Should slavery be reinstated?

[David S]

It is legal to use prisoners for labor purposes without pay. Read the 13th Amendment.

Yes slavery as punishment for a crime is legal, but I take the question to mean do we support restoring slavery of innocent men, women and children who would become the property of others? To that I emphatically answer NO!

[David S]

Yes, this is another inspired poll, and you can make 1,000's similiar polls if so desired.

But consider this: we already tell our high school students in many states they must perform community service, and prisoners are sometimes found doing work, at least they were in the past.

Making prisoners perform labor is not slavery; it is part of punishment for a crime.  Slaves committed no crime other than being born with the wrong skin color.  So the two are not comparable.

Neither is the high school community service requirement.  That is a minimal and short-term commitment, and intended to be enriching to the student as well as the community.  You might just as well call homework slavery.

I diasagree on allowing states to require community service for graduation. This idea sets a precedent that the states may require service of the residents. Once that precedent is set its just a matter expanding the program until everyone is a servant of the state.

One could ask; if this program is OK for your kids then why not you? And instead of 40 hours why not 100 or 1000 hours per year, or why not all of your time?

Slavery and involuntary servitude are prohibited except as punishment for a crime. That protects the freedom of every American citizen.We should not allow the government to encroach on that freedom at all, not one bit.

The bureaucrats inflicted this program on high school students first for several reasons:
1) The kids are too young to realize they are being indoctrinated into believing that they are servants of the state.
2) Most of them are too young to vote so they cannot throw out the politicians who are enslaving them.
3) It sets the precedent.

If you don't think there is a plan to expand this program to include everyone then you need to read some of John Kerry's comments on national service. If I still have them on my hard drive I'll post them here.

[David S]

OK I found them. Here are some of John Kerry's comments on national service: (BTW I don't think the links work now)

218 . "Nothing I hope to do as President will be more vital than reconnecting America's public life to the ideal of full citizenship. In this time of testing, of profound danger and vast potential, the real question we face is not what America can offer to us, but what each of us owe to America. To protect our nation and meet our potential, we will have to harness the faith, the energy, and the commitment of people of all ages in communities across the country."
 Kerry, John. "A New Era of National Service." Manchester, New Hampshire. May 19, 2003. http://www.johnkerry.com/news/speeches/spc_2003_0519.html

223 . "My aim is nothing less than to make national service a way of life for each new generation of Americans. So I will set a goal within the next decade of enlisting five hundred thousand young people a year in Service for College—more than one out of seven young Americans working side by side, in many different ways, but with a common commitment to our best hopes and values."
 Kerry, John. "A New Era of National Service." Manchester, New Hampshire. May 19, 2003. http://www.johnkerry.com/news/speeches/spc_2003_0519.html

221 . "Today, I propose not only to build on that tradition, but to go beyond it—because today, our challenges are different and our commitment must be even greater. We need a new era of service—not an effort for one time, one purpose, or one group—but a permanent and national endeavor. For America now, service is not just an option, but an obligation of citizenship."
Kerry, John. "A New Era of National Service." Manchester, New Hampshire. May 19, 2003. http://www.johnkerry.com/news/speeches/spc_2003_0519.html

224 . "And the ethic of service should not just begin when high school ends. So my proposal also calls for a bold new program of High School Service, which will make service and civics a requirement in every secondary school in the nation in exchange for the federal funding the government provides. And local communities will make the decisions on how to get this done."

[David S]

For those of you who support Kerry's plan for national service, you will be happy to know that your ball and chain can now be provided in a variety of designer finishes. You can select from the traditional black iron, chrome plated steel, stainless steel, polished or antique brass, and for the truly fashion conscious slave, Titanium.

[David S]

we already have partial slavery, it's called the income tax.  We have mandatory service owed to the government through heavy taxation. 

Yes the tax is bad enough but those comments by Kerry  are really disturbing. He thinks government has the right to make servants of the American people. What's even more disturbing is that most Democrats seem to think its a great idea.