The Un-American Call for National Service by Alex Epstein

The lead article in a recent issue of Time magazine makes the case for “universal national service”--which the article describes as “the simple but compelling idea that devoting a year or more to national service, whether military or civilian, should become a countrywide rite of passage, the common expectation and widespread experience of virtually every young American.” This is just the latest call from commentators and politicians for Americans to engage in more national service. National service, they all claim, is necessary to preserve and sustain America’s greatness; the Time article calls it “a recipe for keeping a republic.”

In fact, the idea of national service is profoundly un-American.

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