He feels perfectly entitled to demand that you drop whatever you are doing anywhere in America -- studying for college, learning a trade, launching a small business, starting a family -- so you can instead devote two full years of your life to promote Charles Rangel's political agenda.

Rangel doesn't care what plans anyone may have made for their own life as an adult in the land of the free.  His message is:  "Welcome to adulthood. Now do whatever the government tells you to."

Of course he's trying to make it sound positive.  You'll be "serving" this "great republic!" 

Mind you, the government telling grown men and women what kind of work they will or will not be permitted to do -- and for what compensation, if any -- is exactly the opposite of what made this republic great.

But you'll be "serving" in "hospitals!" or maybe "seaports!" or maybe "airports!"

Hey, America's farmers could use a little help!  We always have a shortage of farm workers, remember?  Rangel will have the perfect solution.

Under Charles Rangel's plan, America's youth will happily
sing songs while toiling on behalf of the "great republic."

Who knows?  Maybe you'll even be allowed to "serve" the Congress of this great republic and polish Charlie Rangel's shoes!

See, central planners in the government know better than you do what are good uses of your time.

It's communism lite.  It's the two-years-of-your-life plan.  Big Brother will tell you what types of work are worthy and unworthy.

Want to work in a hospital for little or no pay?  O.K.!  Want to work at your uncle's hardware store for a fair wage instead?  Or at your dad's veterinary clinic?  Not O.K.

Want to work at an airport doing whatever the government says?  O.K.  Want to get married and start your family?  Nope.  Want to start your career as an auto mechanic, or hair stylist, or librarian?  Not O.K.  What do you think this is -- a free country? 

Want to help discover a cure for cancer?  What are you, a wise guy?

Want to be a teacher's aide?  Big Brother says O.K.  Want to just stay in college and work toward your degree?  No way, buster.  Put those plans on hold.

And if you won't cooperate with our plan for the first two years of your adult life, we could always send you to "camp."

Welcome to Charles Rangel's Great Republic Re-Education Camp

And the beauty of it is -- we don't even have a good reason to threaten your freedoms!  We just want to pull off a political stunt! (And some of us want cheap labor for our "seaports" and "hospitals" and "schools" and maybe our "fields."  Talk about pork!  If we control that much free labor and can steer it toward our political pals . . . .  The mind boggles!)  As far as we're concerned, any excuse -- no matter how thin -- will do!

Does Charles Rangel actually want all of America's youth serving in the military in order to save the country from a hostile enemy?  No!  He wants out of Iraq; not deeper in.  He calls the whole battle in Iraq "fraudulent."  He doesn't even believe there is such a thing as terrorism -- he says it's "discriminatory" to call anyone a terrorist! 

Yet Rangel says he's very "serious" about reinstating the "draft."  Rangel's idea is not to draft soldiers to fight the war on terror or any other war, but instead to take all of America's young adults hostage and occupy them with whatever busywork the government can concoct (schools! seaports! airports! hospitals!) simply to achieve a political objective.

Why, Roosevelt thought he needed a national emergency to take away the freedom of Japanese Americans during World War II.  But with Charles Rangel -- emergency-shmergency!  We, the mighty Democratic Leaders of the Great Republic, aren't even sure where we would put all of you!  Nonetheless, if we say so, you will report and you will cooperate.

You didn't know it, but you are the government's all-purpose, any-excuse-will-do slaves.

Now stand by and await Charlie Rangel's orders.

Update:  Leading Democrats are already backpedaling fast on Rangel's call for compulsory national service -- this week anyway.  Do you trust your liberties to these people? 

Update 2:  A recurring theme from the left seems to be glee in the idea that people who oppose Rangel's compulsory national service plan must be "afraid" of the military draft.  The argument is ridiculous because the vast majority of those "drafted" would be working in places like hospitals, schools, airports, and wherever else Charles Rangel and his ilk owe someone a political favor.  My objection to Rangel's plan is that it is heavy-handed, totalitarian, arrogant, presumptuous, and completely at odds with the freedom that made this country great.

Update 3:  Another recurring theme from the left seems to be that, if we accept that we currently face a national emergency due to Islamic terrorism, we have to bring back the draft.  This assumes that a large drafted army is better suited to modern warfare than the well-trained, self-selected all-volunteer army we currently have.  Many military experts agree that we are far better off with our highly-motivated all-volunteer army.  Besides, it is obvious that Rangel's proposal is not well-tailored to address the needs of the war that Islamic terrorists are waging against us.  Rangel would assign millions of adults to two years of government-mandated busywork in places like schools and hospitals.  That is not how we will win this war, and it values our freedoms far too lightly.

Digg this

______________________________________________

More reaction to Rangel's proposal at Michelle Malkin, Don Surber, Gateway Pundit, Captain's Quarters, Blogmeister USA, ScrappleFace, Public Figures. . . Beware, Hot Air, Nasty Brutish & Short, The Moderate Voice ("Do some newly ascendant Democrats have a political death wish?"), Scared Monkeys, Sweetness & Light, Blue Crab Boulevard, TalkLeft and Wizbang