Individual it is time to come clean, I have grave doubts you are the owner of a mind than can grasp others views.
IF you are the other OLO poster who shares a house with my mate Ludwig he should keep solid doors .
You have no idea, not a bit, from what deep dark hole did you get the view 2.2 million of our youth are as you describe?
20% of our entire population?
Sir on the evidence I prefer to think we must look to you to find the problem.
YOU start a thread to complain about police catching one group of drunken drivers, not letting them get out on the road and kill.
And apparently side with Hasbeen who tells of a drunk driving on the wrong side of the road!
And sleeping, by law in control off , his car while, remember he had been there a while, still drunk on testing!~
How can you expect any one to agree with you.

o sung wo, you and I get on, we would have still when you wore the uniform.
We differ in politics and some things.
I lack your ability to not lash out, yet too had it once.
Any one dealing with the public must have it, just stopping to help a motorist change a wheel, can lead to its your fault screaming.
I feel however little is to be gained by pandering to such as indy.
Some very deep thinkers have tried so very hard, a once mate, green C J Morgan, now dead, tried in the most civil way, for about two weeks of posting, to find out why he thinks our youth should be out cleaning roadsides.
Not in university learning to be Doctors or lawyers, not in the Army or air force.
He and I never got an answer.
Contemplate this.
Like the ALP or not would this country be better of if it was a one party one?
Indy would at least get his national service, only dictatorships do things like that.
The man is unable to express his reasons he thinks, or does not, like that.
My faith is in Australian youth this country's future.

Belly,
I already had to refer Paul1405 back to Hasbeen's apt assessment & now you too. As Hasbeen said you're not reading are you ? It was Paul1405 give or take a ¼ who came up with the 2.2 million not I.
If you can't see the positives of a national service then you're not really looking for a solution. Just saying so is pointless.
Re not letting them get out on the road and kill. you're suggesting I am complaining about drunk drivers being bailed up. A sane observer will tell you that my complaint was that Coppers let drunk drivers get into a car. Read !

re Indy would at least get his national service, only dictatorships do things like that.

To be a responsible citizen requires more than hanging off some unions apron. It requires common sense & integrity and, yes some give & 2 years of give is nothing in comparison to the gain. Only a unionist or academic hanger-on would object to that. I am talking to decent working people about a national service all the time and you know what, 99% agree even many Labor supporters.
Imagine the responsible driver behaviour after a national service. Even the drinking culture would change. why do I think so ? Because I have experienced it first hand in Europe & in Australia before big Goaf.

Self confidence can be a good thing, properly.
It too can be informative for those looking on.
Indy no way around it RUOK are you in need of some form of help.
I see in your posts a very grumpy uninformed man sitting in a rocking chair on the veranda of a Queenslander throwing rocks at passers by.
I blame me, you never once put some thing pointing to an open mind in print, why do I constantly think you may one day under stand a subject?
IF you need to recycle hasbeens insults, and you do, but ignore your own words, re read your posts here in your thread!
Common sense never visited even briefly that Queenslander Veranda mate.

Individual, I am not totally opposed to your idea, does that shock you? I am in fact a firm believer, as most Green I known are, in self reliance and self help, with a lending hand from the state where need. We also believe in having positive programs in place that do help people. For young people like school leavers rather than just a bit of a 'hand out' I would like to see positive programs that give young people not just employment skills but also life skill which help them make the right kind of choices and also help with character building and instills a degree of self worth.
I would like to see programs in place that are geared to help all welfare recipients, from the young to the old. For older Australian, we can do more than the old age pension, I would like to see those that can and want to participate more in society ,do so, and I want to see them rewarded for doing just that. The hand out mentality is not good for the individual and its not good for the country in the long term. having said that where I differ from conservatives I believe the State has a vital roll to play in all this and it should not be seen as an exercise in exploration of cheap labour.
Recently at a candidates forum I attended one conservative candidate thought he had the 'winner' for youth unemployment. Have kids follow the garbage truck around and wash and clean 'wheele bins' his included of course. I was not impressed as many I spoke to after were equally unimpressed with this business owner. I could discuss this topic with you for hours. However it has little to do with the cops, although I can see the police having an input more with young offenders, more than simply arresting them. That;s another john dory.

'afterneen folks...and BELLY and HASBEEN.

I realise I'm completely off Topic here, however I'm firmly of the belief, that one of the major federal political parties are going to have to embrace, sooner rather than later ?

I noted someone herein mentioned one of my favourite topics, the re-introduction (a form) of National Service.

BELLY old mate, I don't think you're all that enamoured with the concept of re-introducing any form of National Service, or perhaps I'm mistaken ?

I don't think an issue as evocative or topical as National Service, has entered our collective perspectives for some considerable time. Probably not since the days of Vietnam, I believe ?

The National Service I have in mind, would not necessarily be of the Military kind (certainly military discipline wouldn't go too far awry), I was thinking more as some structured 'civil service'

Most of the ol' blokes would say (including me possibly?) '...put 'em all in the Army...' ? Though, today the Army is in many cases far too technical and advanced for some young blokes, who are not quite as well endowed academically ?

In the days of 'square bashing' the 'bull ring' and hours of Rifle and foot drill, and days on the range with your good ol' .303 SMLE, Rifle, are now gone (SADLY ?).

Therefore, the Armed Forces are all very fine, provided the young person who's been drafted in for his or her year or two, has the sufficient 'wherewithal' between the ears ?

However, I'll defer this one to HASBEEN. Who was a former Naval Aviator, and who'd understand far better than I, as to whether or not some young people would find 'the Military per se' far too technically challenging today, than back in the fifties, sixties and seventies.

Whatever happens, we've got to do something with 'SOME' of our young people. Otherwise they'll just develop into straight out, hardened intractable criminals, and they'll be lost to society forever !