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Should We Care if Our Politicians Avoided the Draft?

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Should We Care if Our Politicians Avoided the Draft?

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Elizabeth Ojeda
How can people with so much political power make an excuse for avoiding the draft when they are the ones who represent our country? Shouldn't they be the very ones who would wanna fight for our country? Should they really be the ones making the major decisions if they aren't even willing to fight for the US?

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Should We Care if Our Politicians Avoided the Draft?

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Donald Trump received five draft deferments during Vietnam. Does military service matter?

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Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. We can make it come true.

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Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. We can make it come true.

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Dear Next President,

Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream and a plan. We hear about the dream every year on the holiday that honors his legacy, with replays of his 1963 speech: "that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed." America "transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice." A nation where people "will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

The plan, though, is mostly ignored. King sought to promote justice, freedom, equality, and civil rights by abolishing poverty. In his last book, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?, published in 1967, he wrote: "I am now convinced that the simplest approach will prove to be the most effective-the solution to poverty is to abolish it directly by a now widely discussed measure: the guaranteed income."

"Widely discussed" was accurate. Leading economists endorsed the idea, including future Nobel laureates Milton Friedman, Paul Samuelson, and James Tobin. Public opinion polls showed majority support. President Lyndon Johnson appointed a national commission that held hearings around the country, and unanimously called for "a new program of income supplementation for all Americans in need." President Richard Nixon's Family Assistance Plan passed the House of Representatives by two-to-one, twice. In the Senate, however, extreme liberals and extreme conservatives, for different reasons, joined forces and defeated the moderate supporters.

Basic income is the updated idea, and it's quite simple. Set an amount, maybe $800 or $1,000 a month, and provide that to every adult citizen. The money comes from cutting programs that become superfluous, welfare, corporate welfare, and crony capitalism, and from simplifying the tax code to eliminate loopholes and deductions that go to special interests. We can adjust the amount occasionally to relieve or prevent inflation, recessions, and associated problems. States and cities can supplement it.

Basic income is a floor, more solid and stable than any safety net. The same amount for everyone: homeless veterans, recent graduates, working parents, and retired grandparents, including CEOs, celebrities, and billionaires. Economic security, guaranteed, plus a baseline of economic justice and economic equality.

Alaskans have had a small basic income, the Permanent Fund Dividend, since 1982, and it's hugely popular. The amount varies each year; in 2015, it was $2,072. Our federal government has also tested the idea, with a series of Income Maintenance Experiments between 1967 and 1978. Although total work hours declined slightly, that decline was mostly a positive sign. Parents stayed home with their kids; teens stayed in school or went back to school; workers left bad jobs and sought better ones. People chose what was best for them and their families, and similar choices today would be good for our society.

Next president, if you endorse this plan, we can end hunger, end homelessness, end extreme poverty, and we can do that in your first term. You will also be helping unite liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans, giving everyone the means and incentives to work together toward real progress on global warming, pollution, immigration, education, racism, and other currently intractable problems.

Yes, some people will waste or squander the money, yet everyone will be better off. We'll use our basic income to buy homes, start businesses, go back to school, save for retirement, pay off student loans and other debts, and generally pursue our personal dreams and goals. We'll demand goods and services, and America's economy will be stronger. Millions of jobs are disappearing due to robots, computers, outsourcing, and related technologies, and a secure basic income will help Americans adapt.

"A host of positive psychological changes inevitably will result from widespread economic security," King wrote. "The dignity of the individual will flourish when the decisions concerning his life are in his hands, when he has the assurance that his income is stable and certain, and when he knows that he has the means to seek self-improvement. ... There is nothing except shortsightedness to prevent us from guaranteeing an annual minimum-and livable-income for every American family."

This is also an idea for you, next mayor, next governor, next legislator, because states and cities can enact local versions of basic income.

Our government has a duty to promote the general welfare, and basic income will do that directly and efficiently. We Americans have unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness-and life requires an income for food, clothes, and shelter at least, a basic income.

Endorse basic income now, next president, and we'll vote for you. You could win in a landslide.

Steven Shafarman is program director of Basic Income Action, a new nonprofit in Washington, and a life member of the Basic Income Earth Network. His forthcoming book is The Basic Income Imperative: for peace, justice, liberty, and personal dignity.
Fusion is asking people around the country to talk about their most pressing issues this election season using the phrase "Dear next president ... " You can learn more about the project, hear more voices from the campaign, and learn how to contribute a video to #DearNextPresident. If you'd like to write a #DearNextPresident open letter, email us or post it to Medium using the tag Dear Next President. Steven Shafarman is program director of Basic Income Action, a new nonprofit in Washington.

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Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. We can make it come true.

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Dear Next President, Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream and a plan. We hear about the dream every year on the holiday that honors his legacy, with replays of his 1963 speech: "that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed."

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Article of the Day | ‘How Omran Daqneesh, 5, Became a Symbol of Aleppo’s Suffering’By MICHAEL GONCHAR

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Article of the Day | ‘How Omran Daqneesh, 5, Became a Symbol of Aleppo’s Suffering’By MICHAEL GONCHAR

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Article: "How Omran Daqneesh, 5, Became a Symbol of Aleppo's Suffering"

Before Reading:

Look at the cover image for the above video. What do you think is going on in this picture? What do you see that makes you say that?

Then watch the video.

What do you know about the conflict in Syria? Do you know who is fighting, why they are fighting or how the war has affected Syrians?
Questions for Comprehension and Analysis
1. Who is Omran Daqneesh? What happened to him?

2. Why did an image of Omran rocket around the world - especially when other images from the war have not been able to grab the rest of the world's attention? What is your own reaction to the photograph?

3. How has the image of Omran been drafted as an emblem of despair by Syrians and others concerned about the human toll of the Syrian conflict? How has it been used on social media, for example?

4. Read the article's conclusion, from "On Thursday morning, journalists from around the world were clamoring..." until the end of the article. Why do you think Anne Barnard, the author, decided to end the article this way? What statement do you think she is trying to make?
What Do You Think?
Ms. Barnard writes, "Omran - like Alan Kurdi, the Syrian toddler who drowned last September and whose lifeless body washed up on a Turkish beach - is bringing new attention to the thousands upon thousands of children killed and injured during five years of war and the inability or unwillingness of global powers to stop the carnage." What are other ways to focus the world's attention on the Syrian war? How might the world stop the killing?

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Article of the Day | 'How Omran Daqneesh, 5, Became a Symbol of Aleppo's Suffering'

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Article: "How Omran Daqneesh, 5, Became a Symbol of Aleppo's Suffering" Before Reading: Look at the cover image for the above video. What do you think is going on in this picture? What do you see that makes you say that? Then watch the video. What do you know about the conflict in Syria?

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Article of the Day | ‘America’s First Offshore Wind Farm May Power Up a New Industry’By MICHAEL GONCHAR

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Article of the Day | ‘America’s First Offshore Wind Farm May Power Up a New Industry’By MICHAEL GONCHAR

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Article: "America's First Offshore Wind Farm May Power Up a New Industry"

Before Reading:

Have you ever seen a wind turbine? What do you think when you see one?
Questions for Comprehension and Analysis
1. What is a wind farm? Where is the United States' first offshore wind farm?

2. If it's just a tiny project, with five turbines capable of powering about 17,000 homes, why are many people excited about its completion?

3. Why had American proposals for offshore wind farms run into obstacles, while at the same time European nations had installed thousands of the machines?

4. What changed? Why might offshore wind be on the verge of rapid growth in the United States?

5. Why is the focus of the offshore wind industry still on the Northeast?
What Do You Think?
Do you think the United States will one day have thousands of wind turbines ringing its coastline, as studies by the Department of Energy suggest? Why?

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Article of the Day | 'America's First Offshore Wind Farm May Power Up a New Industry'

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Article: "America's First Offshore Wind Farm May Power Up a New Industry" Before Reading: Have you ever seen a wind turbine? What do you think when you see one? Questions for Comprehension and Analysis 1. What is a wind farm? Where is the United States' first offshore wind farm? 2.

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‘One Star Over, a Planet That Might Be Another Earth’ By MICHAEL GONCHAR

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‘One Star Over, a Planet That Might Be Another Earth’ By MICHAEL GONCHAR

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Article: "One Star Over, a Planet That Might Be Another Earth"

Before Reading:

With potentially hundreds of billions of galaxies in the universe, and with each of those galaxies housing billions of stars, do you think life exists - or has ever existed - somewhere besides Earth?
Questions for Comprehension and Analysis
1. What did astronomers announce on Aug. 24 that they had detected only 4.2 light-years away from Earth? Why is the discovery intriguing?

2. What is the "Goldilocks zone"? Why is it called that?

3. If scientists aren't actually able to see the planet, how are they able to detect it indirectly?

4. What is Breakthrough Starshot Initiative?

5. Scientists can only speculate whether Proxima b might be a viable Earthlike planet. What are some reasons that it might be a promising place to look for life? What are some reasons that it might not?
What Do You Think?
What's your reaction to this discovery? Do you think it sounds promising enough to launch a spacecraft to get a closer look?

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Article of the Day | 'One Star Over, a Planet That Might Be Another Earth'

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Article: "One Star Over, a Planet That Might Be Another Earth" Before Reading: With potentially hundreds of billions of galaxies in the universe, and with each of those galaxies housing billions of stars, do you think life exists - or has ever existed - somewhere besides Earth? Questions for Comprehension and Analysis 1.