Reaction Paper Example – Term Paper

Sample Reaction Paper to an Article Let’s Draft Our Kids

In response to the article, ‘Let’s draft our kids’ by Thomas Ricks, there is a lot that the society can learn about the new military draft that Gen. Stanley McChrystal suggests. The article comes in handy and is therefore of goodwill because it is proposed at a time when there is increase in the number youths in America, an issue that suggest increase in the rate of unemployment and decrease in job opportunities. Additionally, the article is timely as it is written at a time when there is increase in expenditure in the economy proving the need to reduce national spending by creating new ways of availing low labor in the economy. The style that the author has used is also authoritative and formal and this satisfies federal requirements of writing. There is also proper organization of ideas with the author making a credible introduction that appeals to the needs of the audience, and proper organization of thoughts in a logical manner. 

I agree with the views that the author expresses that there is need to reinstate the draft. It is of great importance for America to disown the idea of creating all-volunteer force; this is because of the various disadvantages that face the all-volunteer force some of them which include the high numbers of casualties in war, loss of productive generation and lack of productive future generation (Ricks, 2012). In this manner, discouraging all-volunteer force would make the military weak and also damage the reputation of the country on the occasions of war. The author’s perspective about utilization of the high number of youth is to commendable, in this manner the creating of conscription system is an excellent idea. This is because the system will make the youth busy and place them is avenues where they would be able to take part in the building of the economy as well as prepare for their future professions in the society. Additionally, the system would make the youths to have a military background which make America to have a youth with improved security thereby having a future with improved security.

Response paper example

It should be acknowledged that the author not only focuses on the youth alone but both the government and the adults, this is because the system would improve service to the aged and reduce government expenses. The reduction in government expenses would help in improving living conditions of the people where the funds that are saved can be used in the development of infrastructure. The article has various strengths and one of them is the use of statistics to support the points that the author tries to put across. By referring to the Vietnam-era conscription system, the author talks of a system that the society is well aware of and a big percentage of the population can relate to the impacts of the system during the era of the Vietnam War. This proves that the author suggests a system that is practical as it had been tried and suggest that the new system need to be better that the previous one.

Statistics and data that the author uses help in improving on the credibility and authenticity of the article and proves that the author did wide research before coming doing the article. This helps in earning credibility for the author as he is viewed as an ethical person with the interest of the country at heart. The author also suggests specific institutions that would benefit from the systems and this appeals for the support of the society to see to it that the new system is adopted. However, one weakness of the article is that it does not address the negative effects that the system would have on the youths that have stable economic generating projects, this is because there are various youths that focus on their businesses and the system would force them to join the military. Secondly, the article does not examine the societal changes and compares acknowledges the benefits that the same system had in the 1970s America; there have been various changes and mostly technological development, by forcing the youth into military service, there would be decline in technological innovation among the youth, an issue that would pose various negative effects.  

Work Cited

Ricks, Thomas E. “Let’s Draft Our Kids.” The New York Times (2012).