30 March 2009
I encourage (require) you to volunteer – USA
I read a headline about a new act that is going through the senate and house recently and alarm bells immediately went off in my head. I am referring to H.R. 1388, which is known as the “Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act” or “GIVE Act”. I found the 275-page documented and went searching for one particular part of the document that I feared may be in there. I have heard rumors of potential mandatory national service and I wanted to see if it could possibly be true.
After I had scanned over 200 pages, I started to feel a little relief because I didn’t see anything regarding any mandatory service. Then I saw it.
Sec. 6103. ESTABLISHMENT.
There is established in the legislative branch a commission to be known as the “Congressional Commission on Civic Service” (in this title referred to as the “Commission”).
SEC. 6104. DUTIES.
(a) GENERAL PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Commission is to gather and analyze information in order to make recommendations to Congress to—
- (1) improve the ability of individuals in the United States to serve others and, by doing so, to enhance our Nation and the global community;
- [Other items removed for brevity's sake.]
(b) SPECIFIC TOPICS.—In carrying out its general purpose under subsection (a), the Commission shall address and analyze the following specific topics:
- (1) The level of understanding about the current Federal, State, and local volunteer programs and opportunities for service among individuals in the United States.
- (2) The issues that deter volunteerism and national service, particularly among young people, and how the identified issues can be overcome.
- (3) Whether there is an appropriate role for Federal, State, and local governments in overcoming the issues that deter volunteerism and national service and, if appropriate, how to expand the relationships and partnerships between different levels of government in promoting volunteerism and national service.
- (4) Whether existing databases are effective in matching community needs to would-be volunteers and service providers.
Can you see where this is going yet? Here it comes
- (5) The effect on the Nation, on those who serve, and on the families of those who serve, if all individuals in the United States were expected to perform national service or were required to perform a certain amount of national service.
- (6) Whether a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people could be developed, and how such a requirement could be implemented in a manner that would strengthen the social fabric of the Nation and overcome civic challenges by bringing together people from diverse economic, ethnic, and educational backgrounds.
- (7) The need for a public service academy, a 4 year institution that offers a federally funded undergraduate education with a focus on training future public sector leaders.
I’m all for volunteering for service-projects, but if you ever hear the words “National Service”, I would recommend that you run away screaming. I think most of us can see that the goal of this act is not to “make it easier for people to volunteer”, but to give the government one more hold on us. One more area of our lives that they can strip away our freedoms.
I’d like to hear from the rest of you. Which part of this scares you the most? Or if it doesn’t scare you, what do you like about it?
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5 Comments currently posted.
Ken Lanning says:
Chris says:
I heard about this before the election that Obama wanted to implement this. I thought at the time that he’d never be able to get this passed in the US where we are supposed to be “free” but it’s looking more and more like his vision and that of Nancy Pelosi and many others in the administration is to take away many of the freedoms our founding fathers set up for us. It’s disturbing and disgusting. Thanks for bringing this to light because we won’t hear about it on the evening news.
Shu Fen says:
hello visiting you! 
have a nice day! ^^
Reg Fife says:
At least they are goinng to “gather and analyze information” before determining whether or not to make said service mandatory. So we’ve still got a window in which we can make sure their findings indicate mandatory service would not work.
Clark Smith says:
SPECIFIC TOPICS… the Commission shall address and analyze… The issues that deter volunteerism and national service..
I got your issue right here – it’s called WORK (the definition of which only has meaning in a capitalist society). Compelling “young people” to not work is the appropriate first step of an agenda that is clearly seeking to nationalize all work. And while all this volunterism is going on, who’s going to pay the taxes to fund these yay-whos volunterism? Their parents? We’ve been crying that all of Obama’s spending is putting a burden on our children they can’t sustain… I guess he figured out some dodge on that one, parents will be stuck with a double the dip on taxes while the children “serve their (well organized) community”. Has Obama figured out some economic perpetual motion machine whereby government income can be generated by without anyone working or being taxed? This is an interesting development to keep an (Orwellian) eye on.
I especially like the part about the four year public service academy because I love the thought of the government training public sector leaders. Call your congressman!