1. Enlist in the branch of service of your choice.
2. Stand for the draft.
3 If you were wealthy and/or had the proper connections you could enter the Guard. Those were the facts of life.
So How did Richie Gephardt get in the Missouri Air National Guard? Did his milk-truck driving Dad use his union connections, or was Richie's Dad skimming cream at night? I got out of college in 1971 (four deferments!), and very few of the people I graduated follwed any of the above 3 options. My draft number was 68 (out of 365) and they didn't get to me until November. In December, Nixon announced the discontinuation of the draft.
I'm not defending or supporting or supporting anyone. Just stating the facts of the time. The draft lottery was an improvement over the previous system but that was still a factor in someones decision process. I seem to recall the highest number called was 125 but that may be high. The call level had been higher in 1970.
If we have to revert to a draft the old method has to be improved. Personally I believe the best approach would be to eliminate all deferrals for reasons not medically related. If your number comes up you go within 30 days, period. During times of a draft the only persons eligible for the Guard should be persons who have already served their commitment or were missed by the lottery in a previous year.