From American Thinker, we have this little gem: "Altruism at the point of a gun." I'll give you the salient points, but it really reads better from Mr. Moran's own voice.
Sidebar: Does that not bother anyone other than me? Am I the only one who thinks Gestapo-esque types of groups? Neighbors informing on neighbors? Whatever, I suppose. Maybe it'll bother folks when it's too late to do anything about it.
Back to the bill: it supposedly updates a National Service Act from 1990, but the amendments to this basically create a whole new kettle of fish. What has my stomach -- and Mr. Moran's -- upset is section 6104, where a commission will be be set up to determine 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…."
"Section 120 of the bill also discusses the 'Youth Engagement Zone Program' and states that 'service learning' will be 'a mandatory part of the curriculum in all of the secondary schools served by the local educational agency.' "
Hello? Mandatory? Mandatory service? This whole piece-of-crap legislation is wrong on so many levels it's hard to know where to start. So let's tick them off one by one:
1. There is no constitutional mandate for interference in education on a federal level. Never has been. Of course, that baby got thrown out with the bathwater a long time ago.
2. Mandatory and volunteer are mutually exclusive terms. By definition, a volunteer is someone who freely offers to take part in an enterprise. By mandating such participation, you remove the "volunteer" component, meaning that you are conscripting workers for government programs. The 13th Amendment prohibits involuntary servitude.
3. This arsed-up program is projected to cost $6 billion over five years. SIX BILLION DOLLARS. Billion with a B. Where in the name of all that's good and holy is that money going to come from? And that's to create 175,000 "service opportunities."
all together now… what the f
I'm not finished yet.
4. Our kids can't even freaking read and do basic math, yet you want to mandate that a portion of their school and study time go do God knows what? Under the government's mandate and (presumably) supervision?
can't say "god…"
Oh, yeah, that's right. According to Sec. 125 of this wad of horsepuckey, the participants in approved national service positions may not engage in:
1. Attempting to influence legislation
2. Organizing protests, petitions, boycotts or strikes
3. Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing
4. Impairing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements
5. Engaging in partican political activities
6. Participating in, or endorsing events or activities that are likely to include advocacy for political parties, et al
7. Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing, operating, or maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization.
I'm not a particularly religious person, but I find that last bit offensive. Especially seeing as how many churches, synagogues, and other god-fearing groups do so much of the volunteering already. Who's determining what violates these rules? Is "influencing legislation" slipping a check to Senator Blowhard's campaign during the job? Is it having a "vote for _____" bumper sticker on the back of your car when you show up to work? Is hitting your thumb with a hammer and yelling out "Jesus Christ" proselytizing? Or is it worse than that -- is this essentially surrendering your first amendment rights in order to participate in this project? You know, that you volunteered for? Or that your kids were volunteered for?
In Soviet Russia, the youth were "encouraged" to become members of the
Young Pioneers. This was an early way to get them to absorb the party line. If we have our kids conscripted into this "volunteer" program, what are they going to be force-fed?
Look, I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing to have kids do some community work. Some schools already have community service requirements for graduation. I do think requiring it is a bad thing. First of all, they have enough pressure on them with schoolwork and trying to fulfill the requirements and get the grades and extracurricular participation for college acceptances. Secondly, I have a huge problem with the schools mandating what qualifies as community service and what doesn't. There is very much an "it's okay if WE say it is" attitude governing a lot of these programs, and that directly contradicts the whole idea of what's supposed to be happening in the first place. Thirdly, if the government gets their greedy little hands in it -- and they will, probably tying in federal aid somehow -- well, I'll let Mr. Moran say it:
What we have here is nothing less than altruism at the point of a gun. Fine thing we're teaching our kids -- that government can compel you to do "good."
Orwellian doublespeak, for sure. But as one of the commenters on the piece pointed out: "The irony is that these people are usually the ones crying that you can't legislate morality. Yet they have no compuction about doing so themselves when they have the chance." Well spoken, I'd say.
