Opinions play a vital role in all matters surrounding us. It depends on what you're having for lunch and what new bill the president approves. All of these opinions and decisions affect some of us equally. When it comes to laws and regulations, we often take them for granted because they don't or won't affect us. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Right now as American citizens we have the decision in our hands to choose whether we want to join the military or not. This is a choice that most people probably take for granted. If we lost the privilege of deciding whether or not we wanted to join the military, how would that affect the average person like you and me? Discussions and debates on this topic have been going on for some time. People take this topic seriously and have different ideas and opinions about it. This issue would affect not only the enlisted person, but also their families and loved ones. Right now some of us can just “imagine” how difficult it is, but we really don't know how serious and devastating it can be when one of our loved ones is far away. Thinking about how privileged we are to have this option should make people more aware of how many people sacrifice their lives for this country and how grateful we should feel to live in a place where we have the option to join the military or not. Some people agreed that going to war in the past was necessary, but how would that change if their child or loved one was drafted because of this war? Congressman Charles B. Rangel stated in the New York Times: “I believe that if those calling for war knew that their children were likely to be called upon to serve and be put in harm's way, there would be more caution and a greater willingness to work with the international community in dealing with Iraq” (Rangel, 19) even though he is proactive in reinstating the draft, he still makes a very good point in this issue because people may all be interested in going to war, but when and if it were to influence them or anyone close to them, this could happen when people take a step back and think more about how we could solve our problems in a less drastic way. Many people probably have the same opinions as Rangel because in general as humans we tend to choose or pursue things without thinking them through or thinking about their consequences unless they directly affect us. Furthermore he may also have meant by what he said that we often agree that our country fights and solves problems this way because perhaps the military has never influenced our lives enough for us to think about it in a meaningful way. He states his ideas on this topic effectively because he agrees that the draft would benefit our country, but he also realizes how it could affect our country and the people who get drafted. However, not everyone has the same opinions and as with any topic there will always be opposing sides. Michael Kinsley expressed his opinion in the Washington Post by stating: “The practical effect would be to deny this poor guy the opportunity he is currently seizing, without creating new opportunities to replace it. Meanwhile, someone else who doesn't need or want this opportunity would be forced to take it. Result: two people doing something they don't want to do” (Kinsley, B07). His statement is very powerful and guaranteed to grab attention..