TheAgitator.com
Obama Walks Back Civil Service Plan
Monday, November 10th, 2008Looks like Obama’s people have change the language in his plan for civil service. The language in the section on hours of service for middle and high school students has been changed from “require” to “set a goal that…”
The plan is still creepy, and frankly, “fostering a sense of community service” or among middle and high school students isn’t remotely the responsibility of the federal government.
But at least someone in the Obama camp seems to understand the absurdity of mandatory service.
I don’t think the absurdity is what rolled them back, I think it’s their awareness of internet gossip and the fact that this has blown up awful fast. They rolled it back so it doesn’t become an issue, not because they thought it was wrong…my 2p anyway.
Exactly Sam … now people want a national holiday for him already:
http://cjonline.com/stories/110908/loc_353922770.shtml
The list of problems that would be solved by getting the government completely out of education are too many to list. Government schools are nothing more than government-friendly indoctrination centers.
First you lay the groundwork by insisting that citizens are indebted to the state and the government is your friend. Then you follow it up by moving toward universal service to the state.
In the mind of government, we are all government employees. We’re just a crop of money generators whose labor refills the big pot of gold drained by distributions to “special interests”.
Yes, I know. There really is no pot. It’s just a bunch of IOUs drawn on the promise that future generations will continue to mindlessly toil to feed the machine. The public school system is where those future generations are molded into the material that makes that possible.
The way I see it, in case it’s not obvious, universal service is not about performing a useful productive function, but rather about conditioning the mind as to who’s boss.
Such naivete. The real reason the language was changed was that it sounded too much like a draft, and Obama didn’t need to come in in January defending such a thing.
“But at least someone in the Obama camp seems to understand the absurdity of mandatory service.”
So, what about the more insidious forms of mandatory service like taxation and jury duty? Do they understand the absurdity of those?
Slaves of the world, untie!
We’ve had this sort of “mandatory volunteer” requirement in Ontario high schools for several years (40 hours of “volunteer work” added to the academic graduation requirements). It’s had just about the expected impact: kids who would normally have volunteered anyway still do as much as they would have, while those who would not have done generally leave it until the final month or two of Grade 12, then put in some surly, resentful hours to scrape in in time for graduation.
For both groups, however, it’s incrementally changed their views on “voluntary” efforts: those who are inclined to volunteer seem to feel that their genuine efforts are diminished by making them mandatory, while those who resent the imposition are even less likely to volunteer their efforts once they’ve put in the mandatory 40 hours.
But, as I’m sure supporters of the effort would say, “it sends the right message.”
Radley,
The simple fact is Congress has distorted the tax and spend clause of the Constitution into something that lets them legislate in every single area of public and private life by simply tying federal moneys to it that the states can not do without. And the High Court has just let this go unchecked.
There is simply no way the founders envisioned these kind of strong arm tactics. It’s embarrassing that politicians have used this as a loophole rather than embracing one fo the most fundamental principles in the design of our government.
Obviously the government needs to pick its battles wisely, but it can play a constructive role in getting people to work together for the greater good.
Anyone remember the tv ads about cleaning the highways back in the 70s? Crying Indian? Even haters got to put that in the win column.
James D wrote, “Exactly Sam … now people want a national holiday for him already”
Uh…..there already is one. It’s called Presidents Day.
I agree that it’s not likely they found mandatory service absurd, but that they wanted to hide the evidence of their openly socialist desires once some attention was drawn to them.
Get ready. Our “volunteer work” or “service” or whatever will turn mandatory.
Remember that taxes were supposed to be taken out via payroll deduction only to help support WWII. Funny, I thought that was over, and wouldn’t you know it, I still see some entry on my check for “Fed W/H”. Government is full of shit. Obama is going to find a way to screw us over, and probably worse than W.
Hope you bought your guns.
its just some conditioning that obamas new cheif of staff emanuelle dual israeli citizen son of mass murderer has ready for the goyim to prepare them for the invasion of the middle east for greater israel hehe cant wait to ser it unfold good luck going into the ghettos and barrios and gettin the beanies and brothas to serve haha
I am 60 years old, have worked since I my teens, raised four children, and now have six grandchildren. I will volunteer MY time (I’ve EARNED it) loving and caring for these six blessings from God. How dare these arrogant blowhards tell me or anyone else what we “Have to do.”
I cannot believe I’ve lived to see the death of a free United States of America……It breaks my heart for my grandchildren and future great-grandchildren.
Can anyone give me some definite information on this issue for a debate class?!