Thread for the Administration Elect

[jocelyn]

Since the election is over, I guess a new thread is necessary, unless we go back to the "pissing contest" thread. I\'m not too fond of that title or that thread so, I\'ma startin a new one. Soooo...

Anyone else think requiring community service is...

fascist!?

[SkyePrizm]

Since the election is over, I guess a new thread is necessary, unless we go back to the "pissing contest" thread. I\'m not too fond of that title or that thread so, I\'ma startin a new one. Soooo...

Anyone else think requiring community service is...

fascist!?

Yes, i totally agree.    Its up to the individual.  No one should be forced to help their community. It defeats the purpose of volunteering.  

I mean, i went to private catholic school....and to graudate it was required to have 120 hours of community service done before the end of senior year.   I get that, cause they were nuns, and well, its a really nunny thing to do.

I really hope Obama proves me wrong on some things......   its just the beginning.....

[jocelyn]

Since the election is over, I guess a new thread is necessary, unless we go back to the "pissing contest" thread. I\'m not too fond of that title or that thread so, I\'ma startin a new one. Soooo...

Anyone else think requiring community service is...

fascist!?

Yes, i totally agree.    Its up to the individual.  No one should be forced to help their community. It defeats the purpose of volunteering.  

This is just the philosophical aspect of it. On a political level, it\'s much more scary.

[Overexjoesure]

Selfless service is a key component to spiritual fulfillment.  I think this is a brilliant idea.

[inthewhitelodge]

Selfless service is a key component to spiritual fulfillment.  I think this is a brilliant idea.

The outcome is certainly brilliant, but the prescription for such brilliance could cause a disdain or resentment to be forced into public service. If people choose by their own forces to be charitable, the need for programs could be eradicated! <---Not likely to occur.... but in reality the gov\'t tends to add more bureaucracy/red tape to the elements of getting things accomplished.

Did anyone hear about the uproar concerning Obama\'s campaign "volunteer/workers"? I heard a recording of some very disgruntled campaign workers who showed up to get a check and practically demanded to get paid, waiting in lines and yelling about "where\'s my money?". I wasn\'t sure if they were under the pre-supposition of getting paid or not.

[Drew_Kingsley]

Selfless service is a key component to spiritual fulfillment.  I think this is a brilliant idea.

But is it "selfless" if it\'s required? People aren\'t being selfless when they perform court-ordered community service... how is this different?

[FrankZappa]

Dear Mr. President,
Don\'t shut down Nasa\'s Constellation program as a way to pay for your education reform as you proposed in your budget.

[tyzack]

Dear Mr. President,
Don\'t shut down Nasa\'s Constellation program as a way to pay for your education reform as you proposed in your budget.

Seriously.

As to the original post:

Required "volunteer" service is not volunteer. It\'s consription.

It doesn\'t sound partically facists - that would be killing you if you don\'t volunteer - it sounds more Soviet.

Not that there is that much of a difference between the two.

[SlimPickens]

I wish someone forced me to perform community service in my late teens.  I believe it would have helped to focus me before heading off to college.  I think it would have made a big difference.  I don\'t believe that kids coming of age since the draft was done away with understand the meaning of self sacrifice, and I believe it shows in the morals of our society.

It makes me think of that "Myspace Toolbox" thread.  So many kids, young adults and even those that have reached middle age are self obsessed, materialistic, and overly concerned with self gratification.  1 or 2 years of community service (working in a soup kitchen, animal shelter, welfare house, military service, or public works project) could really change someone\'s life.

Just my personal soapbox moment.

[jking]

so, getting $40 an hour in addition to helping the community of which you are a part is facist??? l o l

some of y\'all sound selfish and spoiled as hell. you realize that you are citizens of this country and, by very definition, are supposed to put into this country so that you can take out of this country all that it offers, right? or do y\'all think you should just be able to take and let someone else get around to helping pay back what you\'ve taken?

or would you just prefer to be lazy and let your communities continue to stagnate, just so you wouldn\'t have to spend one hundred hours in the course of an entire year doing something to help out? oh, and getting paid $40 an hour while doing something good for more than just you? i\'ll tell you what, as someone who volunteered throughout college, i would have loved to have made $4,000 over a summer for tuition doing something i was already doing. but i guess you (or your parents) are all rich and don\'t/didn\'t need any tuition assistance, ever?

[tyzack]

I am not against community service, I also think it is a great thing and I volunteer all that I can.

However, I have never been forced to do it.

As for giving back something in return for citizenship, I would like to introduce the notion of taxes.

I think that community service is provides much more "self gratification" than anything materialistic. Would you rather have someone compliment you on a new set of clothes, or smile and say "Thank you" when you give them food in a soup kitchen?

[FrankZappa]

As for giving back something in return for citizenship, I would like to introduce the notion of taxes.

:point:

[Drew_Kingsley]

I can\'t help but worry when 95% of any demographic votes for one candidate. 95% of any large demographic (large = race, gender, religion) voting one way is probably enough to strongly impact if not flat-out decide an election, and it doesn\'t give the vibe of folks voting based on the issues. Political strategists would be smart to use this precedent to their advantage, but it would be bad for democracy if it were to continue.

Please don\'t misconstrue this as a racist comment, as the demographic in question just happens to be the black vote in this case. I would feel the same way if 95% of whites, Asians, Christians, Jews, men, women, etc. voted the same way.

[jking]

wait wait wait.....

so the fact that, until now, 100% of a demographic has voted for itself for the past 200+ years is ok, but now, all of a sudden, its a bad thing? white men have voted only for white men until now. but all of a sudden, blacks voting for a black guy is bad for democracy?

[Overexjoesure]

Amen Chags & JKing.  

If I won the lottery one of the things I would do is fund this incredible urban mentoring program.  David Simon, Co-creator of the Wire, talked about it in an interview once. Apparently this program, which is located in South Bronx pairs up disadvantaged African-American youths with mentoring parents at a young age. The mentoring parents then make a commitment to stay with this child up until 18 ie being a part of his/her life, helping them with school, pretty much acting like a pseudo parent, but most importantly giving them unconditional love and stability.  Mind you the mentors aren\'t legally adopting the child.  Anyways, this program has been a huge success in deterring some of the nation\'s most troublesome demographic from going down the dark road of self destruction of gangs, drugs etc....  If I had the money I would try to implement this program in every major American city and also open up meditation and wellness centers geared toward said population.  Living in St. Louis I\'m prevued to a lot of social issues, which aren\'t as outspoken back East, and it breaks my heart to see America turning their backs on them.  Hopefully Obama\'s program will actively address these issues.