The right-wing blogosphere is up in arms over President-elect Barack Obama’s voluntary service plan. So far, it’s been called Orwellian, radical, and the first step to a national draft. One blog claimed that the plan was devised to brainwash youth to protest capitalism, staff AIDS clinics, hand out condoms, bail criminals out of jail, help “illegals” jump the fence, and get food stamps to the homeless. First of all, Obama’s plan for a universal voluntary citizen draft will not create an army of hippie-activists engaging in illegal activities to overthrow Wall Street. Second of all, there’s nothing wrong with students becoming more aware of health epidemics like AIDS, educating others in safe sex methods, practising their freedom of speech, or—heaven forbid—volunteering at soup kitchens to feed the homeless. Perhaps the program, which encourages students to volunteer at local non-profit organizations, could (gasp) actually make America a better place.
American individualism has been passed down from generation to generation, but even the Pilgrims understood the value of giving. Understandably, some Americans are worried that their children will be forced to volunteer at partisan organizations that they do not support, such as Planned Parenthood or ACORN. The beauty of free speech is that those organizations are free to exist, and their opposition is free to complain. Americans should relax—Obama’s plan will not force seven-year-olds to hand out condoms at the AIDS clinic. It is a voluntary program with diverse opportunities.
Obama wants to expand the successful Americorps program that Clinton created in 1993. It is a domestic venture, mirrored after the Peace Corps, which encourages adults (many of them recent college graduates) to spend a year volunteering in some of the forgotten corners of America. Americorps’ program sends new teachers into the inner city, helps clean up parks, responds to national disasters like Hurricane Katrina, and helps build affordable housing, among many other projects. Full-time service members receive $4,725 to help pay for college. Obama wants to expand Americorps from 75,000 volunteers to 250,000 volunteers to create five new Corps: Classroom Corps, Health Corps, Clean Energy Corps, Veteran Corps, and Homeland Security Corps. Why are Republicans and Libertarians outraged at the idea of citizens donating their time to plant trees, train with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a national disaster, or help out at a Veterans Affairs facility?
The program Obama proposes will ask middle and high school students to complete 50 hours of service each year, and college students to complete 100 hours. Right-wing commentators are only outraged because they are misinformed—or never had to apply to university. Unlike many Canadian universities, the American college application process is complex and excruciating. Schools do not only look at transcripts, but extra-curricular activities. They question why John Doe spent three years writing for his award-winning high school paper and running on the cross-country team, but failed to run for school president, or play an instrument in the high school band. Anyone who has applied to university in America knows that additional service hours will make it easier to get into a dream school. There are currently 1.7 million 16-to-24-yearold Americans who have dropped out of school and are unemployed. These students need a second chance, and volunteering will not only boost their resumes, it will create positive contacts and mentors and strengthen their communities.
Of all the partisan issues that deserve debate—comprehensive healthcare coverage, gun control, and troop withdrawal in Iraq—one would think that Republicans could find a more divisive topic to engage their party’s base. They have compared Obama’s plan to Hitler’s Nazi youth groups, a comparison that demonstrates political rhetoric at its worst. Civic engagement and volunteerism doesn’t just help the less fortunate; it enlightens the activist. It doesn’t matter whether Joe is a Republican or Democrat—he hasn’t eaten in three days, and he hasn’t had a clean pair of socks for longer than he can remember. Maybe if bloggers got off their computer chairs and spent an hour working with homeless people within their own communities, they’d realize this. If someone asks for your help and you can provide it, it’s unpatriotic not to.
