I think that the idea would be bad for all involved.
Those who sign up for the military, whether they need to shape up or not, do so of their own free will and the benefits are different when you want to be then when you don't... just like college...
Also, it'd turn the military into another leftist social experiment. The public schools have already been co-opted; how long would it take for Leftists to recognize forced military service as an opportunity to indoctrinate beyond high school years?
The reason the greatest generations' war had so many more volunteers was likely effected by the consensus in the country that we faced an existential threat. A big difference between WWII & Vietnam, where we never even could manage a formal declaration of war.
To me the fundamental question has to be "does the state own us?". If so the great American experiment has failed; if not then where does gov't get the authority?
Scary stuff to me; particularly when Conservatives start entertaining it.
