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Bucheonguy
Joined: 23 Oct 2008 Location: Bucheon
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Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2008 11:01 pm Post subject: Obama wants Americans to volunteer |
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Obama talks about how he wants American high school students,college students, the unemployed and the retired to volunteer for his civilian corp. The details are a little foggy. He seems to think that they will be fighting inner city crime and protecting the homeland from terrorists. He gives kind of a vague list on his website about this.
Some of the proposed corps are:
Health Corp
Environmental Corp
School Corp
I think each one will be granted some kind of actual police authority... Honestly, I find this troubling. I don't want a high school student busting me for disturbing the peace some day.
Do I have this thing totally wrong or is it creepy? |
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Jandar

Joined: 11 Jun 2008
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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 12:36 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the link.
Really interesting stuff that.
But, what do you really think about it. |
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Tiger Beer

Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 1:01 am Post subject: |
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It sounds like the works of brainchild Rahm Emanuel.
Emanuel uses his book, "The Plan: Big Ideas for America," to specify that he would propose, for all Americans ages 18 to 25, that they "serve their country by going through three months of basic training, civil defense preparation and community service."
I haven't read Rahm's book, but it is one of his brainchild ideas, which is suppose to be the Democratic answer to the Republican's old 'Contract with America'. Rahm specifically states 18-25 year olds.
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This other, of high school students, the unemployed, the homeless or whatever...sounds more like bloggers taking it to an extreme. I also can't imagine they'd have police-like responsibilities either! That sounds very suspect, I'd like to see official sources of some kind refer to that stranger element of this rumour.
If its the latter, then certainly opposed. But I can't help but think that is a very strange offshoot off of the reality of what is being proposed. |
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NoExplode

Joined: 15 Oct 2008
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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:53 am Post subject: |
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Awesome! The black guy wants to bring back slavery!
Workin' for no money is slavery. |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:41 am Post subject: |
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Tiger Beer wrote: |
It sounds like the works of brainchild Rahm Emanuel. |
Except Obama has stumped on this very plan for months now. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007 Location: retired
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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 9:01 am Post subject: |
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He wants young adults to donate a year of their time and in exchange will receive tuition that will cover the expenses of a typical state university. Seems reasonable, from the perspective of the volunteer. |
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Tiger Beer

Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 9:04 am Post subject: |
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Kuros wrote: |
Tiger Beer wrote: |
It sounds like the works of brainchild Rahm Emanuel. |
Except Obama has stumped on this very plan for months now. |
I'm sure he has, but it originates with Rahm Emanuel's "The Plan: Big Ideas for America" which addresses this very thing (minus the exaggerations off of right-wing blogger boards).
mises wrote: |
He wants young adults to donate a year of their time and in exchange will receive tuition that will cover the expenses of a typical state university. Seems reasonable, from the perspective of the volunteer. |
Another exaggeration...where do you get your data from? A year now...? By tomorrow, it'll be five years, and next week the rumour will increase to twenty years of hard labour.
Maybe you are confusing this one with a different plan, as there is separate proposed plan in regards to assisting regular working students and their immense overinflated student loans. However, staying on topic, this proposed community service/disaster preparation plan for 18-25 year olds is only for 3 months of service. |
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pkang0202

Joined: 09 Mar 2007
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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:29 pm Post subject: |
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Where is the money going to come from to pay for this?
Sure, you aren't paying the young adults for their volunteer, free service. But, you have to pay for the staff, the foundation, and the support systems.
Also, this isn't volunteering if everyone has to do it. |
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Jandar

Joined: 11 Jun 2008
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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:39 pm Post subject: |
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Consider it an investment. |
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Tiger Beer

Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 7:16 pm Post subject: |
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pkang0202 wrote: |
Where is the money going to come from to pay for this?
Sure, you aren't paying the young adults for their volunteer, free service. But, you have to pay for the staff, the foundation, and the support systems. |
As a fiscal conservative, I agree with you about the money.
But the last 8 years, Bush has been on a MASSIVE SPENDING SPREE the likes we have never seen and hopefully never will again.
The majority of that money went overseas in every imagineable way. Constantly recruiting more soldiers (almost a form of welfare right there with multitudes of benefits that go to that). We have bases throughout the world, we waste billions of dollars on ammuniation alone just getting the technology correct and the boys trained properly. Then there is actual war which is equally as costly. It just goes on and on. Almost all of our 'research and development' doesn't go to green technologies or domestic technologies or better autos or better anything, it goes to building more costly and more massive war-related weapons, technology, machinery. We have the very best in the world. Now imagine if that kind of research and development was allocated a bit different, imagine how powerful the U.S. would be financially and domestically and such. It would be incredible. All of that war-related weapons stuff IS from taxpayers, ALL of it, every bit of it. So this idea that we have NO money whatsoever for anything domestic (roads, schools, etc.) is ridiculous.
With the massive massive amount of spending which is in the name of 'defense of our country'. I almost think you'd SAVE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE by having this 3-month requirement for youths between 18-25 who are trained to defend the country domestically and natural disaster response, etc. Plus they are working with U.S. COMMUNITIES and getting to understand the TRUE service to OUR country. In addition, we don't have to give them free education, free services, free healthcare, and the other dozens of freebies like we do to those who serve in the armed forces.
The TROOPS are great, no doubt about it. BUT, if the troops are primarily for defense, (which is needed), then a 3-month SERVICE that is temporary and assisting communities and disaster reponse seems more efficient to things domestic. As it is now, groups like FIMA (an agency suppose to handle natural disasters setup by Bush) is incompent and more costly.
I certainly don't like MASSIVE SPENDING whatsoever, but a more logical approach to self-defense that also builds community service and things domestic is much more appealing to me than defending Iraqi, building up their communities, and mowing them down all rolled up in one, with no point to it whatsoever.
I hate spending as much as you do, but the fundamental role of the U.S. government is to protect and defend it's country. I don't agree with massive spending on military bases throughout the world as a form of defense, particularly the costs it takes to maintain that which is astronomical.
But, since their are obvious risks in the world, I have no problem with civilian citizens who work within their communities building it and making it stronger and more solid. I think it has a lot of fundamental worth to the individual and to the country. Domestically-building is MUCH better than nation-building abroad anyday.
Last edited by Tiger Beer on Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:13 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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nosmallplans

Joined: 10 Oct 2008 Location: noksapyeong
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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:08 pm Post subject: |
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could be worse. you could have to serve for three years and tote around a big gun while wearing a terrible green uniform.
which sounds really familiar... |
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