# Should Selective Service registration be abolished? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 12, 2010, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-selective-service-registration-be-abolished/528679 "2010-02-12T07:20:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-selective-service-registration-be-abolished/528679/1 "2010-02-12T07:20:43Z")
Despite having an all-volunter force since 1973 all men in the US (including illegal aliens) must register with the [Selective Service System](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_Service_System) after they turn 18, but before they turn 26. “Just in case” Congress decides to reinstate the draft. Should this continue or be abolished? If not abolished should it be expanded to include women? Any other options? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-selective-service-registration-be-abolished/528679/2 "2010-02-12T07:37:41Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Despite having an all-volunter force since 1973 all men in the US (including illegal aliens) must register with the [Selective Service System](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_Service_System) after they turn 18, but before they turn 26. “Just in case” Congress decides to reinstate the draft. Should this continue or be abolished? If not abolished should it be expanded to include women? Any other options? It should be abolished I believe. And if it isn’t, women should be included. I don’t approve of the draft in the first place, but if a draft was truly necessary ( which I doubt the plausibility of ) then there’s no reason that men alone should be forced to sacrifice themselves for “necessity”. ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-selective-service-registration-be-abolished/528679/3 "2010-02-12T08:37:17Z")
I voted that it should be. It’s totally useless. If kept it should be expanded to include women, I can’t imagine why they aren’t included in it. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-selective-service-registration-be-abolished/528679/4 "2010-02-12T08:49:03Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > It should be abolished I believe. And if it isn’t, women should be included. I don’t approve of the draft in the first place, but if a draft was truly necessary ( which I doubt the plausibility of ) then there’s no reason that men alone should be forced to sacrifice themselves for “necessity”. For once, I totally agree with you. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-selective-service-registration-be-abolished/528679/5 "2010-02-12T08:57:08Z")
As do I. I see the draft as inherently unethical, and don’t feel the results justify that unethical behaviour. It’s a way for the government to avoid the need to provide fair benefits if it wants to get recruits. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-selective-service-registration-be-abolished/528679/6 "2010-02-12T11:51:01Z")
I voted that it should be abolished. I’d actually like to see a draft, but only of those who vote for war and their family members. And age, marriage, and all the other exemptions that currently apply now would not apply to the potential draftees. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-selective-service-registration-be-abolished/528679/7 "2010-02-12T14:32:39Z")
I have no opinion on whether Selective Service registration should be abolished, but believe it should apply equally to men and women. I’m female, and voted other in the poll. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-selective-service-registration-be-abolished/528679/8 "2010-02-12T15:33:56Z")
Back in the early nineties the Joint Chiefs of Staff recommended to then then administration that the SSS (Selective Service System) be abolished. At the time, the C-in-C chose to ignore that. There were three lines of reasoning that he gave to justify retaining the SSS: 1) eliminating it would reduce the world’s perception of America’s military readiness; 2) the SSS provides a valuable registry of skills and people for the government, should it ever be needed; 3) It provides a valuable link between the All Volunteer Force and the civilian population. Needless to say, I believe all those reasons to be so much cattle dung. At this point SSS does one thing and one thing only: It provides a place for nepotism jobs for successful politicians. Kill it. Kill it dead. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-selective-service-registration-be-abolished/528679/9 "2010-02-12T15:42:28Z")
I think it should be abolished or it should include women. If we ever needed a draft again, there are certainly enough jobs women could do in the military From “Burns And Allen” (radio show) Bill Goodwin (announcer) and Gracie’s man chasing friend Tootsie Sagwell talking (1944) Bill)…And remember the armed forces are not just for men. All unmarried women between the ages of 18 and 35 are also eligible to join and the United States Military pay the same wages to both men and woman, and both men and women receive the same benefits. And remember every woman who joins frees up a man in a non-combat role so we can make those walls of “Fortress Europe” come crumbling down just that much faster Tootsie) Gee Bill that sounds good, do you think I should join the WACS Bill) I don’t think that would work Tootise) Why not? Bill) Well a woman in the WACS is supposed to free up a man for combat service Tootise) So? Bill) I can’t see you ever “freeing” a man …And now back to your regularly scheduled thread 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-selective-service-registration-be-abolished/528679/10 "2010-02-12T15:46:54Z")
I clicked “female, other”, because it should be abolished OR if kept, should be expanded to include women. But I prefer abolished. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-selective-service-registration-be-abolished/528679/11 "2010-02-12T16:42:39Z")
It should be kept and expanded to include women. IMO, in fact a full on draft should be imposed for a randomly selected amount of the those registered-not just as soldiers but to work on public works projects and so on. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-selective-service-registration-be-abolished/528679/12 "2010-02-12T17:36:56Z")
> [@Curtis LeMay](#): > > It should be kept and expanded to include women. IMO, in fact a full on draft should be imposed for a randomly selected amount of the those registered-not just as soldiers but to work on public works projects and so on. To me, this would look like a transparent attempt by the government to exploit their unwilling employees. After all, if you were offering a wage that was acceptable to both parties, you wouldn’t need to threaten to lock them in a box for five years to make them work for you. ---
**Author:** ![Diver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@Diver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diver)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-selective-service-registration-be-abolished/528679/13 "2010-02-12T18:17:12Z")
Keep it. The draft has been necessary in the past and has a good chance of being needed again. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-selective-service-registration-be-abolished/528679/14 "2010-02-12T21:17:34Z")
I don’t like this answer - but I have to conclude that keeping it, as-is, is the least-bad option. Realistically, we’d only ever resort to a draft in the event we faced a real existential crisis, or many of our allies did - something akin to another World War. (One wonders how such a thing would avoid going nuclear, but let’s run with it for a moment.) In such an event, I think it’s appropriate for the government to have the emergency power to call up additional troops, willing or otherwise. That being said - getting drafted is a nasty business. I’d not wish it on anyone. I’d hate to get drafted, but I’d hate seeing my sister drafted even more - I couldn’t back a policy change that would make that a possibility. ---
**Author:** ![This\_Just\_In\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@This\_Just\_In\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/This_Just_In_2)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-selective-service-registration-be-abolished/528679/15 "2010-02-12T21:31:22Z")
I definately think it should be abolished. A draft may one day be necessary - but in a democracy it’s necessity should be decided by the will of the people living at that time. A draft could be instituted by the Prez and congress at any time without having the selective service system set up. But by having it already set up, we are in effect preapproving the use of it. American’s are saying - it makes good sense that our children/grandchildren be prepared for a draft for all future possible conflicts - they shouldn’t have to decide for themselves if that draft is lawful.