Enemies at Home
Posted by Wyoh | Filed under Raid Kills Bugs Dead
This administration’s efforts to mandate “volunteerism” should be viewed with skepticism, if not outright cynicism.
HR 1388 GIVE Act
A bill entitled “The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, an Act to reauthorize and reform the national service laws.”
OpenCongress Summary:
The Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act would dramatically increase funding for AmeriCorps and other volunteer programs, including those for seniors and veterans. It also establishes a goal of expanding from 75,000 government-supported volunteers to 250,000, and would increase education funding and establish a summer service program for students, paying $500 (which would be applied to college costs) to high-school and middle-school student who participate.In its current form, the legislation does not include a mandate requiring service.
Well, that’s not really “volunteering” if you’re paying a $500 bribe, now is it? Still, the stated intentions are there, and we will be watching.
Tags: mandatory volunteerism
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March 28th, 2009
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*Imagine…*
The text of this bill is, like all the pieces of loo roll that pass for legislation in Washington DC, so abstruse that in my current germ-weakened state, I can make neither head nor tail of most of it. The bit quoted above, however, seems pretty straightforward. How, in the name of all that is holy, can Congress justify denying FOUR fundamental, Constitutional rights…
March 30th, 2009
It’s my understanding the original text regarding mandatory national service was stripped from the bill. However, via Michelle Malkin, HR 1444 has in section 4 (Duties), Specific Topics (b), item 5 (pasted from the bill):
(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.