re: #144 LudwigVanQuixote

That is precisely what I meant by the community service and no right to vote without it. I think that was one of Heinlein’s most intriguing ideas. Voting is exercising coercion on your society. That is a privledge that must be earned through service, not abused as a right by those who only care for themselves.

The problem most people have with Heinlein’s model and label it a military dictatorship or fascims is they failed to understand 2 key elements. First, nowhere was it stipulated that the service had to be military. In fact, numerous examples were listed of people engaged in research projects, public work crews and other forms of civic duties to fulfill their comittment. Second, the false assumption the military controlled the government. The book made it quite clear that those serving lacked the vote until such a time their service was over and made references to only being allowed to run for political office once they were discharged from their terms of service,