Foxy, I just DID suggest a better alternative myself- replacing uniform NS with a dole/welfare option of NS. That is, if people actually tried to get on the Dole, they may be required to sign up for NS. I don't actually endorse it, it's simply a smarter version of what is being proposed as it exclusively singles out the individuals who allegedly actually need it.

Individual- if you weren't implying that NS is a positive because it draws people away from the 'academia' and 'unnecessary education' of college that they would have otherwise picked, you sure had a funny way of phrasing it.

And how, pray, is YOUR NS education/training program not 'forcing useless and unnecessary education down their throats'?
And I hope you aren't simplifying the world into people that would happily join NS and see it as an important requirement, or selfish "everybody owes me" types. If not, please retract that statement I just quoted.

And all the talk about learning life skills- we already have that- school, university, TAFE, scouts and apprentice/trainee programs.
Take your pick- as almost every single person DOES.

And do tell- what exactly IS 'real world experience' that most are lacking, that would help them, say, become an engineer or financial analyst in the city? Or how would NS in ANY way help people aiming to be such people if they were already fully capable of doing it already?

Excellent and highly relevant concept for this and the next generation Individual; Wonderful if government gives a green light on National Service based upon all aspects you have enlightened us with.

But Hazza, they'll be able to tell the difference between their right and left feet, to tie their shoelaces, shave their faces daily, make their beds, do as they are told, when they are told and not to pick their noses and spit in public!

What a joke. Virtually all the young people I encounter know how to do all that stuff already - except I imagine young women might find shaving their faces daily superfluous. They know how to do what they're told too, so long as they're told respectfully and appropriately.

So what does that leave? Oh that's right - the boy scout stuff and how to fire a gun. Hang on, most of the young people around here know that stuff too.

Seriously, I can imagine that this sort of training might be useful to recidivist juvenile delinquents - except perhaps the weapons training - but you can't seriously be suggesting that the majority of young people would benefit appreciably from learning skills they already know.

You can give people discipline without a gun in hand and showing how to kill people.In this present climate it is the last thing we need .Do not encourage the war mongerers.

Israel is currently pushing for the invasion of Iran.They have got Congress to bring in sanctions which could eventually lead the war.We have all the conditions that brought about WW2.So don't think that it can't happen.

Lifeskills, Hmmm?
Sounds a bit formulaic.
But then, life 'is' formulaic for some people, isn't it?
Life isn't about self-discovery, unless it's under controlled conditions ...
The army! The goose-step can be liberating. Seeing all those formerly independent spirits in a perfect drill formation gives me goose bumps, especially when they're accompanied by plenty of phallic symbolism. Kim Jong-il seems to get a kick out of it. You won't see any of those guys picking their noses!
Of course the military has no doubt changed since I was a lad. Back then, life skills meant getting pissed, out bush or in town, fighting and being able to load an SLR magazine in a few seconds, or firing so many bullets per second into a bladder full of fake blood that it literally exploded. Fantastic!
And then of course you learned how to hate properly, not just slope-heads and fags, but all 'others'.
And mate, ain't the ladies suckers for a uniform--it covers the most heinous sins with a layer of respectability. They'll do anything for a man in uniform!
And of course the poor ol' bullet-stopper is so blown away by all the bullcrap, he thinks there must be something in it, and all the degrading, dehumanising, contemptuous rubbish he's been rebelling against is actually what made a man of him! He occupies the high ground now, from which he can survey the surrounding field with suitable contempt--the civies love him for it, he's a life member of the RSL and even has a kind of uneasy self-respect that seemed to pop up out of no-where.
I have one ambition for my kids, that they don't join the military!
Working for the dole is a good idea as long as it's neither demeaning nor inflationary.

Oh Stop CJ! I assure you there are plenty of poor young lads who need careful instruction on shaving their faces with military precision, or they may well cut themselves!
And you have *clearly* overlooked an important point about firing a gun- just because most people know how to do it, the problem is they can't do it PROPERLY!
Honestly it's clear there IS a problem that warrants NS after all!

You too Arjay! You can't possibly compare us to Israel. For one thing, they are surrounded by hostile nations, unlike ourselves!
(oh wait a minute- forget that last line- Indonesia may well be plotting against us as we type- perhaps that's why there are so many advocates)!

And Squeers- I think you've hit the nail on the head- it seems not so much learning 'life skills' as much as discourses important to a set group feel we need to follow.