Obongo will REQUIRE community service

[KnjazVovk]

The Obama Administration will call on Americans to serve in order to meet the nation?s challenges. President-Elect Obama will expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and will create a new Classroom Corps to help teachers in underserved schools, as well as a new Health Corps, Clean Energy Corps, and Veterans Corps. Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by developing a plan to require 50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year. Obama will encourage retiring Americans to serve by improving programs available for individuals over age 55, while at the same time promoting youth programs such as Youth Build and Head Start.

http://www.change.gov/americaserves

I'll be damned if I'm wasting my time cleaning up ghetto ****holes

Discuss

[Duckenheimer]

Obongo?

I'm not sure what to think of this and the "Civilian National Security Force"...

[Gadsden]

what an efficient way to spend time! government does everything best!

[Futurama525]

eawfaw

[Devian]

Something wrong with bringing the country together?

50 hours a year? Imagine how many hours per year these kids play games and do nothing.

[KnowledgeOfSelf]

imagine how many hours a year I spend on this ****ing forum.....

[Gadsden]

Something wrong with bringing the country together?

50 hours a year? Imagine how many hours per year these kids play games and do nothing.

there's something wrong with blind nationalism and the idea that the president has the power to order people to work in jobs he sees useful.

[American_Maniac]

there's something wrong with blind nationalism and the idea that the president has the power to order people to work in jobs he sees useful.

this sounds like communism

[Gadsden]

Working 40 hours/ week, taking 16 credit hours, playing a sport, and lifting weights, how in the **** would I be able to do that?

sounds like someone's being unpatriotic. why do you hate America?

[ElMariachi]

this sounds like communism

Its fits in with the whole "redistribution of wealth." When you think about it, money is mostly a reflection of time spent working to earn it. So in the end, he's basically getting at a "redistribution of time." I think its a bogus, bull**** idea. If people want to do community service, more power to them, but any requirement to do so is just plain authoritarian in the scariest way possible.

[Futurama525]

Something wrong with bringing the country together?

50 hours a year? Imagine how many hours per year these kids play games and do nothing.

Wouldn't this be unconsitutional under the involuntary servitude amendment (i think the 14th) that was used to get rid of slavery?

[Organichu]

You omit that the college students will receive a $4,000 credit towards their tuition for those hours- and $40/hr is a sight better than what they'd receive in typical college jobs.

[ElMariachi]

Wouldn't this be unconsitutional under the involuntary servitude amendment (i think the 14th) that was used to get rid of slavery?

I'm sure there will be some hook to it, like linking it to financial aid, scholarships or making it a requirement for graduation.

[GoldBlue]

This is truly scary stuff...

[Gadsden]

You omit that the college students will receive a $4,000 credit towards their tuition for those hours- and $40/hr is a sight better than what they'd receive in typical college jobs.

it's actually straight from his new website where he doesn't mention the credit monies. perhaps with good reason. This thing is about as efficient as a Rube Goldberg contraption

[American_Maniac]

is there anyone here that would refuse to do it?

[grapemaster]

You omit that the college students will receive a $4,000 credit towards their tuition for those hours- and $40/hr is a sight better than what they'd receive in typical college jobs.

sounds like unjustified nationalism to me, that, or Obama needs to correct his webpage...

is there anyone here that would refuse to do it?

Yes...

[TheJuicedchase]

You omit that the college students will receive a $4,000 credit towards their tuition for those hours- and $40/hr is a sight better than what they'd receive in typical college jobs.

Maybe I'm mistaken, but his plan to give 4k credit towards college is towards voluntary service.

[Devian]

It's sad when America doesn't want to give 2 days of their entire year to improve their communities.

[JRRBadBoy4Life]

I work 6 days a week. I'll be damned if I'm going to perform community service. That should be left to those who are going to be living on welfare. In fact, we should make those on welfare earn their checks by creating these community service jobs he speaks of. Make their lazy asses work 50 hours a year, lol.

[Organichu]

it's actually straight from his new website where he doesn't mention the credit monies. perhaps with good reason. This thing is about as efficient as a Rube Goldberg contraption

Regardless of whether it's mentioned, it's true. College students are going to be paid (handsomely) for these hours, assuming it's signed into law.

[Duckenheimer]

It's sad when America doesn't want to give 2 days of their entire year to improve their communities.

Agreed.

But it's frightening that it would be required as designated by Government.

[ajn]

I bet the people that love to call others lazy will be begging to sit this one out...

This is reminiscent of Clinton and school uniforms. Every president has a personal idea that is important to them, but they still have to clear it with other people. But if he does enforce this and it is enforced properly, it's a good idea to me.

Wouldn't this be unconsitutional under the involuntary servitude amendment (i think the 14th) that was used to get rid of slavery?

Obviously we don't have the full story, because the plan has not even been developed yet.

If you want to take that excerpt at face value and assume the worst like ElMariachi, feel free to be an idiot.

In fact, I'll help you. Yeah, Obama is actually wanting to institute slavery by forcing people to work. I heard he's gonna force all white people to work in the cotton fields, it's payback for slavery!

[Bluerain]

Yeah he's for bringing the draft back also..wait till they hear that one...they were very upset when bush extended service so lets see how they react to the draft .

[GoldBlue]

It's sad when America doesn't want to give 2 days of their entire year to improve their communities.

100 hours is more than 2 days.

For someone taking 19 hours next semester, and working on a dual degree, with a part-time job and extra curricular activities, 100 hours is completely absurd.

[ElMariachi]

is there anyone here that would refuse to do it?

I absolutely would, just on general principle. I already volunteer quite a bit, but I would not want someone to MAKE me do it. I do it because I want to and not because of pressure from the government.



The other thing that people have not mentioned is......what's his definition of community service? I assume that there'd be a requirement to work for preselected organizations or causes. What happens if you don't find anything that you want to volunteer for???

[nutsy54]

Something wrong with bringing the country together?

No, but there's certainly something wrong with Forced Labor, mandated by the Government. Please explain why you believe that's OK. . . (Bonus points if you can do so without using the names of any prominent Republicans).

Now, let's guess how this will be enforced - and what the penalties will be for those who don't wish to comply. Oh, and how about yet another new bureaucracy that we'll need to create to centrally track and manage your mandated servitude.

[Gadsden]

Regardless of whether it's mentioned, it's true. College students are going to be paid (handsomely) for these hours, assuming it's signed into law.

I'm saying he removed it from the new site as far as I can tell. This would seem to be pertinent information, wouldn't it? Which begs the question, why has it been removed?

I don't understand how this selfish, evil money making can ever mesh with a service-based America, in addition.

[IllumX]

50 hours? are u kidding me? you're crying over 50 hours? thats nothing and most people should be putting community service hours. it would help the country alot.

[Morbid_Mind]

Sturmabteilung anyone?