Reply #60: I'm not sure how universal serfdom makes serfdom a civic experiment.

[wickerwoman]

I believe (and I believe the founding fathers believed) in certain inaliable rights- including the right to enjoy the fruits of your own labors and the right to freedom of movement (restricted only by the requirements of national security). Both of these woud be violated by a law which required me to live in a particular place for a particular period of time and to labor without compensation equal to what I may be able to earn in the private sector.

I don't expect the government to simply work for me, but the essence of liberty is that I will repay that government when I choose to and in the manner I choose to. It may not be the most secure or efficient system, but property rights and reasonable freedom of movement are (for better or worse) cornerstone liberties of a true democracy. The fact that you don't like how others have chosen to use those liberties is not a good enough reason to take them away.