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Lets send our idlers to Iraq

Michael A. Dingwall (michael_a_dingwall@hotmail.com)

There can be very little doubt that America has bitten off more that she expected to chew in Iraq. Her army of occupation, along with the British, is facing the type of resistance that is most difficult to quell – on made up gorillas using unconventional tactics fuel by strong religious and nationalistic determination. Repeatedly, the American government has called for help from her allies, but for the most part, she (and Great Britain) has been left on her own.

For a long time now, we here in Jamaica have been struggling with the problem of finding jobs for our young people. Our young men, in particular, have been left idling – nothing to do but sit on a road corner, smoke marijuana, listen to some crap from our musicians and getting themselves into trouble. I would suggest that as a means of helping to alleviate this chronic problem, we should consider sending some of these idlers to Iraq.

The government of Jamaica should approach the American government with an offer of assistance for what they are trying to do in Iraq. The Americans are desperately trying to relieve thousands of their soldiers, but they can’t. We have thousands of idle young men making mayhem in Jamaica and there is no work that we can provide for them. The American quagmire in Iraq is a definite opportunity for us In Jamaica.

I would want to suggest that we send around ten thousand idle young men to Iraq. These men should be placed under American

A typical scene on a Jamaican street corner...

command. We should structure the plan such that these men would be compelled to save a portion of their salaries (which no doubt would be paid in American dollars) in Jamaican financial institutions. These compulsory savings should then be used as a fund to make these young men better people. How?

One way would be to create an education initiative for these young men. We all know how ignorant and uneducated many of these idlers are. When they are through with their stint in Iraq and return home, they can use this savings to improve their lot, through education. All means and assistance should be given to these young men to educate themselves.

Another way would be to use these savings as a source of funding for many of these men who may want to start up their own businesses. Not all of the idlers that we see on our street corners are uneducated – many of them have great ideas. They only need the money to make them a reality. Also, for the vast majority of these men, getting financial help is impossible. Seeing that they would be paid in American dollars, the money would surely go a far way in enabling many of these young men with ideas to make their dreams come true.

There are several obvious advantages in this proposal. Firstly, we would get rid a lot of the unsightly idlers that are cluttering our streets. There is no doubt that many of these idlers are responsible for many of the crimes that we are experiencing. Certainly, being busy in Iraq will mean that they cannot be engaged in criminal activities in Jamaica. But there are other benefits.

One of the main benefits of joining any army is what it does to a person’s view of himself. Many of these idlers are well-known riff-raffs. Army life can do nothing but to make them into well disciplined persons.

Also, army recruits always have opportunities to many training programmes. Many unskilled recruits, for example, leave the army as experienced pilots and engineers. There can be very little doubt that Jamaica needs more of these and less of the ignoramuses that too many of our idlers are.

For us taxpayers, the benefits should be obvious. Seeing that they would be placed under American command, we would not have to worry about footing the bill. The savings that they send back home (especially the compulsory savings) could be used for other productive uses. We would strengthen our relationship with the Americans and at the same time increase our presence and prestige in world affairs. All of this at no cost to us.

This is certainly an option worth studying. There is too much to gain and I am sure that the American would only be too happy to get the helping hand in Iraq.

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