Congressman Charles Rangel plans to introduce legislation calling for reinstatement of the military draft. He says, “There?s no question in my mind that this president and this administration would never have invaded Iraq, especially on the flimsy evidence that was presented to the Congress, if indeed we had a draft and members of Congress and the administration thought that their kids from their communities would be placed in harm?s way.”
Rep. Rangel, D-N.Y., has it completely backward in terms of incentives created by the draft. Let?s apply a bit of economic logic to it, but first get a pet peeve of mine out of the way: The term “draft” is a euphemism for what is actually “confiscation of labor services.” The Defense Department can get all the military personnel it wants on an all-volunteer basis; it could simply raise wages. Indeed, there exists a wage whereby even I would volunteer my services.
