WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives passed a measure Wednesday that supporters are calling the most sweeping reform of nationally-backed volunteer programs since AmeriCorps. But some opponents are strongly criticizing the legislation, calling it expensive indoctrination and forced advocacy.
The Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act, known as the GIVE Act -- sponsored by Reps. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y, and George Miller, D-Calif. -- was approved by a 321-105 vote and now goes to the Senate.
The legislation, slated to cost $6 billion over five years, would create 175,000 "new service opportunities" under AmeriCorps, bringing the number of participants in the national volunteer program to 250,000. It would also create additional "corps" to expand the reach of volunteerism into new sectors, including a Clean Energy Corps, Education Corps, Healthy Futures Corps and Veterans Service Corps, and it expands the National Civilian Community Corps to focus on additional areas like disaster relief and energy conservation.
By Examiner Editorial - 3/26/09 With almost no public attention, both chambers of Congress in the past week advanced an alarming expansion of the Americorps national service plan, with the number of federally funded community service job increasing from 75,000 to 250,000 at a cost of $5.7 billion. Lurking behind the feel-good rhetoric spouted by the measure’s advocates is a bill that on closer inspection reveals multiple provisions that together create a strong odor of creepy authoritarianism. The House passed the measure overwhelmingly, while only 14 senators had the sense and courage to vote against it on a key procedural motion. Every legislator who either voted for this bill or didn’t vote at all has some serious explaining to do.
Last summer, then-candidate Barack Obama threw civil liberties to the wind when he proposed “a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded” as the regular military. The expanded Americorps is not quite so disturbing, but a number of provisions in the bill raise serious concerns.
To begin with, the legislation threatens the voluntary nature of Americorps by calling for consideration of “a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people.” It anticipates the possibility of requiring “all individuals in the United States” to perform such service – including elementary school students. The bill also summons up unsettling memories of World War II-era paramilitary groups by saying the new program should “combine the best practices of civilian service with the best aspects of military service,” while establishing “campuses” that serve as “operational headquarters,” complete with “superintendents” and “uniforms” for all participants. It allows for the elimination of all age restrictions in order to involve Americans at all stages of life. And it calls for creation of “a permanent cadre” in a “National Community Civilian Corps.”
But that’s not all. The bill also calls for “youth engagement zones” in which “service learning” is “a mandatory part of the curriculum in all of the secondary schools served by the local educational agency.” This updated form of voluntary community service is also to be “integrated into the science, technology, engineering and mathematics curricula” at all levels of schooling. Sounds like a government curriculum for government approved “service learning,” which is nothing less than indoctrination. Now, ask yourself if congressmen who voted for this monstrosity had a clue what they were voting for. If not, they’re guilty of dereliction of duty. If yes, the implications are truly frightening.
UPDATE:
Between being first officially "reported" to the House and being voted on by the full House, bill managers stripped one whole section of the measure that created a Congressional Commission on Civil Service, thus removing the section that contained the language cited above concerning "a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people" and a possible requirement for "all individuals in the United States" to perform such service. The section could be restored during the Senate-House conference committee meeting. A new, separate bill containing that language has since been introduced in the House.
Are all of you parents and grandparents ready to hand your children and grandchildren, perhaps as young as elementary school age, over to the government to be trained at "operational headquarters" while wearing government issued uniforms (fatiques?).
Are all of you parents and grandparents ready to hand your children and grandchildren, perhaps as young as elementary school age, over to the government to be trained at "operational headquarters" while wearing government issued uniforms (fatiques?).
Of course they won't mind. They voted for change and change they will get.
Between being first officially "reported" to the House and being voted on by the full House, bill managers stripped one whole section of the measure that created a Congressional Commission on Civil Service, thus removing the section that contained the language cited above concerning "a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people" and a possible requirement for "all individuals in the United States" to perform such service. The section could be restored during the Senate-House conference committee meeting. A new, separate bill containing that language has since been introduced in the House.
the UN has invaded US.......the next generation being heralded/baptized into the Brave New World......let's see if Atlas will be burned........
shame on us for letting our churches 'go'.......Sal is this your catholic church you were talking about or were you referring to the political machine called the Roman catholic church that has a seat in the UN????
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
September 10, 2009 ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FOUNDATION, MAYORS FROM ALL OVER THE U.S. KICK OFF TWO MAJOR INITIATIVES ENCOURAGING VOLUNTEERISM
NEW YORK, NY --- UNPRECEDENTED BLOCK OF TV PROGRAMMING IS FIRST WAVE OF MULTI-YEAR "I PARTICIPATE" CAMPAIGN
From October 19-25, More Than 60 Network TV Shows To Spotlight The Power and Personal Benefits of Service
Celebrities, "Cities of Service" Founding Mayors, Volunteer Groups and Major League Baseball Players Gather in Times Square to Launch
Today in the heart of Times Square, actors and executives representing the Entertainment Industry Foundation (or EIF, the entertainment community's collective charitable organization) joined New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and 15 mayors from around the country, numerous celebrities, and key service groups to launch two new initiatives aimed at fostering a new era of volunteerism: EIF's I PARTICIPATE and the mayors' Cities of Service coalition.
EIF is mobilizing the entire entertainment community around the ground-breaking, multi-year I PARTICIPATE, which will promote a new way of thinking about service and seek to persuade millions more Americans to volunteer regularly. To jumpstart the campaign, Entertainment Industry President and CEO Lisa Paulsen, Tyler Perry and Ashton Kutcher announced its 2009 centerpiece: a week-long television event running from October 19th to the 25th, when America’s most-loved TV shows on ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC and other broadcast networks will spotlight service through scripted programming, segments and PSAs with inspirational messages and storylines about volunteerism. Randy Jackson (FOX), Christine Baranski (CBS), Tim Daly (ABC) and Michelle Trachtenberg (NBC) also participated in the announcement.
"Most people know that volunteering can have an enormous, positive impact on their communities, but they often don’t realize how much volunteering benefits the person who does it," said Lisa Paulsen, president and CEO of EIF. "We're trying to broaden the collective national conversation about service; volunteering is rewarding, but it's also energizing and fun. It can even be a great way to meet people."
"We think hearing that from the cast members and characters on shows like Mercy, American Idol, Private Practice, Ugly Betty and The Good Wife will help millions of viewers consider volunteerism," said Tony Award Winner Bernadette Peters. "I think it’s important to help people and causes that need our help. The I Participate campaign will ultimately involve all segments of the entertainment community including film studios, the recording industry, Broadway and others." .......................>>>>.................>>>>..............http://www.eifoundation.org/press/release.asp?press_release_id=244
CAPITAL REGION Youths find service appealing BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter
Young people all over the Capital Region seem to have the spirit of volunteerism — reflecting national trends of a rise in service. Students at Saratoga Springs High School helped put together holiday care packages for the 265 soldiers stationed at the Khyber Border Coordination Center in Torkham, Afghanistan. This is a joint military intelligence center located near the Pakistan border. It was part of a part of a project for Participation in Government Community Service class. Teacher Maureen O’Toole said the father of one of the students, Lillian Waters, is deployed in Afghanistan. “My whole class heard about it and wanted to get involved and wanted to do this as their class project,” O’Toole said. Community service is required for the class. Students work at places including the YMCA, public library and children’s museum. “It’s their responsibility to find a place where they’d like to volunteer. We want it to be a place where they enjoy,” she said. Students set up drop boxes in different parts of the school including the main office and attendance office and plugged the drive during the morning announcements. “The kids were so enthused about this. They jumped on the idea. It wasn’t just in class that they worked on this. They were stopping by all the time, passing out brochures, hanging up posters,” she said. “I think they really like the idea of helping the soldiers, sending care packages to troops who are so far away, especially during the holidays.” Price Chopper had also donated 250 containers for homemade goods and the Holiday Inn of Saratoga Springs donated toiletries. Among the items the soldiers wanted were microwave popcorn, chicken and tuna in a pouch, powdered drink mixes, candy and personal care products. ...................>>>>...................>>>>.............http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01102&AppName=1
Logged
