[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21075]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    IN SUPPORT OF THE MILITARY DRAFT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 26, 2007

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the reinstatement of 
the military draft, which will ensure that the burden of war is shared 
by all residents of this great country.
  All Americans should be given the opportunity to prove their 
patriotism. We should all share in the sacrifices being made by our 
exhausted troops. It is a fact that most of these volunteer troops come 
from economically depressed small towns and rural areas. As shown in a 
recent report by the Congressional Budget Office, children of society's 
affluent are the least represented class of Americans in the Armed 
Forces.
  Sacrifices for America should not be made only by those who are less 
fortunate. The burden of war should be shared by all who enjoy the 
privileges and rights that our citizenship grants. My bill to reinstate 
the draft would ensure that. It not only provides the manpower 
necessary to restore our exhausted troops but repairs the broken 
military. Furthermore, with a draft in place, decision-makers would be 
more cautious about sending America's sons and daughters into harm's 
way.
  I believe our troops should be withdrawn from Iraq as soon as 
possible. But as long as our troops are there it will be up to the 
President and the Congress to ensure that the whole Nation, in some 
way, shares their sacrifice.
  In times of war it should be the duty of all citizens to contribute 
to the effort. There is honor and pride in military service, but we do 
harm to our troops if we make them alone responsible for paying the 
price.

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