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Sergio G Aceves
Professor Jackie
English 114A
10/30/14
Word count: 570
Close that window, Im starting to feel a draft
In the article, Time to Reconsider the Draft, the author is basically explaining a
percentage drop in high school recruits and how the draft should be brought back. The statistics
of how military recruitments from high schools that were interested in joining has dropped from
36% to 30% in the past years He explains, In general, the recruitment picture is down to where
it was in 1979. (Time to Reconsider the Draft 2) Then the author goes on stating that men and
women who volunteered to enlist in 1981 made up 17 million of the militarys forces and has
dropped to 15.4 million in the past years and will drop to 13 million in the next decade. With
that, the military is struck with a heavy burden. As recruitment becomes more difficult, pay and
benefits have to rise or the size of the military has to shrink. (Time to Reconsider the Draft 4)
But as this kept going on, the United States began having a more comfortable life without a draft.
Soon it might have to start up again though because servicemen started acting up in certain ways.
They were not owing any personal duty to the society. Here the author is stating the main reason
there should be another draft because it might begin to re-establish the legitimacy of the idea of
duty. (Time to Reconsider the Draft 5) So the author thinks that there should be a less corrupt
system. So to do that not all young people will need to serve, instead he thinks a lottery would
probably be the best approach (Time to Reconsider the Draft 6)
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All of this sounds like this would work, and it seems somewhat legitimate with the whole
creating social balance thing, but it still doesnt feel right. Just because the author thinks a
lottery system might help doesnt mean itll work. How will a lottery system help recruit
people? Just out of random chance? This isnt the Hunger Games. To me it feels more like a
last resort kind of thing. If the author is serious about picking recruits to join the military by
making it feel like a lottery, what are the chances that someone who is picked actually set his or
her mind on joining in the first place? Why not just go back to visiting high schools and
ASKING students how they feel about joining the military.
Another reason why servicemen started acting up couldve been because they werent
getting anything beneficial to them. They help fought wars and battles, good for them, but in the
end what did they get? Just being praised with honorable mentions? What if they wanted to quit
the armed forces and start a new future for them? They couldnt because the army back then
didnt give them anything beneficial so that they can go back to school or start carriers.
Nowadays the armed forces are helping people by giving them scholarships so that they can go
back to school. Those are the benefits everyone is looking for, so thats a good reason for people
who want to join the army so that they can set their minds on something new when the quit.
The draft or conscription was a scary process back in the day. So there shouldnt be any
new versions of it because it might spread paranoia across the nation.

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Work Cited
Time to Reconsider the Draft. Chicago Tribune, April 22, 1985. Web. 1 Nov, 2014
Collin, Susanne. Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2008. Print.