>>Conscription of the entire population is more appropriate to North Korea or Cuba...
>>
>>Or Switzerland, if you're male.
>
>My recommendation was not mandatory conscription in the military. I recommended any public service (peace corps, local community, schools, hospitals, americorps, military, etc) as a way to earn money for college. I feel that is a fair exchange and does not constitute involuntary servitude.

Cuba uses conscription for non-military labor.
I don't know if they still do it, but they used to have professionals and office people out harvesting sugar cane.

>>I feel that is a fair exchange and does not constitute involuntary servitude.
If it is service that is not voluntary - that is involuntary servitude.

As noble as public service sounds, the reality would be bureaucratic servitude.

Also, it may seem odd, but the only ethical case for mandatory government service is military.
Not because of any high morality - but the very lowest morality - survival.
And our present volunteer system is more ethical yet.

Why should "public service" include reporting to a government bureaucracy?
Wouldn't people get more out of volunteering for the Red Cross, Doctors without Borders, or Church Missions to care for the needy?

Volunteer organizations get more done with less money, and the money that they spend was not taken by force.

Bureaucracies exist to perpetuate themselves and to serve politicians - their mission statements are just a pretext for feeding at the public trough - not anything we should empower in any way.