<OT> One more reason I am glad I don't live in CA

[Alma J Wetzker]

Roger Oberholtzer wrote:
> On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 09:11:01 -0600
> Alma J Wetzker <almaw at ieee.org> wrote:
> 
> 
>>Roger Oberholtzer wrote:
>>
>>>On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 10:09:47 +0800
>>>Chong Yu Meng <chongym at cymulacrum.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>>Matthew Carpenter wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>Sure.  And they should have made 2 years or more service mandatory for 
>>>>>everyone, as soon as they complete HS (or drop out).
>>>
>>>Even peaceful Sweden has mandatory military service. For the objectors,
>>>time is spent serving in a hospital or other service. But two years it
>>>will be.
>>
>>I have a philosophical question about that.  Why do you need to spend two 
>>years living off the government's coin before you can earn a living and
>>pay taxes?
> 
> 
> It is a chance for kids to see something outside school. It is very unusual
> for someone to finish high school and then go straight to university. It is
> very possible that there is a required space of time, during which you are
> meant to do something else. Perspective and all that. If you travel the
> world, ever wonder why there are all those damned Swedish kids between 18
> and 20 roaming the airports of Kaula Lampur, Auckland and Bali?

I do agree that that is important. I currently go to school with those 18 - 20 
year olds and in some cases 16/17 year olds.  These are REALLY smart kids but 
they lack context (a euphemism for cynicism).  Brings home the old saying:  If 
you are not a liberal by the time you are 20, you have no heart.  If you are 
not a conservative by the time you are 40, you have no mind.

As for swede's spreading gold around the globe in their late teens, I just 
thought it was the Swedish social conscience to help other, less advanced, 
economies.  (And their parents are rich.)

     -- Alma