Hi Joe,



I've thought about this for a few months now, since you first posted this seminal essay.



I don't believe in 'problems' and I don't believe in those who 'endlessly talk about problems' -- I believe in solutions.



(Not that you're one of those who endlessly talk about problems, Joe. Your elucidation of 'the problems' helps us to fully understand -- and your proposals are slightly ahead of our time)



Therefore, and thank you for laying it out for us so perfectly;



What we NEED to do, in order to ACTUALLY fix this set of problems:



1) Re-institute a revised military draft.



What?



Yes, it's not like we're going to war, or that we're likely to start a new war.



Each young person should be required to serve one year (their gap year) either as a young cadet (between junior high school and senior high school) or at a slightly older age (between senior high and college) or even older (between college and first year university) and they are free to choose the time they at which they serve their compulsory military service, as long as they complete their service, by age 25.



Maybe the ACoE could partner-up with Habitat for Humanity so that these kids could get some hands-on experience and see realworld problems and solutions, firsthand.



In addition to the benefit I've noted above -- with significant numbers of students fulfilling their 'gap year' responsibilities to the military, it leaves that many fewer students to compete for the same jobs or internships.



Which will obviously drive up demand for those students, and thereby drive up their wages -- thereby making demand for their employment comparable to the demand experienced by their parents' generation.



Problem #1 solved.



Not only would these kids learn valuable skills, they would form lifelong friendships and have the opportunity to meet other kids from all parts of the country/all walks of life.



And a real shot at a quality job with decent pay, once they complete their schooling.



2) We've seen that kids with lower levels of education, tend to remain their entire lives with that same low level of education. (They will always work at a blue collar job) And never have a real opportunity to move into a higher economic quintile.



But we've also seen hundreds of thousands of kids with college degrees working at menial jobs -- and just happy to have ANY job.



I 'solved' the problem of too much competition in the student and post-student job market in my point #1 above, so what is left, but to ensure that each student has the opportunity to gain a one-college-degree-education, so that they may have a real shot at moving up by (at least) one economic quintile.



How to pay for that?



I think when a young person serves in the military for their one-compulsory-year military service, that should entitle them to one, no-cost-to-them college degree.



It's so simple!



Serve one year compulsory military service in good order and gain a free college degree!



And while you're doing that, rest assured that once you enter the job market, not only will you have more marketable skills and experience, you will notice a wide-open job market for your demographic, as other students will be away, serving *their* compulsory yearlong military service.



3) For today's students overburdened by student loan debt, they should likewise be invited to serve one year in the military, in order to 'work 0ff' some portion of their existing student debt via their one-year-compulsory military service. Let's say to a maximum of $36,000.



For some students, this may represent only half of their total student loan debt, but for as long as they remain unemployed, that debt is going nowhere. If they want to drop their total student loan debt by $36,000. all they need to do, is apply to the US military under the student draft.



Of course, the military may not need all those people. But there is crumbling infrastructure all over America that needs low-cost labour to bring it back up to standard. And there is plenty of planned infrastructure that needs building and low cost labour, just waiting to be built.



What could be cheaper than hiring the Army Corps of Engineers partially staffed with student labour?



To solve housing shortages for the bottom quintile in America, what is better than thousands, or tens of thousands of young, bright, energetic students seconded from the US military, to build those housing units?



Not that the students will earn a wage while working in the military, but they won't have to pay rent for one year -- as the military will house them. Nor will they have to pay for food or clothing -- as the military pays for all of that. Nor will they have to pay for medical or dental or injury issues -- as the military routinely pays for all of that, and more. In short, the student cadets will have zero expenses and will be fed, housed, clothed, and have their medical needs taken care of.



How to pay for all of this?



Well, it's cheaper than you could imagine.



There are no labour costs.

And corporations and various levels of governments could cover the costs.



However, the military may require (only) a 5% increase in their annual budget.



However, it would be worth double or triple that, in order to solve all of the social problems of the student and post-student cohorts!



During their military service, the military is 100% responsible for these people, but via all of the cost savings from national and state infrastructure spending (no labour cost for student workers!) and other projects where the military can direct student workers, the students will more-than pay for their upkeep by the military.



Not only that, but some corporations may want to sponsor work-teams to beautify certain parts of their city where they can place a plaque (ABC company paid for this beautification project in downtown Fresno) or at or near their corporate headquarters -- via tree-planting programmes, or what-have-you.



Free labour for infrastructure projects, higher demand/lower unemployment levels for students/student debt lowering or elimination for those with existing student loans and and higher wages for (suddenly) higher demand interns and students.



Sweden, Israel and a few other countries have partial or modified versions of this programme, so it's not like it couldn't be done.



Please read "It Couldn't be Done" -- by Albert A. Guest



https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/44314



And that is the kind of person America needs as their next president.



As always, very best regards, JBS