Monday, November 23, 2009

Each week, from now through the election, we'll pose a question to the congressional candidates on the ballot in the 5th, 6th and 9th Congressional Districts.

This week's question from The Roanoke Times: Military draft

Online-only question: The draft

Draft: Under what conditions, if any, would you support reinstating the military draft?

Choose a district: 5th | 6th | 9th

* = denotes incumbent

5th District

Stretches from Charlottesville to Danville and includes Bedford, part of Bedford County, Franklin County, Martinsville, part of Henry County.

Rep. Virgil Goode (R) *

Virgil Goode

I do not favor reinstatement of military draft.

Al Weed (D)

Al Weed

If we are to engage in a "generational fight to build Democracy in Iraq" then we must also ask which generation will do the fighting? It looks like today we are asking the children of the working and middle class — who enlist often to pay for college — and not those whose parents can pay for leg-up to the American dream that college represents. A draft would ensure that all of us share the burden of our leadership role in the world and I would support its reinstitution as the price for continued involvement in the Middle East.

6th District

Stretches from the Roanoke Valley to Shenandoah County.

Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R) *

Bob Goodlatte

Americans today rely heavily on the service and sacrifice of our military. The global war on terrorism has required that our soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen be posted overseas at record levels to protect our freedom. I believe it is extremely important that all the men and women of today's military volunteer to serve. All-volunteer, or professional, militaries perform more efficiently, more effectively, more consistently and with less corruption and other breakdowns than those consisting of draftees. The U.S. military stands as a shining example of this. Our all-volunteer service is the most skilled, disciplined and motivated force in the world.>

9th District

Stretches from the Roanoke Valley to the Cumberland Gap.

Rep. Rick Boucher (D) *

Rick Boucher

I do not support reinstatement of the draft. It is essential, however, that in order to maintain a high-quality, all-volunteer military that we end the “backdoor draft” of National Guard and Reserve forces which the administration has now put in place, that we provide appropriate compensation and benefits for those who enter the armed forces and, very importantly, that we honor the commitment to our nation’s veterans. The administration has continually recommended reduced funding levels for veterans’ programs. We have successfully fought those efforts and obtained veterans’ program increases.

Kevin Triplett (R)

Kevin Triplett

Because of the economic conditions in the 9th District over the last 22 years, more and more Southwest Virginians have chosen to serve in our all-volunteer military, the finest in the world. I am not a military expert, so I will defer to those who are in the Department of Defense to know what it needed and right now, there is not a call for, nor do I support, re - instating the draft.

Seth Davis (I)

Seth Davis

I do not support reinstating the draft. The all-volunteer force is working fine, and any attempt to draft soldiers would cause our military personnel to include an increasing number of soldiers who do not want to serve. If we increase military pay and benefits, more prospective people can be recruited.

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