Starting wars...
Reading a Heinlein book, 'For Us the Living' and it has a neat idea about declaring war. None of this applies if we were attacked, all defensive wars and reactions are declared normally. But in order for the president or congress to declare war on someone else when we're not attacked, it has to be voted on.
So we can't go to war unless it's approved by the people in a vote.
The really interesting point is who gets to vote; only citizens fit for military duty are eligible to vote to go to war. Puts an interesting twist on it. Now, I don't agree with it, I don't a vote is worth much if only around 2-5% of the population is voting. But it's a neat idea.
Another part of depends on the outcome of the vote. If the vote is approved and we're going to war, then all of the people who voted yes just enlisted into the military. So there's your first draft. The second draft, if need be, are all of the people who could have voted but didn't. A really neat theory.
I do really like the idea that starting a war would have to be approved by a vote first. Understandably, if we're attack the president and congress would have the authority to move quickly. But for a war that we want to start (like, say, Iraq?) It couldn't start until the public approved it.
But what about troop movement? Some wars got started simply because one side ammassed troops at a border. I'm sure the executive branch would find ways around it, but I love the idea that we can't start a war without national approval.
So we can't go to war unless it's approved by the people in a vote.
The really interesting point is who gets to vote; only citizens fit for military duty are eligible to vote to go to war. Puts an interesting twist on it. Now, I don't agree with it, I don't a vote is worth much if only around 2-5% of the population is voting. But it's a neat idea.
Another part of depends on the outcome of the vote. If the vote is approved and we're going to war, then all of the people who voted yes just enlisted into the military. So there's your first draft. The second draft, if need be, are all of the people who could have voted but didn't. A really neat theory.
I do really like the idea that starting a war would have to be approved by a vote first. Understandably, if we're attack the president and congress would have the authority to move quickly. But for a war that we want to start (like, say, Iraq?) It couldn't start until the public approved it.
But what about troop movement? Some wars got started simply because one side ammassed troops at a border. I'm sure the executive branch would find ways around it, but I love the idea that we can't start a war without national approval.