OMG you won't believe what is written on Obama's new website: "America Serves"

http://change.gov/americaserves/ ^

[syl799]

America Serves "When you choose to serve -- whether it's your nation, your community or simply your neighborhood -- you are connected to that fundamental American ideal that we want life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness not just for ourselves, but for all Americans. That's why it's called the American dream."

The Obama Administration will call on Americans to serve in order to meet the nation’s challenges. President-Elect Obama will expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and will create a new Classroom Corps to help teachers in underserved schools, as well as a new Health Corps, Clean Energy Corps, and Veterans Corps. Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by developing a plan to require 50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year. Obama will encourage retiring Americans to serve by improving programs available for individuals over age 55, while at the same time promoting youth programs such as Youth Build and Head Start.

[Hulka]

I serve this great nation by working hard and being self reliant. THAT is the American Dream.

[massgopguy]

I bet being a Knight of Columbus doesn’t count. I bet they come after our Insurance program as well.

[ScottinVA]

“Usually when a lib says “encourage” it means “mandatory”...”

I’m 52 and served 28 years in this Nation’s military. Bulls**t if that twig-armed little faggot is going to force me to “serve” in a capacity of his choice.

[Scothia]

Dang, beat me by a couple of seconds. GMTA.

[Red in Blue PA]

“To Serve Man”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x0BSgLKnSk

[NavyCanDo]

If an abled bodied person is on the Government teat, then I can agree with asking them to provide something in return. But this Obama plan goes beyond that. Way beyond that. Unless he plans on having us All suckle.

[justkate]

I didn’t see a reply to your question so...

“zek” is what they used to call the inmantes of forced labor in the USSR. c.f. Alexander Solzenitzen

[GOP_Thug_Mom]

Actually, we had a foster daughter who lived with us for 5 years. She got a scholarship to an all-girl’s Catholic high school. She was required to do some community service hours—I think it was 100 hrs total in the four years she was there. But that wasn’t the government mandating it, and she got to pick pretty much whatever she wanted, including pro-life activities.

[nhwingut]

[o_zarkman44]

They were called peons.

[Hulka]

And that is what concerns me.

In only a few more years I will probably retire, and when I do, I don’t want to be bothered. I want to be left alone,

I worked my entire life and when I retire, I want to enjoy my life, enjoy what I EARNED, and not be “encouraged” to do something I don’t want to.

Want to slow down retirements and clog up the work force and reduce opportunities for the younger workers? Easy. All you need do is “encourage” retirees to do something they have no interest in and, most likely, will not be paid for.

If I want to get up every day and toil away on something, by gawd, it will be for me and for a price.

[BRK]

Don’t we have an amendment to the Constitution that prohibits involuntary servitude?

[HangThemHigh]

"And I wonder what he means when he says 'encourage retiring Americans to serve'"

Tax them until they have to work at Mickey D's to make ends meet?

[PowderMonkey]

"As chief of staff, Emanuel will not be in a position to directly introduce public policy, but his enthusiasm for compulsory service, combined with Barack Obama's own plan to require high school students to perform 50 hours of government-approved service, suggest an unfortunate direction for the new administration."

First, they'll have to go through the formality of gutting the U.S. Constitution. Powers relegated to the State vs. those granted to Federal Govt. Oh, I have no doubt they could do it, but it would prove a Pyrrhic victory at best.

[VR-21]

“zek” is what they used to call the inmantes of forced labor in the USSR.

It's important to point out that the zeks were political prisoners, as opposed to the inmates who were "real" criminals. They were regarded with contempt, and camp guards and administrators overlooked the brutalization of zeks by other prisoners.

[RMDupree]

I am completely flabbergasted!

I was outside talking to a co-worker about this when two other office mates chimed in and said it wasn’t a big deal since our high schools already require 75 hours of community service as a requirement to graduate.

I stood there with my mouth hanging open and managed to ask “I thought community service was a sentence given to someone when they did something wrong”.

They missed the point entirely and said that it’s a GOOD thing to require kids to perform community service hours.

I asked if this was just in Florida or nationwide and they said they were certain it was nationwide.

Is this true????

[gridlock]

Looks like Paul Begala grew a beard, and is working for the Transition Team...

[woollyone]

uck
ou
bama

[PowderMonkey]

Not in our locality.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

ping